The Weekend Planet

Mother-Earth! Father-Sky! is a sublime set of new and old songs from Tuva. This southern Siberian, central-most Asian nation is wildly beautiful. So is its music, most especially the singing. Sainkho is Tuva’s most celebrated female vocal artist. Huun-Huur-Tu is the seminal band in traditionally-based Tuvan music’s creative renaissance. Their collaboration is quintessentially Tuvan, but would have been absolutely unthinkable until a very few years ago. Some sounds may startle a Western newcomer, but most ought prove irresistibly beautiful to any attentive ears.

Sainkho’s site:
www.sainkho.net

Huun-Huur-Tu’s site:
www.huunhuurtu.com

Playlist

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Details of each track are presented in the following order:
BROADCAST TIME
TRACK NUMBER AND TITLE
COMPOSER
PUBLISHING AND COPYRIGHT DETAILS
RECORDING COMPANY AND CD NUMBER
( distributor/ source details, in brackets like this, in lower-case)
ARTIST AND CD TITLE
Duration of track
Description of track, in lower-case.
Where relevant, further info links to information, gigs/events/related programs

’THE WEEKEND PLANET’ Sun 5.10. 08

2205
THEME:
(details below, as per the original CD.. This cut is also on these compilations Ketama - ’ Nuevos Medios Coleccion’ - Nuevos Medios NM 15 820
{ in Australia via MGM www.thegroovemerchants.com
worldwide, via: www.flamenco-world.com/noticias/nuevos.htm }
and ’ Jarabi - the best of Toumani Diabate’ (Hannibal 334352 )

CD CUT 1, ’JARABI’
TRAD, ARR TOUMANI DIABATE
HAMILCAR MUSIC LTD
HANNIBAL HNCD 1323
( in Australia, some releases through Stomp Enquiries to: ben@stomp.com.au
worldwide: www.rykodisc.com )
KETAMA, TOUMANI DIABATE, DANNY THOMPSON - ’SONGHAI’
THIRTY SECONDS (EXCERPT)
(retains a stately-Manding air, whilst also embracing flamenco elements. Toumani Diabate’s kora, Danny Thompson’s beautiful double bass and Ketama’s flamenco guitars )

2207
CD CUT 4, ’ARTYY SAYIR’
COMPOSER DETAILS ARE MOST UNCLEAR { probably at least in part a traditional song, It is registered as having music by Kaigal-Ool Khovalyg and lyrics by Sainkho. That may/may not in fact be the case. Both do sing here )
PUB NOT SPEC
JARO 4281-1
( No Australian distributor
www.jaro.de
Releases are available, direct, worldwide
Simply click ’English’ prompt to see the site in English )
HUUN-HUUR-TU, FEATURING SAINKHO - ’MOTHER-EARTH! FATHER-SKY!’
5: 40
( unmistakably Tuvan - from the very centre of Asia. Pastoral/mysterious initially, full of references to the Tuvan natural world. Horse rhythms eventually emerge. Male members of the group sing and ’throat sing’ and pluck and bow various instruments. Percussion, too - some of it of animal origin.. Someone plays flute{s} and an uncredited guest plays tabla. Their primary guest - Sainkho - is the female singer. She leads the latter part of the song, which she at least part-wrote. Probably in part traditional, this song depicts the becoming-warm and the still-warm parts of the pivotal seasons - respectively, spring and autumn.

LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT TUVA AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?

Wikipedia entry on Tuva is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuva

The ’Friends of Tuva’ site is interesting, here:
www.fotuva.org
Many photos, via this page: www.fotuva.org/travel/index.html

LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TUVAN ’THROAT’/ ’HARMONIC’SINGING?

’Scientific American’ published a detailed, illustrated explanation. You can read it here:
www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-throat-singers-of-tuv

For a briefer {and well-linked} overview of harmonic singing, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throat_singing )

SEGUE

2213
CD CUT 7, ’KONGUREI’
COMP AND PUB NOT SPEC, BUT IS ALMOST CERTAINLY TRAD, ARR HUUN-HUUR-TU
JARO 4236-2
( No Australian distributor
www.jaro.de
Releases are available, direct, worldwide
Simply click ’English’ prompt to see the site in English )
HUUN-HUUR-TU - ’BEST/ LIVE’
4: 53
(Sublime, haunting performance of an intensely yearning Tuvan song {from Soviet era, it depicts the distress of a returning exile at the destruction of Tuvan culture}: male voices, ac guitar and three upright fiddles.

