[FA Worldmusic] Alash! Throat Singers of Tuva in Danbury CT June 22

[wmpress at aol.com]

On June 22, the nonprofit Connecticut Folklife Project presents Alash! Throat
Singers of Tuva in an unusual concert that will take place at 8pm (doors open
at 7:30pm) at Western CT State Universitybs White Hall (Ives Concert
Auditorium), 181 White St. Danbury CT 06810. This will be one of their last
concerts on this highly successful tour of the US.
B 
Alash! is an exciting ensemble of four young men who have dedicated their
musical lives to throat singing, the other-worldly genre of the individual
singing more than one tone at a time. Tuva is a small state that borders Outer
Mongolia. When not practicing or performing music they are riding horseback,
herding sheep and sharpening their knives! Some of the songs reflect the
rhythms of their formerly nomadic life.

The group is phenomenal, award-winning, and very creative. They employ many
unusual hand-made instruments in their performance. Their singing is
beautiful, ethereal, gutsy and poignant as they add the sounds of various
styles of throat singing to traditional folk songs with beautiful melodies,
harmonies and compelling rhythms. Their exposure to classical, rock and world
music also finds its way into their arrangements. This will wake up the ears
of even the most jaded world music buff, and amaze those who have never heard
throat singing before.

B 

Throat singing, also called xoomei, is an unusual use of the voice as an
instrument, with some similarities to overtone singing. By manipulating their
vocal chords, xoomei singers can produce two distinct tones at the same time.
In traditional Tuvan music, the singers often use their voices and instruments
to create the sounds of their world - bird whistles, bubbling streams,
cantering horses and howling wolves - producing a musical portrait of the
remote, forested taiga and windswept steppes.

They travel with an American manager who is steeped in Tuvan music and culture
(and married to a Tuvan woman) and provides clear and entertaining narration
throughout the concert. The banter between narrator and performers is
sometimes hilarious.

B 
Don't miss this highly unusual, world class group. Their previous visit to the
area was sold out. This concert is in a larger venue at Western CT State
University, so reservations are not needed. There is a suggested donation of
$10 at the door. Western CT State is at 181 White St, Danbury CT 06810. White
Hall is at the corner of Fifth Ave and White St in midtown Danbury. Ample free
parking is in the new garage adjacent to White Hall. Call 203-748-1131 or
email info at ctfolklife.org for more info, or visit www.ctfolklife.org.


Judith Cook Tucker, Founder, Publisher
World Music Press (ASCAP)
The Connecticut Folklife Project, Inc. (501c3 Non-profit, tax exempt)
Intercultural Understanding through Music and the Folk Arts
www.worldmusicpress.com and www.ctfolklife.org
judith at worldmusicpress.com or judith at ctfolklife.org
203-748-1131/fax: 203-748-3432
PO Box 2565, Danbury CT 06813-2565
AOL at AOL.com.