Promised Land by Minnasia
Note: the song "Promised Land" is available for free download.
Promised Land is a one-man mini-musical originally written by Minnasia vocalist Bob Yang in his native Hmong language. It is a story of a Hmong family's exodus from southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. There are four scenes in the musical, each scene comprised of a monologue and a song, describing a situation that one of the family members encounter in their journey.
Bob received a grant from the state of Minnesota to put together a recording and a public performance. He asked Ari to arrange and produce the recording -- and Ari ended up writing the English lyrics to the songs as well, resulting in it becoming a Minnasia project.
The English lyrics are not direct translation of the Hmong versions. Rather, they were meant to simply convey the spirit of the original songs, so that they can be appreciated on their own without knowing the details of the story.
Because of the nature of this project, this recording features classical and Asian influences prominently. The all-acoustic band features a cello and a flute in addition to the rhythm section, backing Bob's lone voice.
Included in the album purchase are four songs in original Hmong, so you can enjoy the songs as they were originally intended to be, in addition to the English versions.
Credits
Written originally in Hmong by Bob Yang
English lyrics: Ari Koinuma
Overture & Finale written by Ari Koinuma
Produced, arranged & mixed by Ari Koinuma
Mastered by Greg Reierson @ Rare Form Mastering
Band recording engineered by Eric Blomquist @ Waterbury Studios, Minneapolis, MN
Vocal & guitar engineered by Ari Koinuma
Bob Yang: vocal
Tetsuya Takeno: drums & percussion
Aaron Fabrini: bass
Daniel Zamzow: cello
Melissa Stoudt: flute
Ari Koinuma: acoustic guitar
Cover photo by Judd Sather @ Studio J Photo, Stillwater, MN
Bob Yang is a fiscal year 2012 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This project is funded, in part, by the Minnesota State Legislature from the state's arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
