Being born in Hong Kong, I pretty much grew up listening to HK-pop of the 80s and 90s exclusively. Even when I first moved to Canada, my listening focus was whatever I could find on TV, such as Nirvana, Cranberries, Oasis, etc. Only until I started studying Jazz, and noticed some beautiful Stevie Wonder melodies in my Real Book, did I start trying to dig up his recordings. The song on which I heard Stevie's voice for the first time was Overjoyed. I was absolutely blown away by the simple (comparing to some bop tunes) yet incredibly elegant melody, and even more so, by the heart reaching lyrics. I almost had tears in my eyes.
At that time I still didn't know that Stevie is blind. I had seen a few pictures of Stevie, always wearing sun glasses, but only thought that it was his style. Later when I found out from a friend that Stevie has actually been blind since birth, I was in awe. What imagination must he have to conjure up images that he has never seen and translate them into lyrics? And what strength and persistence must he have to pursue his musical passion to the fullest, something that most people with regular eyesight cannot do? Not to mention he has learned to play the piano better than most of us.
In this video I play one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs, My Cherie Amour, on the tenor saxophone. Originally released in 1969, the song is Stevie's autobiographical account
about a girl he was fascinated with while in school. I highly recommend that you listen to the original My Cherie Amour album and listen to the lyrics. Doesn't the song remind us of what all of us have been through the first time when we were in love?
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