03/01/2026
Deeply honored and grateful to receive this album review from International Awards Associate (IAA) -
Aivee Hsu’s But Beautiful is a tender yet sophisticated journey through the timeless language of jazz. With an elegant voice shaped by years of global experience, this debut jazz album presents a masterfully curated selection of classic ballads, bossa nova gems, and original works—breathing fresh life into the Great American Songbook while offering a deeply personal interpretation of love, longing, and beauty.
Produced by renowned jazz educator and pianist Andy Jaffe, But Beautiful reflects Aivee’s transcontinental sensibility—merging her Taiwanese roots with American jazz traditions. The album features an international lineup of seasoned musicians, recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubs, capturing the intimate spontaneity of a real performance.
Aivee’s vocal phrasing is fluid and emotionally rich, effortlessly navigating the subtle textures of songs like “Stardust,” “But Beautiful,” and “’Tis Autumn.” With each phrase, she invites listeners into her inner world—at once wistful and hopeful, delicate and grounded. Her delivery reveals an artist who listens as much as she sings, shaping melodies with the sensitivity of a jazz instrumentalist.
Brazilian influences infuse the album with breezy warmth, particularly in her tender renditions of “Garota de Ipanema” and the playful “O Pato.” Aivee’s natural feel for Portuguese and rhythmic nuance adds authenticity without sacrificing her own stylistic voice.
The album also showcases Aivee’s artistry as a composer. Her original songs “Dream of You” and “Bellflower” blend seamlessly with the standards, revealing lyrical elegance and melodic depth. These tracks offer a window into her emotional landscape, hinting at a storyteller with both grace and imagination.
While the repertoire draws from beloved jazz and bossa classics, Aivee’s interpretations are never derivative. She reimagines each song with graceful restraint, allowing space for nuance and silence. The arrangements are minimalistic yet lush, allowing her voice and the instruments to breathe in harmony.
In an era of fast consumption and digital overload, But Beautiful offers a timeless counterpoint—an album that honors jazz’s legacy while gently carving a space for a new, heartfelt voice in today’s global jazz scene.
非常榮幸也滿懷感激，收到來自 International Awards Associate（IAA） 對But Beautiful專輯的評論 (以下為原文翻譯）——
Aivee Hsu 的《But Beautiful》是一段溫柔卻成熟精緻的旅程，帶領聽者走進爵士這門永恆的語言。她以多年累積的國際舞台經驗，塑造出優雅而從容的聲線；這張爵士出道專輯精心挑選了經典抒情曲、巴薩諾瓦的珍品，以及原創作品——在為「偉大的美國歌集（Great American Songbook）」注入新鮮生命的同時，也以極為個人的方式詮釋愛、思念與美。
《But Beautiful》由知名爵士教育家與鋼琴家 Andy Jaffe 擔任製作，呈現出 Aivee 跨越地域的音樂感性——把台灣的文化根源與美國爵士傳統巧妙融合。專輯集結國際級、經驗豐富的樂手陣容，採用近乎現場的錄音方式完成：在錄音室內以極少量的疊錄，捕捉真實演出般親密而自然的即興火花。
Aivee 的樂句處理流動自如、情感層次豐富，能輕鬆穿梭於〈Stardust〉、〈But Beautiful〉與〈’Tis Autumn〉等作品細緻的紋理之間。她在每一句歌聲裡，都邀請聽者走進她的內心世界——既惆悵又充滿希望，既細膩又沉穩落地。她的演唱呈現出一位「聽」與「唱」同樣投入的藝術家，以爵士樂器演奏者般的敏銳度去雕琢旋律。
巴西音樂元素為專輯注入清爽而溫暖的氣息，尤其在她溫柔詮釋的〈Garota de Ipanema〉與俏皮靈動的〈O Pato〉中更為鮮明。Aivee 對葡語的自然語感與節奏細節的拿捏，帶來真實的韻味，同時也不犧牲她自身獨特的風格與聲音。
專輯同時展現 Aivee 作為創作者的成熟度。她的原創曲〈Dream of You〉與〈Bellflower〉與經典曲目無縫融合，展現出詞意的優雅與旋律的深度。這些作品讓人得以窺見她的情感風景，彷彿一位兼具優雅與想像力的說書人，細緻地鋪陳自己的故事。
儘管曲目選自廣受喜愛的爵士與巴薩諾瓦經典，Aivee 的詮釋從不流於模仿。她以優雅而克制的方式重新想像每一首歌，保留空間給細節與沉默，讓微妙的情緒自然浮現。編曲極簡卻不失豐潤，使她的歌聲與樂器之間能夠自由呼吸、相互映照。
在這個快速消費、數位資訊過載的時代，《But Beautiful》提供了一種恆久的對照——它在致敬爵士傳承的同時，也溫柔地為當代全球爵士場景，開闢出一個屬於新世代、真摯而動人的聲音位置。
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