Film: Genghis Blues - not your mama's throat singing contest

In 2005 for the World Festival of Sacred Music-LA, we brought Chirgilchin, a group of throat singing musicians, to Los Angeles. They performed at the opening concert, outdoors, under the fall equinox moon. It was extraordinary... and made me want to learn more about throat singing and the culture of Tuva. The film Genghis Blues, made a few years back, takes the viewer on a wonderful journey to Tuva and into throat singing culture. It goes further even as it touches on the bonds of friendship that can develop through deep cultural exchange and respect, in this case between a traveling American artist and his local hosts during an extraordinary festival. I highly recommend for anyone to get a copy of this film. Let me know if you have recommendations for other great films that document cultural exchange with international artists.

Nico-

From the Film's website:

Genghis Blues (1999) follows the story of a blind blues musician, Paul Pena, on his journey to the Autonomous Republic of Tuva, wedged between Siberia and Mongolia, to compete in a contest of multi-harmonic throat-singing.

For centuries Tuva has been isolated from the rest of the world by jagged mountains and Soviet restrictions. Only relatively recently have the Tuvan art form of throatsinging become known to outsiders.

Pena discovered Tuvan throatsinging on a shortwave program of Radio Moscow in the mid-80s. Multiple voices emanated from a single vocalist and the sounds gripped him like nothing he had ever heard. For the next nine years he worked to produce similar overtones with his own voice and to incorporate throatsinging into his blues music.

Unexpectedly in 1993, Pena discovered that Tuvan throatsingers were on their first concert tour of the U.S.. After their performance, the deep-voiced bluesman broke into his own self-taught style of throatsinging and serenaded the musicians with Tuvan traditional songs! The throatsingers were amazed by Pena's mastery of the Tuvan art form and likened his rich voice to the sounds of tremors in the earth. They insisted that "Chershemjer" (Earthquake) travel to Tuva for the next tri-ennial throatsinging contest which would be held in 1995.

Eleven years after he first heard throat singing, Paul Pena entered the National Theatre of Tuva to make history. The blind bluseman's performance was so well received, he became the 1995 throatsinging champion in the style of kargyraa. He also captured the "audience favorite" award for the week-long competition. The Tuvan people had never seen or heard anyone like him.

Pena was honored by the Tuvan people, not only because he mastered kargyraa, but he also learned to speak their language. His friendship flourished with Kongar-ol Ondar, the throatsinging champion who had invited Pena three years earlier. Ondar hosted Pena as the bluesman experienced the country he once believed he would never visit.

"Genghis Blues" is a film about exploration and friendship. It is the story of a man whose struggle in life was not defined by conformity and rules but by an unquenchable curiosity, and love of music. Pena's story is truly an inspiration to all.

Winner of the audience award at Sundance, and nominated for an Academy Award for documentary feature.