Saturday, March 26
Various Artists, Shüüdüngüt's Road - Music Of The Kyrgyz People Of Central Asia
More information on this release
Buy this CD
Kyrgyzstan is the smallest, most remote, and (arguably) the most beautiful of the Central Asian republics. The Pamir Alay and Tian Shan mountain ranges dominate the country and actually separate the northern part from the southern part. The people of the north are closely connected to the Kazaks; their languages and customs (nomadic herding, a limited belief in Islam) are very similar to one another, to the point that some believe they are variants of the same group. The southern people, especially those in the dangerous Fergana valley, have more in common with their neighbors in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (about 13% of the population is Uzbek, in fact) than with Kyrgyz in the north.
You might ask yourself, why would two diverse groups of people choose to form a country together? The answer is...they didn't. The Soviets created Kyrgyzstan as a way to "divide and conquer." They wanted to divide the Kazaks and the Uzbeks--the two major Central Asian groups--so that they could more easily control both groups. So the Soviets created Kyrgyzstan as a way to separate large groups of Uzbeks and Kazaks from one another by lumping some of each in with the Kyrgyz.
Now that there is no Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan has struggled to find its identity. But that's starting to change. As I am writing this, a revolution—begun in the southern cities of Jalal-Abad and Osh before moving to the capital Bishkesh in the north—has swept the country's leader from power, and opposition leaders are poised to set up new, democratic elections. What's most striking about this revolution is the cooperation between groups in both the north and south. The disparate people in this country found a common enemy and fought together to depose it. Through this cooperation, these groups are starting to recognize all that connects them, rather than all that separates them: yurts (giant tents used by the traditional Kyrgyz nomads), kumis (the fermented mare's milk that is the national drink), and a nomadic spirit that is best expressed through music.
The nomadic spirit, the desire to live and travel without barriers or limitations, is at the heart of Kyrgyz music, which consists primarily of folk songs performed by small, portable wind and string instruments like the komuz (a three-stringed, fretless lute), the kyl kiak (a two-stringed bowed instrument similar to the horeshead fiddle found in Mongolian music), and timur komuz (Jew's harp). These instruments can be played anywhere by anyone (hence the term "folk music"), but they are nowhere better performed than on Mark A. Humphrey's wonderful compilation, Shüüdüngüt's Road—a work which, he claims, is the first full-length anthology of Kyrgyz music to appear on CD in the United States.
In these 31 songs, you'll discover all the shapes and nuances of Kyrgyz music, both vocal songs (which the Kyrgyz call ïr) and instrumentals (küü). The Kambarkan Folk Ensemble, the Kyrgyz national folk troupe, performs the bulk of the songs. However, only one or two musicians play on any given song; these are solos or duets, not full-scale ensemble pieces. Personally, I prefer my Central Asian music like this, stripped of full-scale artifice. A solo komuz performer plucking and strumming along at an ancient melody is far more interesting to me than an entire group of artists transforming that same melody into something larger and more complicated.
For example, the three works titled "Kambarkan," each one a solo performance for komuz, are beautiful pieces that shed a great deal of light on Kyrgyz music and history. They are named "Kambarkan" after the inventor of the komuz (and the legendary founder of Kyrgyz music), Kambar (the "khan" is honorific). Each piece is a virtuoso performance by a different komuz expert, and each one reveals a different shade to this interesting instrument. Jusup Abayev performs the first, and it is a happy, hopping song, the artist plucking and strumming a melody that reminds of a horse galloping over a series of hills. Fahriddin Bayabov performs the second one, and it follows much of the terrain as the first, only this time the strumming slows and sputters in spots, like a horse stepping carefully over water or around boulders. The final one, by Nurlanbek Nïshanov, takes this horse theme to its logical conclusion, tossing the horse onto a gigantic plain, letting it speed up and gallop off into the far distance. In three songs, each with the same name, we get a glimpse of this culture's rich heritage, for these are only three out of dozens of variations on a single theme, and this theme is only one of hundreds of different themes for this single instrument.
