From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V14 #231 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, August 21 2009 Volume 14 : Number 231 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Tanya Tagaq [Karen Hester ] Buika [Karen Hester ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:36:19 -0400 From: Karen Hester Subject: Tanya Tagaq Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq began her performance at Manhattan's National Museum of the American Indian a capella to demonstrate that yes, those sounds are her voice, not loops. Traditionally Inuit women sing in a facing pair, exchanging phrases almost into each other's mouth. The first one to laugh loses, "and I always laugh, so I now sing alone" says Tanya. She croaked and growled and yelled and howled and whispered. The low rumbles sounded like Tuvan throat singing. Perhaps some of the other noises were of her invention rather than 'traditional.' Tanya drew out the sounds with movement - crouching over, arching back, guiding her hand through the air, screwing up her face, caressing her body. This wasn't a coquette flirting with the audience; she seemed transported. Tanya's strongly percussive singing is so much from the body that it makes sense that movement is inextricably connected. She felt the floor with her bare feet, touched her tattoo and black satin dress, buried herself behind her hair. Once she went quiet and prowled the stage laughing then frowning, like she was interacting with invisible beings. "Throat singing is the sound of the land. The low noises can be wolves, the high ones, perhaps birds." Was she singing Nunavut words or invented sounds? I heard wolves and arctic birds, as instructed, and creaking ice and a snow storm and white light and a cooing baby and rugged tundra, but of course I could have as easily heard a snuffling English badger or a possessed Linda Blair. This music was too foreign for me to interpret, but not too foreign to enjoy. She most reminded me of a less stately and cool Lisa Gerrard or a less scattered and jazzy Mary Margaret O'Hara. And some Bjork, with whom she has collaborated. "The music comes from here" says Tanya, patting her lower belly. "The baby making area." I can imagine a child still part of her body listening to sounds made by her body - the beats of breath and heart, and stories of the world outside. And as to making babies, the singing was sexual too. "She covered everything from agony to ecstasy" said the man next to me. The two-man backing band played violin, viola, drums, percussion stuff, loop thingies, whatsits - "I'm not too articulate tonight, but I'm explaining it better than they would. Apparently they are mute." They let her lead when playing too, their noises rising when hers did, falling aside when she whispered, providing texture and a modern atmosphere. Since throat singing is so percussive, sometimes the strings were the dominant melody, but the sheer oddness of Tanya's voice always drew attention. http://www.myspace.com/tagaq ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:48:26 -0400 From: Karen Hester Subject: Buika I also really enjoyed Concha Buika who played outside to 1000s at Damrosch Park tonight. Family from Equatorial Guinea, she grew up in Mallorca among gypsies, and she sings jazzy flamenco and other 'Spanish' genres. Some sexy dancing too :) Her powerful raspy singing led me to think she was a hard lived older woman, survivor of torrid affairs and too much drink, but no, just in her 30s. She used to play Tina Turner in Las Vegas casinos! She sounds a bit Sade-ish and easy listening on some of her youtube vids, but powerful live, and more trad. K. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V14 #231 ***************************