Curtis King playing the guitar in HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – From Cleveland, the US, two-member band Curtis King has travelled worldwide for performances, but Vietnam has made them stay. And they are now calling themselves Le Van Teo, a characteristically Vietnamese name.

“I lived in China for ten years. My Chinese name is Lee Ming. And Lee is Le in Vietnamese. Van is a common middle name for men in Vietnam. So my Vietnamese teacher and I hit upon this name, Le Van Teo,” Curtis King Band’s head, Curtis King, said, explaining the origin of the band’s funny-sounding Vietnamese name.

He added that whenever the name was announced during performances, audiences all broke out laughing. “I love to make people laugh. It is wonderful, isn’t it?” said he. Curtis King first arrived in Vietnam in 1997 and instantly saw the beauty as well as musical potentials of the country. From 2001 to 2003, Curtis King frequently returned to Vietnam.

And ever since 2003, he has been calling Vietnam his second “homeland”. In a musical gala called Rock - I love you held last year, many rock fans were very surprised when seeing Curtis playing rock with the harmonica.

But there is more than just rock. Starting to learn music at the age of 4, King can now play numerous musical styles including jazz, blues, gospel, funk, disco and reggae. And wherever they go, the two members – Curtis King, harmonica and lead guitar, and Hammer, bass guitar – always invite native artists to join their performances.

In Vietnam, the band is now working with drummer Titanic Thao and Tran Manh Tuan, head of Sax ‘n Art Club as well as a leading jazz man in Vietnam. Curtis King Band, or Le Van Teo, has released four albums so far.

“Though we play western music, we also find strange appeal in eastern music. There are new instruments and musical elements that I can incorporate into my music,” said King, who is practicing singing and writing Vietnamese songs.

But music isn’t all that they care for. The band has also been working with charities to help increase public awareness of Agent Orange consequences and victims. Curtis has even written a song titled Take my hand about the topic.

This song at present ranks among the top hits on XoneFM - VOV3. In March 2008 the band plans to take part in a show held at the HCM City Opera House to support Agent Orange victims.

(Source: Tuoi Tre)