While I enjoy the küü (instrumental) songs here—in fact, I find them the equal to any instrumental songs I've encountered on other Central Asian works—I must admit a fondness for the ïr, or vocal, songs. There are only a few of these on this disk, but they are all fascinating. The album's title track, for example, is both a tribute to Attila the Hun (whom Kyrgyz believe to be an ancestor of theirs) and a story explaining the origin of the komuz. Another song, simply titled "Improvisation," is just that, an improvisation between two singers, one young and one old. The older one is praising his country and announcing his satisfaction with his own life; the younger one is praising his uncle (the older one) for his wisdom and echoing those national sentiments. Each of these songs is a dissertation's worth of insight into Kyrgyz culture, and they are only two of eight fascinating vocal performances.
That national spirit is certainly in evidence today as Kyrgyzstan seeks to build a future for itself. For anyone who has read the news about this country and would like to learn more about its people and its culture, then I cannot imagine a better introduction than this work. It covers just about every musical tradition found in the country, including pop music (thanks to a pop rendition of Salamat Sadikova's "Ayïl kechi," or "An Evening in the Village"). Moreover, because Kyrgyz music is grounded in folk, not religious, styles, the music is a lot more palatable for western ears than, say, the music of Uzbekistan. Really, though, this is a document for a country that, despite centuries of aggravation and suffering, is trying desperately to be a country, and this process is nowhere better documented than on this album.
Buy this CD
Kyrgyzstan is the smallest, most remote, and (arguably) the most beautiful of the Central Asian republics. The Pamir Alay and Tian Shan mountain ranges dominate the country and actually separate the northern part from the southern part. The people of the north are closely connected to the Kazaks; their languages and customs (nomadic herding, a limited belief in Islam) are very similar to one another, to the point that some believe they are variants of the same group. The southern people, especially those in the dangerous Fergana valley, have more in common with their neighbors in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (about 13% of the population is Uzbek, in fact) than with Kyrgyz in the north.You might ask yourself, why would two diverse groups of people choose to form a country together? The answer is...they didn't. The Soviets created Kyrgyzstan as a way to "divide and conquer." They wanted to divide the Kazaks and the Uzbeks--the two major Central Asian groups--so that they could more easily control both groups. So the Soviets created Kyrgyzstan as a way to separate large groups of Uzbeks and Kazaks from one another by lumping some of each in with the Kyrgyz.
Now that there is no Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan has struggled to find its identity. But that's starting to change. As I am writing this, a revolution—begun in the southern cities of Jalal-Abad and Osh before moving to the capital Bishkesh in the north—has swept the country's leader from power, and opposition leaders are poised to set up new, democratic elections. What's most striking about this revolution is the cooperation between groups in both the north and south. The disparate people in this country found a common enemy and fought together to depose it. Through this cooperation, these groups are starting to recognize all that connects them, rather than all that separates them: yurts (giant tents used by the traditional Kyrgyz nomads), kumis (the fermented mare's milk that is the national drink), and a nomadic spirit that is best expressed through music.
The nomadic spirit, the desire to live and travel without barriers or limitations, is at the heart of Kyrgyz music, which consists primarily of folk songs performed by small, portable wind and string instruments like the komuz (a three-stringed, fretless lute), the kyl kiak (a two-stringed bowed instrument similar to the horeshead fiddle found in Mongolian music), and timur komuz (Jew's harp). These instruments can be played anywhere by anyone (hence the term "folk music"), but they are nowhere better performed than on Mark A. Humphrey's wonderful compilation, Shüüdüngüt's Road—a work which, he claims, is the first full-length anthology of Kyrgyz music to appear on CD in the United States.
In these 31 songs, you'll discover all the shapes and nuances of Kyrgyz music, both vocal songs (which the Kyrgyz call ïr) and instrumentals (küü). The Kambarkan Folk Ensemble, the Kyrgyz national folk troupe, performs the bulk of the songs. However, only one or two musicians play on any given song; these are solos or duets, not full-scale ensemble pieces. Personally, I prefer my Central Asian music like this, stripped of full-scale artifice. A solo komuz performer plucking and strumming along at an ancient melody is far more interesting to me than an entire group of artists transforming that same melody into something larger and more complicated.