One verse translates into English, thus:

Where are the sixty horses in my herd?
Where is the hitching post for my horse, Konggurei?
Where are the six regions of my homeland?
Where is the village of my tribe, Kongurei?

LIKE TO SEE THE LYRICS TO THIS SEMINAL TUVAN SONG ?

A version can be read - as number ’8’ - here:
www.fotuva.org/gb/lyrics.html )

SEGUE

2218
CD CUT 4, ’MIDNIGHT BLUE’
SAINKHO ( SAINKHO NAMTCHYLAK )
P AND C AMIATA RECORDS
ARNR 2298
( www.amiatamedia.com
For English, click the ’En’ on top left of home page )
SAINKHO - `NAKED SPIRIT’
2: 02
(very high female wordless vocal w piano, only. Unearhtly, haunting. Sainkho’s piano accompanist is Roberto Cacciapaglia)

2223
CD CUT 2, ’SERPENTINE’
ALISTER SPENCE
CONTROL
RUFUS RECORDS RF020
( in Australia through Universal
Rufus website: www.rufusrecords.com.au )
CLARION FRACTURE ZONE - ’LESS STABLE ELEMENTS’
11: 08
(AUSTRAL COMP AND PERF: unhurried, with air of mystery, built around a recurring piano-phrase. Focused primarily on the composer’s piano and Lloyd Swanton’s ac bass - with Toby Hall’s drums and Sandy Evans and Tony Gorman’s saxes. Inspired by a flight over the Tweed River in northern NSW )

SEGUE

2234
CD CUT 1, ’MEZEGEY’ (A SMALL VILLAGE IN TUVA )
COMPOSER DETAILS ARE QUITE UNCLEAR. { this probably has a traditional component, with words at least in part authored by Sainkho ( Sainkho Namtchylak ), to whom the lyric is registered. She may or may not have had a role in the musical composition, which is registered to Kaigal-Ool Khovalyg }
PUB NOT SPEC
JARO 4281-1
( No Australian distributor
www.jaro.de
Releases are available, direct, worldwide
Simply click ’English’ prompt to see the site in English )
HUUN-HUUR-TU, FEATURING SAINKHO - ’MOTHER-EARTH! FATHER-SKY!’
4: 20
( Sainkho’s female Tuvan voice to fore on a rolling song about her southern Tuvan childhood home village, its great fields and its mighty river. With nylon-stringed guitars, igils {upright Tuvan fiddles}, percussion - and in latter part, shawms too )

SEGUE

2238
CD CUT 9, ’BIRD’S EYE VIEW’
WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL
WOLF MUSIC (AKM)
WHICH WAY MUSIC WWM004
( in Australia through Fuse Music
www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.whichwaymusic.com )
MGT ( MUTHSPIEL, GRIGORYAN, TOWNER) - ’FROM A DREAM’
5: 03
(AUSTRAL PERF: elegantly-lively, spiral-staccato for Wolfgang’s elec guitar, Ralph’s classical guitar and Slava’s baritone {classical} guitar )

2246
CD CUT 7, ’IN YOUR ARMS’
DAVE HOLLAND
LOJAC MUSIC (BMI)
BLUE NOTE 7243 5 42081 2 6
( Through EMI
www.bluenote.com )
SCOLOHOFO (JOHN SCOFIELD, JOE LOVANO, DAVE HOLLAND AND AL FOSTER) - ’OH!’
5: 46
( Very tender ballad, penned by ac bassist Dave. Saxist Joe on soprano, John on elec guitar and Al the drummer. A rare example of a ’supergroup’ that really is.

JOHN SCOFIELD/ JOE LOVANO QUARTET AUSTRALIAN TOUR ALERT
{ with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Matt Wilson }

Saturday October 18, Sun Oct 19: York, WA
York Jazz and Soul Festival
Full festival details here:
www.yorkjazz.com.au

Monday 20 October: Perth
Joe Lovano and John Scofield Workshops
John Scofield Workshop 5.30-7.00pm, Joe Lovano Workshop 7.30-9.00pm.
The Roundhouse Theatre, WAAPA, Edith Cowan University, 2 Bradford St, Mt Lawley.
Book at www.waapa.ecu.edu.au/explore
or phone Jay Auty on 9370 6007.

