Customer Reviews

Sixty Horses in My Herd

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

By some quirk of fate, I've ended up with 9 CDs of Tuvan music (including hybrid projects like "Fly, Fly My Sadness"). It's an acquired taste, and I have friends who hate the stuff. Tuvan throat-singing techniques allow a singer to produce two notes at once, a low drone and a higher melody that is produced from the overtones of the drone note. The style originated with herders who sang it on horseback while tending their flocks; the music therefore has the same horse-gait rhythm as American cowboy music. Huun-Huur-Tu is a Tuvan group that plays old songs that were in danger of being forgotten (traditional culture was not prized when the Soviets were in power), led by Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, who was memorable as Paul Pena's host in the documentary "Genghis Blues". This album gives you plenty of khoomei (the general name for throat-singing) and several good songs. It's a pretty good album, but there are at least four Tuvan CDs I like better, including Huun-Huur-Tu's second album, "The Orphan's Lament". My favorite tracks here are "Lament of the Igil" and "Kongurei". The caravan-drivers' song, "Ching Soortukchulerining Yryzy", is my favorite Tuvan song, but the version here is surprisingly listless. (The explanation I've heard of this song in concert suggests the lyrics are not as G-rated as those in the liner notes.) For a much better rendition, check out the CD "Tuva: Voices from the Land of the Eagles", which also included Khovalyg -- that album also included the "Lament of the Igil" and "Bayan Dugai", both of which appear here. Anatoli Kuular, the best voice in Tuvan music, appears in the group photo on the back but not on the album (he joined Huun-Huur-Tu for their next CD).

This is a good group to listen to in order to get an appreciation for this unique music. The music is pure Tuvan. There are no "fusion" tracks, and no throatsinging over techno beats. The melodies are hypnotic, and the instruments are the traditional instruments of the nomads. The techniques they use are amazing. Kaigal-ol's khoomei has a very unique sound to it that is worth hearing by itself. This is the best throatsinging CD I've heard yet.

How to begin with such a great album? To have listened to Tuvan kargyraa (basso throat singing) is to be world's richer. Crank up the base on the second track and melt into another world! The instrumentals are fantastic as well. This album shows how a group of generally unknown musicians could sell out a week at Carnegie Hall and at the Filmore in San Francisco.

Tuva throat singing was impressive and enchanting. One of the songs on this CD had the deepest and most sonorous bass voice I think I have ever heard. The CD was a gift for my yoga teacher, and she was equally enchanted. (Two out of two ain't bad.) CD qualiy and condition were beyond reproach. I'm barely resisting starting a real collection of Tuvan music CD's.

This album is a classic! The skill of Huun-Huur-Tu is unrivaled in this hemisphere. Nowhere has there ever been 60 horses in any herd of any Tuva albums before! It is truely spiritual and moving. Not since Zim Zim's "why Sarah sings" has there been an album so beautifully orchestrated.

This one is not as accessable as The Orphan's Lament, but is still excellent music. I wish people who were into American country music, in particular would listen to Huun-huur-tu, there's something there for them. Artsy or rock-y types like myself seem to be the main ones interested in Tuvan music (Outside of Russia and Tuva).

I liked the CD, "60 Horses in My Herd"; it had a nice mix of traditional throat music and other songs from Mongolia. What I liked the best was the absence of modern instruments. I would recommend it for someone who wants the sound of Mongolia's past.

I really enjoy this music. There are a couple of tracks on here which are especially good for hearing the multiple notes in the throat singing.

I love listening to this wonderful CD; I enjoyed the beauty expressed.

A wonderful example of Khoomie throat singing of Centra Asia. Music that carries over long distances; this music became a way for yak herders and horsemen to entertain each other and communicate across vast areas of the steppes. The music also is closely tied to Tuvan spiritual beliefs.

Improvement on the documentary "Genghis Blues

Attended live performance of these people when they toured US. Very colorful; very versatile. This cd is very worth having - adds a totally different dimension to the musical experience.