For example, the three works titled "Kambarkan," each one a solo performance for komuz, are beautiful pieces that shed a great deal of light on Kyrgyz music and history. They are named "Kambarkan" after the inventor of the komuz (and the legendary founder of Kyrgyz music), Kambar (the "khan" is honorific). Each piece is a virtuoso performance by a different komuz expert, and each one reveals a different shade to this interesting instrument. Jusup Abayev performs the first, and it is a happy, hopping song, the artist plucking and strumming a melody that reminds of a horse galloping over a series of hills. Fahriddin Bayabov performs the second one, and it follows much of the terrain as the first, only this time the strumming slows and sputters in spots, like a horse stepping carefully over water or around boulders. The final one, by Nurlanbek Nïshanov, takes this horse theme to its logical conclusion, tossing the horse onto a gigantic plain, letting it speed up and gallop off into the far distance. In three songs, each with the same name, we get a glimpse of this culture's rich heritage, for these are only three out of dozens of variations on a single theme, and this theme is only one of hundreds of different themes for this single instrument.
While I enjoy the küü (instrumental) songs here—in fact, I find them the equal to any instrumental songs I've encountered on other Central Asian works—I must admit a fondness for the ïr, or vocal, songs. There are only a few of these on this disk, but they are all fascinating. The album's title track, for example, is both a tribute to Attila the Hun (whom Kyrgyz believe to be an ancestor of theirs) and a story explaining the origin of the komuz. Another song, simply titled "Improvisation," is just that, an improvisation between two singers, one young and one old. The older one is praising his country and announcing his satisfaction with his own life; the younger one is praising his uncle (the older one) for his wisdom and echoing those national sentiments. Each of these songs is a dissertation's worth of insight into Kyrgyz culture, and they are only two of eight fascinating vocal performances.
That national spirit is certainly in evidence today as Kyrgyzstan seeks to build a future for itself. For anyone who has read the news about this country and would like to learn more about its people and its culture, then I cannot imagine a better introduction than this work. It covers just about every musical tradition found in the country, including pop music (thanks to a pop rendition of Salamat Sadikova's "Ayïl kechi," or "An Evening in the Village"). Moreover, because Kyrgyz music is grounded in folk, not religious, styles, the music is a lot more palatable for western ears than, say, the music of Uzbekistan. Really, though, this is a document for a country that, despite centuries of aggravation and suffering, is trying desperately to be a country, and this process is nowhere better documented than on this album.
Friday, March 25
Central Asia in the News
Well, it doesn't happen often, so let's grab the momentum and go with it. Central Asia is in the news, thanks to Kyrgyzstan's revolution. I notice a lot of ambivalence in the reporting of this revolution. Apparently, Georgia and Ukraine are less ambivalent than Central Asia when it comes to "people power"-styled revolutions against dictators. I suppose the suspicion is somewhat warranted, considering Central Asia's nonexistent track record toward democracy and human rights. However, I suspect there's a little Euro-centric leanings in the western press that instantly suspects Asians of being capable of true western-styled democratic reforms.
Daniel Engber of Slate.com has written an interesting article on the Kyrgyz language (and, by extension, its people). It's called How Do You Say "Kyrgyzstan"? - Hint: It's a hard "g.". It's a nice complement to my Central Asia in Words and Pictures article at Almaty or Bust. Check both out.
As always, however, you must go to Eurasianet.org for the most complete coverage of Central Asia. They have several excellent articles examining the opposition leaders and the potential that they can do what the former regime could not do: bring democracy and prosperity to this country. Their conclusion: "Be careful what you wish for..."
Daniel Engber of Slate.com has written an interesting article on the Kyrgyz language (and, by extension, its people). It's called How Do You Say "Kyrgyzstan"? - Hint: It's a hard "g.". It's a nice complement to my Central Asia in Words and Pictures article at Almaty or Bust. Check both out.
As always, however, you must go to Eurasianet.org for the most complete coverage of Central Asia. They have several excellent articles examining the opposition leaders and the potential that they can do what the former regime could not do: bring democracy and prosperity to this country. Their conclusion: "Be careful what you wish for..."
Thursday, March 24
Morning in Kyrgyzstan
I have been following the popular uprising against Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev for the last week or so, but even I was stunned to wake up, click on BBC.com, and learn that Akayev had been deposed. The speed of this uprising is only one of the notable points about this most recent popular revolt in a former Soviet Republic. Kyrgyzstan is also the first Central Asian country (that is, the first non-European Soviet Republic) to overthrow its dictatorial leader. Likewise, this revolution was apparently carried out with little to no influence from the United States (after all, Akayev has been a friend of the US's since 2001, when he allowed US bases into the country to help fight the war against Afghanistan). So this is a stunning and vitally important event on many levels.We can only speculate about what this will mean for the region as a whole; in some ways, Kyrgyzstan was the least repressive of the other "-stans." If anyone deserved to be have been deposed first, I would have chosen Turmenistan's Saparmurat Niyazov or Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov, two total bastards who have used their countries' uncertainties after the end of the USSR to abuse and torment their people while amassing war-chests full of money and favors. Early in the 1990s, Akayev was considered the only bona-fide moderate leader in Central Asia, and there were hopes that Kyrgyzstan would evolve into the area's first democracy, but he was quickly bullied by his neighboring dictators to take a harsher stance against opposition, and Kyrgyzstan became just like all the other countries in Central Asia.
