The performers are 11 drummers & 15 singers, kids from the Camphor Tree School, a middle school in Shijr City, Taipei County, Taiwan.  They're all from the Amis Tribe, ages ranging from 12-15 years old.

I was commissioned by Mr. Gordon Tsai of the Dream Community in Shijr City, Taipei County to arrange traditional & popular Taiwanese songs with samba beats.  Mr. Tsai loves samba, and has been working hard to bring it to the children of Taiwan.  To be honest, I knew very little about Brazilian music, and nothing about Taiwanese music, but said yes to this incredible opportunity.  I stayed in Taiwan for February, 2007 and again for 5 weeks in May/June 2007.  It was a life-changing experience.

Try Harder to be the Winner is one of the Taiwanese pop songs I arranged with a Brazilian Baião beat. The original song is very syrupy, with lots of vibrato in the guy's encouraging voice.  I chose it because the message is nice for kids.  I transcribed the words (they're Taiwanese, not Chinese), and turned it into something like a rap song.  Luckily, I chose well for the chorus, people there told me the song actually makes sense. 

It was the last song the kids sang at the recording session.  Turns out they only spoke Amis & Mandarin, not Taiwanese, so they basically learned the syllables phonetically & sang it.  But I guess it's understandable, even with their adorable tribal accents.

Last night I finished editing the field recordings I made during my 2 months in Taiwan last year, and integrated them with the 9 songs I produced with the kids.  The field recordings include deafening cicadas in the jungle, roaring rainstorms, Long Shan Temple in Taipei on Chinese New Year's Eve, night markets, morning markets, the sounds of the night in Tong Men, Hualien, rehearsals with the kids, and more. 

The CD-R will be available in March, 2008, and I think it sounds incredible. 

Tentative title: Taiwan Dream Project.