Includes some of the masters of throatsinging

In the USA

Thanks to the astonishing clarity of modern recording techniques, this remarkable CD documents the oldest form of music making, which producer-recorders Ted Levin and Joel Gordon refer to as "sound mimesis," or the art of imitating natural sounds through music, as practiced in Tuva. With a variety of musicians, including members of Huun-Huur-Tu and other regular folk musicians and farmers, these 19 tracks were recorded outdoors on location (with the exception of two recorded in a small living room). Musicians and singers interact with the sounds of wild and domestic animals and environmental sounds like streams, the wind, and bird song. Throat singing and xomuz echo the harmonics of a babbling brook, upturned igil (fiddle) and doshpuluur (lute) replicate the effect of a wind harp with the breeze caressing the strings, and horsemen chant in the saddle, picking up the rhythm of galloping steeds. These and many other examples illustrate a living animist tradition where the boundaries between sound and song have no clear definition; indeed, the very term "music" as the Western world interprets it has no equivalent, and Tuva, Among the Spirits may well make you reassess the latent music in your own environment. --Derek Rath

In the USA

In the USA

In the USA

The ancient, multitone singing technique from Tuva (which lies just north of Mongolia) is relocated to the heartland of America on Back Tuva Future, a CD recorded by Nashville honchos Jim Ed Norman, David Hoffner, and Ralph Leighton. With guest appearances from Willie Nelson, Randy Scruggs, and Bill Miller, these 10 tracks take on the shape of a multicultural hoedown in more ways than one. Curiously, the country ethos and Tuvan tradition have much in common--herding livestock, horses, and (of course) pretty women--so the subject matter is harmonious. The combination of Ondar's guttural, polyphonic throat singing and country music is at first distracting but eventually gets carried along by the enthusiasm of the participants. There are also a couple of hip-hop/rap tracks and occasional New Age reference points, so you can assume that this genre bender is aimed at the adventurous listener rather than the anthropologic purist. --Derek Rath

In the USA