So this is great news--a chance for Kyrgyzstan to try again at creating a country its people can be proud of. And who knows? Perhaps this is only the beginning--there's an election in Kazakhstan next year, and there have already been rumblings in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well. Dominoes, anyone?
If you want to know more about Kyrgyzstan, then please check out my Kyrgyzstan entry in Central Asia in Word and Pictures. If you want to keep up with the developments not only in Kyrgyzstan but in the rest of Central Asia, then I'd strongly recommend adding EurasiaNet to your links--it's an indispensable resource.
Saturday, March 19
Various Artists, Run It Red
More Information on this release
Buy This CD
For most music fans, Mick Hucknall is known as either the guy from Simply Red or (if you are a fan of 24 Hour Party People) as one of the audience members for the Sex Pistols' first Manchester concert. His real and lasting contribution to the music world, however, was co-founding Blood & Fire, the preeminent reggae reissue label based out of Boston and responsible for reintroducing such seminal works as The Congos' Heart of the Congos, Horace Andy's In the Light, and King Tubby's Dub Gone Crazy (three of the greatest reggae albums of all time).
For the label's tenth anniversary, Hucknall has chosen 20 of his favorite tracks from the label's vast catalogue and has released it as Run It Red (get it?). So, yes, it's a compilation of previously released tracks, but these are tracks by some of the greats of Jamaican music: King Tubby, Junior Byles, Prince Jammy, The Congos, Horace Andy, Yabby You, Gregory Issacs, Big Youth, and even the legendary Jackie Mittoo. How can you go wrong?
Well, you can't—unless you've heard all the songs before. Since I inhale Jamaican music like I inhale bread at Olive Garden, I have heard most of these songs before, especially the Tubby tracks. Granted, a lot of the familiar songs are here rendered in slightly less familiar guise, as in the (I think) alternate mix of Prince Alla's "Stone" and the dubs of Horace Andy and Prince Jammy's "Do You Love My Music" and The Congos' "Fisherman." The dubs and remixes are interesting here, and they do make these tracks a bit fresher. But even have been released on previous Blood & Fire disks, so there's really nothing too original here.
So is there anything new? I don't think so—not officially. But there are a number of tracks that were new to me, especially the Prince Jammy dubs. I've heard a lot about Prince Jammy and know he was Tubby's protégé, but I have not heard a lot of his music (outside his production of Horace Andy and a few others). Further, I haven't been able to find copies of the various Prince Jammy releases on Blood & Fire and elsewhere (too obscure for even iTunes?), so I was happy to finally get ahold of some tracks. And while Jammy isn't his teacher, he is a deft producer and dub master. I'm particularly impressed with "Chapter of Money," a dub of Horace Andy's "Money Money." This song is about as streamlined and as minimal as dub music gets. It's just a beat stretched out and delayed to its breaking point over and over and over again, with minimal additions from horns and other instruments. So there are some surprises here, but are there enough surprises to warrant buying this disk? Hard to say.
The bottom line, I think, is that the music here is all of an incredibly high level, and even the most diehard fans of reggae and dub probably will find something new among the twenty tracks here. So if I'm not overwhelmed with Run It Red, it is probably because I'm old and jaded and cynical enough to wonder why they didn't just release 20 completely unreleased tracks to celebrate this great label's anniversary. But don't feel as though you have to listen to me bitch. If you are relatively new to classic reggae music—that is, if you are like I was, a kid who loved Bob Marley, had heard some Culture and Steel Pulse, and wanted to know more—then this disk might just be as good an introduction as you're likely to find anywhere.
