The French born Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê could surely be called a Sunday child. When he was only 15 he already played drums, guitar and bass, but still he decided to study plastic art and take a degree in philosophy. It was only when his hunger for knowledge was appeased that he opted for a fulltime career in music. On the musical seas he sailed before the wind too. Right off in 1983 his band Ultramarine won the 1st prize of the Concours de Jazz de la Défense and the album that the band recorded in 1989 was chosen as ‘The Best World Music CD’. From that moment on he played with many musicians of importance, like for example the Dutch star trumpeter Eric Vloeimans. In the last few years he has been working a lot with the American composer and arranger Vince Mendoza. Nguyên Lê’s latest CD is a fabulous tribute to the legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
