Trần Mạnh Tuấn (born May 7, 1970 in

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

) is one of the two most prominent

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonists Instruments key: * s, Sopranino * S, Soprano * A, Alto * T, Tenor * B, Baritone * b, Bass * c, Contrabass (or tubax) * sc, Subcontrabass Indicators key: *X, instrument has been used by person or group *X, instrument has been used by person o ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

(the other being

Quyền Văn Minh Quyền Văn Minh (born July 11, 1954) is a Vietnamese jazz saxophonist. He is considered the first jazz star and one of the most eminent musicians in Hanoi. He is also known for running a jazz club in Old Quarter of Hanoi for years. Early life Min ...

, also from

). In 2002, he moved from Hanoi to

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

and has taught at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory. He is also a composer, arranger and producer. He is from a musical family; his father, mother, and sister are all performers of ''

cải lương ''Tuồng cải lương'' (, Hán-Nôm: 從改良) often referred to as cải lương (Chữ Hán: 改良), roughly "reformed theater") is a form of modern folk opera in Vietnam. It blends southern Vietnamese folk songs, classical music, '' hát ...

'', a traditional musical theater form of southern Vietnam. He began playing the saxophone in 1979 and is a graduate of the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. He has released five solo CDs and has performed and recorded with several Vietnamese pop singers. He is also known for his interpretations of the songs of

Trịnh Công Sơn Trịnh Công Sơn (February 28, 1939 – April 1, 2001) was a Vietnamese, musician, songwriter, painter and poet. He is widely considered to be Vietnam's best songwriter. His music explores themes of love, loss, and anti-war sentiments during ...

. Trần Mạnh Tuấn has performed with a number of well known musicians including

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...

, Derek Nash, Lillian Boutte,

Charlie Bisharat Charlie Bisharat is an American violinist known as a member of Shadowfax and for his work in film and with other New Age Jazz artists. He was born in Inglewood, CA in 1963 to parents who immigrated to the United States from Palestine in the 1950 ...

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

Don Grusin Don Grusin (born April 22, 1941) is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. He is the younger brother of Dave Grusin. Career Don Grusin grew up in Littleton, Colorado. His father, a native of Latvia, was a classical violinis ...

Hans Dulfer Hans Dulfer (born 28 May 1940) is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone. Life and music Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of ...

, Fulvio Albano,

Rob Mullins Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ...

, Mike Del Frerro, John Ferguson,

Stephan Eicher Stephan Eicher (born 17 August 1960) is a Swiss singer. He sings in a variety of languages, including French, German, English, Italian, Swiss German and Romansh, sometimes using different languages in the same song. Eicher's success started ...

, Co Co York, Jennifer Ryan, Mezcal Jazz Unit,

Dana Leong Dana Leong is a 2011 Grammy Award Winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, US Ambassador of Music, adventurer, philanthropist & entrepreneur from the San Francisco Bay Area, who is known for mixing elements of traditional instruments su ...

, and Denis Mininfield. In 2005 he opened the Sax n' Art

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is license ...

in Ho Chi Minh City.

Collaboration with Mezcal Jazz Unit

In 2005-2007, Tuấn was involved in Tim Gió, a musical and cultural exchange project between Vietnam and France. The project involved the French jazz band Mezcal Jazz Unit, Trần Mạnh Tuấn as well as other Vietnamese folk musicians like Cao Ho Nga ('' dân t'rưng'', ''

đàn tranh The ''đàn tranh'' (, ) or ''đàn thập lục''Le, Tuan Hung. Dan Tranh Music of Vietnam : Traditions and Innovations. Melbourne, Tokyo : Australia Asia Foundation, 1998. (hard back); (paperback), page 1 is a plucked zither of Vietnam, bas ...

''), Nguyen Thu Thy (''

đàn nhị The (, Chữ Nôm: 彈二), also called , is a Vietnamese bowed string instrument with two strings. The word ''nhị'' means "two" in Vietnamese, and means "instrument". Its sound box is generally covered on one end with snakeskin.''Garland En ...

''), Nguyen Anh Tran (''

đàn bầu The đàn bầu (; "gourd zither"; chữ Nôm: ), also called độc huyền cầm (獨絃琴, "one-string zither") is a Vietnamese stringed instrument, in the form of a monochord (one-string) zither. History While the earliest written records o ...

'', '' đàn nguyệt'', ''

đàn đáy The ''đàn đáy'' (Chữ Nôm: 彈𡌠)is a Vietnamese plucked lute with three strings, a trapezoidal wooden body, and a very long wooden neck with ten raised frets. Players formerly used silk strings, but since the late 20th century have gen ...

''). A CD entitled '' Tim Gió'' was released in 2006.Mezcal jazz Unit, the band

Discography

*''Độc tấu Saxophone Trần Mạnh Tuấn'' (1997) *''Biển Khát'' (2001) *''Hạ Trắng'' (2002) *''Coming Home'' (2003) *''The Shadow Of Time'' (2006) *''Jungle Lullaby'' (2006) *''Drifting Blossoms and Floating Clouds'' (2008) *''Ru ta ngậm ngùi'' (2009) *''Wings of the Flying Crane'' (2012) *''Angel Eyes'' (2012) *''Blue Eyes'' (2013) *''Jazz It Up "Sến" (Thành phố buồn)'' (2013) *''Simply Soul'' (2016) *''Legendary Shepherd on the Moon'' (2016) *''Rhythm of the Fall'' (2016)

Collaborative albums

*''Lời Ru Mắt Em'' (Collaboration with Vũ Quang Trung) * ''Tim Gió'' (2006) (Collaboration with the French group Mezcal Jazz Unit)

References

External links

Trần Mạnh Tuấn official siteArticle

Listening

Trần Mạnh Tuấn audio samples
Living people People from Ho Chi Minh City People from Hanoi Vietnamese musicians Berklee College of Music alumni Vietnamese jazz saxophonists 1970 births 21st-century saxophonists {{Vietnam-stub