* En anglais uniquement
Tran Quang Hai is an important purveyor of the dan trahn, a traditional 16-string zither from Vietnam. Between softly plucked pentatonic melodies, Hai's music jumps to life with shimmering, harp-like flourishes. His melodies are often inflected with a wide, jittery vibrato and stark bends that result in a sound you might hear if you gave a banjo player from India lessons on Chinese melody. His collaboration with Saigon pop singer Bach Yen is excellent, as are his other explorations, including an album solely dedicated to the different Jew's harps of the world. Though his other work is engaging -- he's also a well known author on Vietnamese music -- Hai is probably best when he sticks to the dan trahn. His performances have a quiet, hypnotic feel that is utterly entrancing.