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Huun-Huur-Tu - Where Young Grass Grows

Within a region of Siberia/Mongolian border that is called Tuva, there is more freezing weather than all of the Great Lakes region combined, surrounded by mountains and desert. This is a land where wrestling, games with sheep bones and carnivore appetites are a standard. In 1921, a group of herders created this country after Russians, Chinese, Turks, Huns, Mongols and other armies had over-run the land continuously. Many people outside of this region would probably have never heard of it if it weren't for a unique vocal group that started up there around 1992. It's very fitting that this was the same year that the land experienced a resurgence of national pride: the Tuvan flag and official seal were revived. This is also when Kaagal-ool Khovalyg, Sayan Bapa, Anatoli Kuular, and Alexai Sarytlar started Huun-Huur-Tu and brought the unique Tuvan 'throat-singing' (or höömeï, pronounced her-may) to the world.

In Western music, there have been a number of musical pioneers who explored the contours of the human voice. Meredith Monk, Leon Thomas, Diamanda Galas, Joan LaBarbara, and Bobby McFerrin have made careers out of finding out what vocal chords can reverberate into besides words. Even more so than gospel exhortations of soul singers who explore the human range of emotion, Tuvan singers have explored the extensive potentials of the voice itself in a long tradition. They cultivated this tradition as communication with themselves, the sprits and nature around them, which they also imitated with voices. This may not be so uncommon in a land where cloven animals have far out-numbered humans for years. In fact, the group has said 'it's impossible that people who spend so much time around horses- one of the most rhythmic animals alive- would not have absorbed their sense of rhythm.'

As 'world music' has become a fixture in the West for a number of years now, it should be noted that the Tuvan throat singing is not just an exotic novelty but a part of a rich tradition. Initially, when groups started forming in Tuva, like in many other Third World cultures, Western styles were being copied. Tuvan copies of Beatles appeared as well as dance music used with throat singing over it. Luckily, there are also earnest practitioners of this fine art abound in Tuva to carry on the tradition for real.

So, what exactly is 'throat singing' then? Basically, it involves overtones that are heard in new music, applied to voices. Höömeï is the name applied to it though it is really only one of three or four styles also including sygyt and kargyraa. You hear a deep humming groan, mixed with a high pitched whistling sound. To practice this art, it's recommended not only to carefully practice proper breathing/inhaling and diet (no cold food before trying to do it) but also to, in the words of champion singer Kongar-ool Ondar, "be in an very uplifted mood; your soul, your inner spiritual voice, must be strong." Sometimes, three voicings are heard in one person's singing. Usually, it's done acapella by a single voice (but with its multi-voicing style, a singer may sound like a whole group). Nothing else you've heard is like this. Even hearing this on CD is nothing like witnessing this in person, seeing a group of seated men in 'native garb' give forth with amazing sounds that dart and cut through the air, filling a whole concert hall with the sound of their voices.

Thanks to Huun-Huur-Tu, who have done a number of tours around the whole world now, this music is getting to be more and more well-known and popularized. The group itself has made appearance on MTV, the Arts and Entertainment network, record movie soundtracks and participated in a jam session at Frank Zappa's house. There are now throat singing workshops conducted around the world now as well as International throat singing competitions held back in Tuva. To put things in perspective, blues singer Paul Pena has brought the tradition full circle to American music, linking to Howlin' Wolf's guttural groans.

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