Till the End of Time

Description

Product Description In the 40s and 50s, at the legendary Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco, which featured all-Asian entertainers, Larry Ching was a star attraction, dubbed "the Chinese Sinatra." Now, just six decades later, he makes his first CD, with Ben Fong-Torres, the former editor and writer at Rolling Stone, serving as producer. Backed by a stellar three-piece combo, Larry sings personal favorites from the great American songbook, plus several that evoke his native Hawaii. The CD includes four bonus tracks, songs Larry recorded as demos sometime in the 40s that were never released ... until now. Review "(The CD's) strength lies in three things: timeless songs, Ching's smooth, authentic voice, and an accomplished backup trio..." -- SF Weekly, Kimberlye Gold, July 16-22, 2003"Ho, da smooth -- Uncle can still sing!" -- Keith Kamisugi and Kyle Tatsumoto, in their "Two Japanee Bruddahs" column. -- Nichi Bei Times, June 14, 2003"Larry Ching sings 'Stardust' with a voice still as smooth as velvet." -- Silke Tudor -- SF Weekly, November 2002"Pianist George Yamasaki fronts a terrific combo. If you dig nostalgia, you'll find treasures and pleasures a-plenty." -- Wayne Harada. -- Honolulu Advertiser, June 29, 2003"The CD...is a fabulous debut...Ching instinctively caresses the microphone with his quavering, emotion-drenched tenor." -- Gil Asakawa, Nikkei View, July 7, 2003Ho, da smooth -- Uncle can still sing! -- Keith Kamisugi and Kyle Tatsumoto, in their "Two Japanee Bruddahs" column. -- Nichi Bei Times, June 14, 2003 P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); From the Artist While we mourn the passing of Larry Ching, we look with great affection and pride at his accomplishments, from his work in the Forties to his releasing his debut CD at 80-something. We found an old quote from the legendary columnist Herb Caen, who, having heard the "Chinese Sinatra" tag that was pinned on Larry, wrote: "Frank Sinatra is the Italian Larry Ching." In the month that Larry had to enjoy his CD, he got great reviews and lengthy feature stories on line and in newspapers, he was on 3 TV stations, and he was featured on NPR (Pacific Time) as well as KQED-FM, KFOG's "Fog Files," and Jim Lange's show on KABL. As his widow Jane Seid Ching said, "He went out with a bang. About the Artist On July 5, 2003, Larry Ching passed away. Just one week before, he had been celebrated at a CD party at the Chinese Historical Society of America's Museum in Chinatown, San Francisco. He performed several songs, one of them accompanied by several fellow alumni from Forbidden City. He received a mayoral proclamation declaring it "Larry Ching Day." He was surrounded by family, friends and fans. He was as delighted as he had ever been. Aloha, and mahalo, Larry Ching. Larry Ching was born in Hawaii and came to the U.S. in the late 1930s. He became the first "singing bartender" in San Francisco's Chinatown, at the Chinese Village. Soon, he was hired to be a featured vocalist at Forbidden City, a nightclub that flourished through the 40s and 50s. Larry also performed at other nightspots, and once sang on a radio show hosted by Hoagy Carmichael, composer of "Stardust." At 82, he continues to sing at various community events. On this CD, his backup includes veteran bassist Dean Reilly, whose credits include Carmen McRae, Cal Tjader, Vince Guaraldi, the Kingston Trio, and many others. The drummer, Jim Zimmerman, has backed up Cleo Laine, Dianne Schuur, and other greats. George Yamasaki, the pianist, has accompanied Larry since they met at a jazz festival in the early 90s, and served as conductor of the session. See more