Chinese musicians, Grand St subway platform

Chang Loo (張露) — As You Wish (稱心如意)

from Pathé 100 The Series Vol. 30: Cheng Xin Ru Yi: Chang Loo (2006)

Here’s a charming track from mid-century Shanghai chanteuse Chang Loo (Zhang Lu), who, if Google’s translation of the Chinese wikipedia entry is to believed, got her start when a neighbor heard her ‘heavenly’ voice through the wall as she sung along to the radio, and promptly referred her to a Shanghai radio station as a guest singer.

She performs in the 時代曲 (shidaiqu) style, a Shanghainese fusion of western jazz with traditional Chinese music, and covers everything from Hawaiian slack-key numbers to American soul and doo-wop to Japanese pop and country (Hank Williams’ ‘Jambalaya’)!

1950 publicity photo

The label that released her, Pathé Orient aka Pathé Asia, was an outpost of the French wax and shellac label, and got its start in Shanghai in a somewhat whimsical way:

Around the beginning of the 20th century, a young Frenchman named Labansat set up an outdoor stall on Tibet Road in Shanghai and played gramophone records to Chinese citizens who were curious. The phonograph was purchased from Moutrie and Company, and he charged anyone 10 cents to listen to a novelty record called “Laughing Foreigners” (洋人大笑). Anyone capable of resisting any laughs or chuckles got their money back. Phonographs were becoming popular in the city in 1906. By 1908, he received help from a French engineer and an assistant from Ningbo and established “Pathé Orient” (東方百代), also known as “Pathé Asia.” (Wikipedia)

The label moved to Hong Kong when the Communist Government took over in 1949. A few years ago, Pathé released this retrospective series. The stand-out blog What’s in my ipod? has a bounty of these shidaiqu albums (though not this particular volume). Have fun.