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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Deep in the Heart of Tuva: Cowboy Music from the Wild East (1996)

Tuvan music has always intrigued me. The ability to sing two notes simultaneously, even when the vocal timbre is very different than what Western ears are accustomed to, is impressive. This recording was released as a companion to a book about Tuvan music and it is now out of print.

Tuva is a part of Russia, inhabited by a Turkic people related to the nearby Mongolians. Tuvans are known abroad for khoomei (xöömej), a kind of overtone singing.

Traditionally music from Tuva was only a solo effort. The musician's intention was usually to emphasize timbre and harmonics over rhythm. The performances were often in places of natural acoustics such as caves, cliffs, rivers, and so on. The performer would often take long pauses to allow nature its own chance to converse back. The modern music found today is often composed of ensembles of musicians playing multiple instruments and often is much more pulsatile than its traditional uses.

Track List:
  1. Medley of Throat-Singing Styles Accompanied by Doshpuluur - Kongar-ol Ondar (4:30)
  2. Demonstration of Kargyraa - Aldyn-ool Sevek (1:53)
  3. Collection of Höömeï Styles - Oleg Kuular (3:16)
  4. Bolur-Daa-Bol, Bolbas-Daa-Bol (It Will Be, It Won't Be) - (1:09)
  5. Eder-Daa-Bol, Etpes-Daa-Bol - (1:01)
  6. Höömï Lullaby - (:57)
  7. Demonstration of Sygyt and Kargyraa - (2:03)
  8. Dymzhuktaar - Kongar-ol Ondar (3:04)
  9. Fantasy on the Igil - Kaigal-ool Khovalyg (4:18)
  10. Fast Words - Kongar-ol Ondar (1:36)
  11. Shamanic Prayer for Richard Feynman - Kongar-ol Ondar (5:28)
  12. Teve Haïa (Camel Rock) - (1:00)
  13. Bai-Laa Taigam - (3:07)
  14. Prayer I - Mikhail Alperin (6:28)
  15. Fly, Fly My Sadness - (7:42)
  16. In the Cathedral - Mikhail Alperin, Oleg Kuular (2:25)
  17. Tuvan Industrial - Mikhail Alperin, Oleg Kuular (5:56)
  18. Yenisei-Punk - Albert Kuvezin, Yay-Kha (3:09)
  19. Kargyrra Moan - (4:16)
  20. What You Talkin' About? - Kongar-ol Ondar (1:51)

 Credits:
 
Yay-Kha (Performer), Aldyn-ool Sevek (Performer), Adrian Belic (Photography), Joanna Jaeger (Art Direction), Albert Kuvezin (Performer), Kaigal-ool Khovalyg (Performer), Kongar-ol Ondar (Photography), Kongar-ol Ondar (Performer), Jeffrey Charno (Executive Producer), Oleg Kuular (Performer), Mikhail Alperin (Performer)

 
 Download Links: Part 01, Part 02.

Other recordings of Tuvan Music:

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