From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V14 #232 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Saturday, August 22 2009 Volume 14 : Number 232 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Tanya Tagaq [gordodo@optonline.net] Re: Tanya Tagaq [neal copperman ] Two pairings I like [Paul Blair ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:19:34 +0000 (GMT) From: gordodo@optonline.net Subject: Re: Tanya Tagaq thanks for posting the review...i love both albums by tanya (especially her first one sinaa) and was always curious how she would be live... she also has an interesting collaboration called iluani with some flamecno musicians from spain...yes, it is an odd pairing, but it works :) - ----- Original Message ----- From: Karen Hester Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009 11:45 pm Subject: Tanya Tagaq To: ecto@smoe.org > 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: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:05:08 -0600 From: neal copperman Subject: Re: Tanya Tagaq Tanya is a force of nature live. She does short sets, but they are overwhelming. It's like she is a conduit pulling music out of the earth and spewing it out in some sort of animistic frenzy. Definitely not to be missed (at least for someone like Jason!). Sort of not to be missed like Diamanda Galas. It's not clear you will like her, but you should experience her at least once! neal On Aug 21, 2009, at 8:19 AM, gordodo@optonline.net wrote: > thanks for posting the review...i love both albums by tanya > (especially her first one sinaa) and was always curious how she > would be live... > > she also has an interesting collaboration called iluani with some > flamecno musicians from spain...yes, it is an odd pairing, but it > works :) > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Karen Hester > Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009 11:45 pm > Subject: Tanya Tagaq > To: ecto@smoe.org > >> 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: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:25:15 -0400 From: Paul Blair Subject: Two pairings I like This evening I joined Karen for Amber Rubarth's CD release at Joe's Pub. (She'd won tickets.) I found it enjoyable and often touching; she's really sweet and has a knack for making simple-sounding lyrics effective. I took home both her CDs; the newest comes in a little wooden box that purchasers are instructed to keep the Good Mysteries of their lives in. Here are two pairings the evening inspired: Amber Rubarth, "Full Moon in Paris" and Over the Rhine, "All I Ever Get for Christmas is Blue": http://www.myspace.com/amberrubarth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyK7iXVhLEs Amber Rubarth, "Novacaine" [sic] and April Smith, "Wow and Flutter": http://www.myspace.com/amberrubarth http://www.myspace.com/aprilsmithmusic In both cases I feel as if there are even better pairings for these songs, but I can't find them. Interestingly, April Smith is also located in Brooklyn and looks enough like Amber that I was beginning to wonder if "April Smith" was just another Amber Rubarth side project-- Amber: http://www.soundaffects.net/photos/amberrubarth03.html http://www.soundaffects.net/photos/amberrubarth06.html http://www.soundaffects.net/photos/amberrubarth09.html April: http://www.aprilsmithmusic.com/wordpress/wp-content/gallery/lollapalooza/0243.jpg http://www.aprilsmithmusic.com/wordpress/wp-content/gallery/lollapalooza/behind%20the%20scenes%20w_%20billboard%20.jpg For NYC-area ectophiles, April Smith will be playing at Bowery Ballroom on August 29. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V14 #232 ***************************