This week's musical discovery

[firecat]

Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha, Re-Covers

They are from Tuva, and I found out about them via the_ogre via the movie Genghis Blues about the American blues musician/throat singer Paul Pena, and ultimately via Richard Feynman (one of the first Westerners to popularize Tuva).

On this album they are covering a wide variety of mostly Western rock music, from Led Zeppelin to Joy Division. My favorites are the Zeppelin song (see the "listening to" field), "In A Gadda Da Vida," just because—who does "In A Gadda Da Vida" these days? and "Black Magic Woman," which I like a lot more than Santana's version.

I can't remember where I found out about Tuvan throat-singing originally. I have had a CD of Tuvan throat-singing, Deep in the Heart of Tuva, for a long time. It has a Yat-Kha song on it. It also has a couple of Paul Pena songs on it.

I have other overtone-and throat-singing music—from David Hykes' Harmonic Choir and from the Gyuto Monks Tibetan Tantric Choir (a great CD, but not the best choice to take with you to the oral surgeon when having your wisdom teeth out).

Comments

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

Hee! I got this for Christmas from okoshun. I think I posted about it at the time. I had some impression that you'd commented as well asking me about it and then I somehow flaked on posting a track for you to listen to or something, but I can't find the post, so who knows? :) It's a really fun album! A couple of the tracks I really like in the ordinary sense, but "In A Gadda Da Vida," I like just because it really makes me laugh.

[firecat]

I don't remember commenting to you about it, but I don't remember a lot of things. Yeah, it's good and fun.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I love throat singing in general. This sounds...interesting!

[firecat]

I'd say this isn't the best example of throat singing per se, but if you have all the others already, definitely check it out.

[ckd]

And it's available on iTunes.

[firecat]

Whee!

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

I'll look into it. But In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is Iron Butterfly, not Led Zeppelin. ;)

[firecat]

Ooh! That was an editing error!

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

Well, these things do happen. :)

[firecat]

So, I'm a professional editor, and I'd rather be caught in an editing error than in a classic rock knowledge error. What does this say about me?

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

That you have your priorities straight?

[firecat]

*puffs up with pride*

Yeah!

[bastette-joyce.livejournal.com]

Did you hear about Tuvan singing from me? Or did we both just coincidentally learn about it at around the same time? I first heard about it from J, about 8 years ago, and was very intrigued. Saw Genghis Blues several years ago, bought the soundtrack, have the T-shirt. :) (I do have the soundtrack - it's really fun to listen to.) And I know I've heard that In-a-gadda-da-vida "cover" on the radio, maybe on Fresh Air or one of those shows.

A few years ago, a friend of mine taught me how to do it. Not that I'm ready to compete in Tuva, but I can produce overtones.

You're having your wisdom teeth out?

[firecat]

I think I knew about Tuvan throat singing before that.

Maybe you can teach me!

I had my wisdom teeth out many years ago, and they told me to bring a soothing music CD with me. The Gyuto Monks turned out not exactly soothing to periodically wake up to while on Versed.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Versed doesn't work on me, so I always end up being awake during things while the anesthesiologist worries that what's happening will scare me. Fortunately, I'm always really interested in what they're doing to me.

[firecat]

Does the pain relief part work at least?

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Nope. They give me local blocks, which works because that kind of anesthesia lasts really long for me. The last hand surgery (to take off a benign lipoma that was stuck to the nerve sheath and made it hurt), the doctor put a last shot in and said it would last a few hours and it lasted 25 hours.

[firecat]

You clearly got issued the "warrior" body as far as this pain relief business goes. "Can't be knocked unconscious, can operate for hours on a small dose of local."

[opus119.livejournal.com]

That's even weirder than Dread Zeppelin (a reggae band with an Elvis impersonator as lead singer that does Led Zep covers).

I'm embarrassed to say that I liked "In A Gadda Da Vida" when I was a callow youth, and even saw Iron Butterfly perform it in concert (this must have been 1968 or so).

[firecat]

Wow!

(I liked it too. Still do.)