Alash
| Shows at the Purple Fiddle |
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THIS IS A LISTENING SHOW!
https://www.facebook.com/alashensemble/
A trio of master throat singers from Tuva, a tiny republic in the heart of Central Asia. The ancient art of throat singing developed among the nomadic herdsmen of this region. Alash remains grounded in this tradition while expanding its musical vocabulary with new ideas from the West.
What does throat singing sound like? “Imagine a human bagpipe-a person who could sing a sustained low note while humming an eerie, whistle-like melody. For good measure, toss in a thrumming rhythm similar to that of a jaw harp, but produced vocally-by the same person, at the same time.” -Newsweek (March 17, 2006)
Video below – Alash at the Purple Fiddle:
More about Tuvan throat singing in Wikipedia (photo of Alash)
Where is Tuva? Tuva (sometimes spelled Tyva) sits at the southern edge of Siberia, with Mongolia to its south. Over the centuries, Tuva has been part of Chinese and Mongolian empires, and shares many cultural ties with Mongolia. In 1944 it became part of the USSR, and until the late physicist Richard Feynman drew attention to it, was largely unknown to westerners. Tuva is now a member of the Russian Federation.