Ten years ago, a Taiwan-born songstress journeyed to New York City in the footsteps of Sarah Vaughn. What she found was a startling musical revelation that linked Harlem to Keelung Harbor, stretching through decades and generations of her own family past.

Five years in the making, this album features both originals and classic Chinese songs that defined an era now faded in memory, re-interpreted by veteran New York musicians and delivered with heart-wrenching soul, by a voice that speaks to the truth and longing in us all.

This album is a sterling work of Asian jazz diaspora, of which nothing is lost in translation.

Macy Chen has built a beautiful bridge between two very different cultures. Her translations and re-imaginings of classics from the American song book into Mandarin have created a lovely new sound. Although I do not speak the language, I marvel at how musical her new lyrics sound in that exotic ancient tongue. “After 75 Years” is a rare and special treat. I played a few selections from the album for my graduate audio mastering class at New York University and students from both China and the US were very enthusiastic in praising Macy’s voice and style.  -A.S.