The Mat Troi Do (The red sun) girl band, who are known for their innovative fusion between traditional and modern music, has recently released a CD which features three types of folk music mixed with a world music style.

The four-member group, which includes Cao Ho Nga, the 6th generation descendant of Cao Ba Quat (1809 – 1855), a revered poet who composed the lyrics of many ca tru (ceremonial singing) pieces, worked on the CD, titled “Tri ky” (Like-minded friends), for three years.

The CD, which is Mat Troi Do’s first album after 10 years of performing as a group, features six pieces of chau van (traditional spiritual singing), ca tru (ceremonial singing), and folk music of the northern, central and southern regions, which are harmonized into world music, a musical category encompassing various styles of music from around the world, including traditional music, quasi-traditional music, and music in which more than one cultural tradition intermingles.

Specifically, “Ly chim quyen” (The song on a bird), a hallmark southern folk song, fuses don ca tai tu (Southern amateur folk music) and electronic music and jazz rock, while “Ly muoi thuong” (10 adorable traits of women), one of Hue’s iconic traditional songs, is harmonized with relaxing ambient music.

Meanwhile, “Ly chuon chuon” (The song on a dragonfly) fuses world jazz, smooth jazz and dan tranh (Vietnamese 16-chord zither).

“The girls want their music to be infused with folk elements, appeal to youths and be embraced by picky, refined foreigners at the same time. We thus make sure that both the traditional and Western musical instruments don’t drown each other out, but instead accentuate each other,” said composers Nhat Trung and Thanh Tam, who mixed the CD.

“The CD is a prized music production and a tremendous effort considering that folk music is eroding and often overlooked. The group’s less-taken road will certainly be bumpy, as the masses may find their work hard to enjoy,” remarked director Le Thuy.

Chau van (spiritual singing), created during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400), is a highly rhythmic and trance-oriented form of singing, often accompanied by a medium during rituals to honor the Mother Goddesses and connect to other gods.

The music and poetry performed in the folk art are mingled with a variety of rhythms, pauses, tempos, stresses and pitches. The main musical instrument used in the genre is dan nguyet (moon-shaped lute). It is performed mainly at temples and pagodas.

Meanwhile, ca tru (ceremonial singing), also known as hat a dao or hat noi, is an ancient genre of chamber music featuring female vocalists, which originates from northern Vietnam.

Nowadays, world music and world jazz are considered the most efficient genres through which bands can incorporate a country’s traditional music into the world’s mainstream music arena.