| Leighton and friends undertook
the journey in honor of Richard.Ondar)
in 1993 sparked a collaboration with musicians such as Frank Zappa, Ry
Cooder, the Chieftains, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, the Kronos Quartet and
L.Read all about it in the Friends
of Tuva newsletter!Bapa was replaced by the young Alexei Saryglar, a talented
percussionist, sygyt singer and string instrumentalist.While intent on preserving
the Tuvan musical heritage, they also recognize the need for vitality and
"room to move" in the performance of traditional music.Must one experience the place
to understand the music?What binds these
forms together is their use of mimesis, or imitation for
aesthetic purposes.Tuvans, domestic animals,
the physical environment of mountains and grasslands, and the elemental
energies of wind, water, and light.For the Tuvans, one of the purposes of music seems to be to offer detailed
and concrete descriptions of topography.Now the Soviet Union is gone, but the transformations which it wrought
still cast a long shadow over Tuva....The tradition's authenticity stems from the group's effort
to bring their own life experience into their music, and to build a rapport
with their audiences, as any tradition must to remain alive.Khovalyg photo
credit Clark Quin
Background images courtesy of J.Instruments they use in their music include the igil, khomus, doshpuluur, tungur (shaman drum), and others.The focus of their music was traditional Tuvan folk songs, frequently featuring imagery of the Tuvan steppe or of horses.The ensemble released its first album, 60 Horses In My Herd, the following year.The album was recorded at studios in London and Mill Valley, California.Ondar as part of the Tuva Ensemble.The Orphan's Lament in New York City and Moscow, and released it in 1994.He was replaced by Alexei Saryglar, formerly a member of the Russian state ensemble Siberian Souvenir.This time, in addition to the traditional folk music, the group performed some rather more contemporary Tuvan songs, from the latter half of the 20th century.In early 1999, the band released its fourth album, Where Young Grass Grows.Tuvan instruments (except for the guitar) were featured, including harp, tabla, Scottish smallpipe (performed by Martyn Bennett) and synthesiser.Anatoli singing whilst riding horseback on the Tuvan grasslands.The following year, the band released their first live album.This page was last modified 16:28, 3 December 2007.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.Tu, the foremost
international representative of Tuva's remarkable musical culture on Vocal
Planet.For these performers, representing such a culture, however, is surely
a delicate task.In short,
Tuvan music is not abstract, like most Western music, but radically
representational, the product of a cult of imitation that ties it to an
animistic understanding of the world.Regardless of it's origins and history,
everyone who hears it agrees that Tuvan Throat Singing is unlike anything
they've ever heard before.Khovalyg worked as a
shepherd until the age of 21, when he was invited to join the Tuvan State
Ensemble.Tu, he left the State Ensemble in 1993 to devote his
attention to the newly formed quartet.Tuvan music
on electric instruments.As a vocalist he is currently specializing in the kargyraa style.Born in rural Chadan, Kuular was a shepherd before becoming a professional
musician.He participated in two Smithsonian Folkways recordings on
Tuvan music and nature sound imitations ('90 and '99).He completed his musical training in Ulan Ude
as a percussionist for classical and popular music, and became a member of
the large Russian state ensemble 'Siberian Souvenir'.Le "mondomix" de Huun Huur Tu sur TV5.Maroc) pour le festival Jazz in Riads (16 au 18 novembre).Would you like to comment?Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).Mongolian border that is called Tuva, there
is more freezing weather than all of the Great Lakes region combined, surrounded
by mountains and desert.This is a land where wrestling, games with sheep
bones and carnivore appetites are a standard.In Western music, there have been a number of musical pioneers who explored
the contours of the human voice.Even more so than
gospel exhortations of soul singers who explore the human range of emotion,
Tuvan singers have explored the extensive potentials of the voice itself
in a long tradition.As 'world music' has become a fixture in the West for a number of years
now, it should be noted that the Tuvan throat singing is not just an exotic
novelty but a part of a rich tradition.Initially, when groups started
forming in Tuva, like in many other Third World cultures, Western styles
were being copied.Luckily, there are also earnest practitioners
of this fine art abound in Tuva to carry on the tradition for real.You hear a deep humming groan, mixed
with a high pitched whistling sound.Nothing else you've heard
is like this.Even hearing this on CD is nothing like witnessing this in
person, seeing a group of seated men in 'native garb' give forth with amazing
sounds that dart and cut through the air, filling a whole concert hall
with the sound of their voices.The group itself has made appearance on MTV, the Arts and Entertainment
network, record movie soundtracks and participated in a jam session at
Frank Zappa's house.There are now throat singing workshops conducted around
the world now as well as International throat singing competitions held
back in Tuva.To put things in perspective, blues singer Paul Pena has
brought the tradition full circle to American music, linking to Howlin'
Wolf's guttural groans.As percussionist Alexander Bapa explains 'our ensemble
used the name because the light rays on the steppe remind us of the seperate
lines of sound in throat singing.They also speak of 'respect for ancestors'
and 'naturalness and sincerety' when speaking about their music.Even their instruments
are regional creations such as 'horsehead' fiddle (igil), conch shell,
shaman rattles.All of their CD's are representative of this great music.The origin of this tradition spans back to the 1930s with transcriptions
that have only been brought to light in the last decade.Tu though is the whole
concept of the band itself.Tu finds it much easier to
perform in the West than in their own homeland.This doesn't mean that they pander
to Western audiences at all but that their own country (or at least its
government and promoters) aren't ready for such innovations yet.The best that can be hoped for with what Westerners call 'world music'
is that it becomes common and familiar enough that it is no longer 'foreign.Tu
and other practitioners, it will also be something familiar, common and
welcome around the West as well.Hopefully, this won't just mean 'legitimization'
just because another hemisphere is able to appreciate it. |