Buy This CD
For most music fans, Mick Hucknall is known as either the guy from Simply Red or (if you are a fan of 24 Hour Party People) as one of the audience members for the Sex Pistols' first Manchester concert. His real and lasting contribution to the music world, however, was co-founding Blood & Fire, the preeminent reggae reissue label based out of Boston and responsible for reintroducing such seminal works as The Congos' Heart of the Congos, Horace Andy's In the Light, and King Tubby's Dub Gone Crazy (three of the greatest reggae albums of all time). For the label's tenth anniversary, Hucknall has chosen 20 of his favorite tracks from the label's vast catalogue and has released it as Run It Red (get it?). So, yes, it's a compilation of previously released tracks, but these are tracks by some of the greats of Jamaican music: King Tubby, Junior Byles, Prince Jammy, The Congos, Horace Andy, Yabby You, Gregory Issacs, Big Youth, and even the legendary Jackie Mittoo. How can you go wrong?
Well, you can't—unless you've heard all the songs before. Since I inhale Jamaican music like I inhale bread at Olive Garden, I have heard most of these songs before, especially the Tubby tracks. Granted, a lot of the familiar songs are here rendered in slightly less familiar guise, as in the (I think) alternate mix of Prince Alla's "Stone" and the dubs of Horace Andy and Prince Jammy's "Do You Love My Music" and The Congos' "Fisherman." The dubs and remixes are interesting here, and they do make these tracks a bit fresher. But even have been released on previous Blood & Fire disks, so there's really nothing too original here.
So is there anything new? I don't think so—not officially. But there are a number of tracks that were new to me, especially the Prince Jammy dubs. I've heard a lot about Prince Jammy and know he was Tubby's protégé, but I have not heard a lot of his music (outside his production of Horace Andy and a few others). Further, I haven't been able to find copies of the various Prince Jammy releases on Blood & Fire and elsewhere (too obscure for even iTunes?), so I was happy to finally get ahold of some tracks. And while Jammy isn't his teacher, he is a deft producer and dub master. I'm particularly impressed with "Chapter of Money," a dub of Horace Andy's "Money Money." This song is about as streamlined and as minimal as dub music gets. It's just a beat stretched out and delayed to its breaking point over and over and over again, with minimal additions from horns and other instruments. So there are some surprises here, but are there enough surprises to warrant buying this disk? Hard to say.
The bottom line, I think, is that the music here is all of an incredibly high level, and even the most diehard fans of reggae and dub probably will find something new among the twenty tracks here. So if I'm not overwhelmed with Run It Red, it is probably because I'm old and jaded and cynical enough to wonder why they didn't just release 20 completely unreleased tracks to celebrate this great label's anniversary. But don't feel as though you have to listen to me bitch. If you are relatively new to classic reggae music—that is, if you are like I was, a kid who loved Bob Marley, had heard some Culture and Steel Pulse, and wanted to know more—then this disk might just be as good an introduction as you're likely to find anywhere.
Tuesday, March 15
No review yet--I've been too busy, I'm afraid. But fret not; a review will be posted once I figure out which of my many unreviewed CDs to review first. Most likely it will be an Avanto compilation from last year's festival. Stay tuned.
[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]
[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]
Tuesday, March 8
Okay, Okay, Let's Take It From Here...
All right, I'm back. I've been on (more or less voluntary) sabbatical now since the middle of January. This is due in part to my father's death on February 1 and in part on the fact that I'm living in two places right now, shuttling between them on the weekends. I don't have internet access at my "home" (actually, my brothers house, where I'm staying while my wife and I get ready to move full-time) during the week, so I only have so many chances to post onto my site, and I've not really been in the mood to write music reviews. I hope to change that this week, as I plan to write at least one review in the next few days and (hopefully) many more after that. But we'll see, won't we?
However, I can do something right now: continue the Haunted Ink music caravan. The previous song, "Lighthouse Road," is still available on the site, and I'll keep it up for the time being. However, I have a new song for your entertainment. It's a rather silly song, but fans of Futurama will probably appreciate it. It's called "Woo," and it's the Song of the Month for March 2005.
Download and listen to "Woo" here
However, I can do something right now: continue the Haunted Ink music caravan. The previous song, "Lighthouse Road," is still available on the site, and I'll keep it up for the time being. However, I have a new song for your entertainment. It's a rather silly song, but fans of Futurama will probably appreciate it. It's called "Woo," and it's the Song of the Month for March 2005.
Download and listen to "Woo" here