Tues Oct 21 - Wed Oct 22: Adelaide
9pm @ Rocket Bar, 142 Hindley St
www.myspace.com/rocketbar

Oct 24: Auckland, New Zealand
Skycity Theatre

October 25: Wellington, New Zealand
Town Hall

Oct 26:
Christchurch, New Zealand
James Hay Theatre

Tues Oct 28: Sydney, Australia
8pm @ Sydney Opera House
tel 02 9250 7777 or sydneyoperahouse.com

Fri Oct 31: Brisbane
7.30 pm at Powerhouse Theatre
The concert is part of the Brisbane Jazz Festival, which runs Oct 31 through Nov 6 at he Powerhouse.
Full festival details, inc booking links, are here
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/brisbane-jazz-festival-2008/

Sat Nov 1 - Sun Nov 2, Wangaratta, Victoria
TAC Wangaratta Festival of Jazz
Wangaratta, VIC, Australia
John Scofield and Joe Lovano Quartet
On November 2, there: Joe Lovano with Paul Grabowsky Quartet
Full Wangaratta Fest ( Oct 31-Nove 3, inc) details are here:
www.wangaratta-jazz.org.au

Joe Lovano gigs - worldwide - are flagged, here:
www.joelovano.com/gigs.php )

2253
CD CUT 3, ’SO SUE ME’
JOHN SCOFIELD
SCOWAY MUSIC (BMI)
BLUE NOTE CDP 7 92894 2
( Through EMI
www.bluenote.com )
JOHN SCOFIELD - ’TIME ON MY HANDS
5: 10 (not quite complete )
(blues-rock-Latin-tinged jazz for Sco’s elec guitar, Charlie Haden’s ac bass, Joe Lovano’s tenor sax and Jacl DeJohnette’s drums. Has a cheerfully powerful groove

JOHN SCOFIELD/ JOE LOVANO QUARTET AUSTRALIAN TOUR ALERT

Details are in notes below cut-previous, @ 2246, above )

----
11 PM NEWS
----

2305
CD CUT 1, ’OBSESSION’
DIEGO GUERRERO SANCHEZ {AKA ’DIEGO GUERRERO’}
PUB NOT SPEC
NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. RECORDING PROVIDED BY AND USED WITH PERMISSION OF THE ARTIST
( artist’s website: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=411923093 )
DIEGO GUERRERO - UNTITLED SAMPLER
2: 22
(introspective, flamenco ballad for its Spanish author’s voice and guitar. This flamenco artist is currently visiting Melbourne.

DIEGO GUERRERO QUARTET GIGS ALERT ( Melbourne )

The imminent concert is:
Friday October 10 @ 8pm, The Boite World Music Café
Box Hill Community Arts Centre
470 Station St, Box Hill
Diego { voice and flamenco guitar } leads a quartet with percussionist Nasrine Rahmani, saxophonist Lachlan McLean and bassist Chris Hale.

There are more gigs to come, flagged on the artist’s myspace site, as above ).

2310
CD CUT 4, EVOLUTE’
SIMON NIELD
PUB NOT SPEC, PRESUMABLY, APRA
SN02
(available via www.78records.com.au
Simon’s own site: http://vader.nw.com.au/~nield/ )
SIMON NIELD - ’RESONANCE’
2: 57
(AUSTRAL COMP AND PERF: sweet and deft instrumental for its author’s ac steel-stringed guitar, with digital delays. His track- note simply said ’cause meets effect’.
Simon died, aged 45, on September 19.

AN OBITUARY FOR SIMON NIELD (1962-2008) IS HERE:
www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=114604&messages=4

Simon was well aware of his medical condition, as is {quietly} apparent in a remarkable recent interview, which you can hear, here:
http://blogs.abc.net.au/wa/2008/09/vale-simon-niel.html )

SEGUE

2313
CD CUT 11, ’DADDY’S LITTLE SOFT TOP’
SIMON NIELD
APRA
SNO3
( www.simonnield.com )
SIMON NIELD - ’STILL’
3: 06
( AUSTRAL COMP AND PERF: Genial, very funny, nicely-pointed song in which a silly middle-class man exults in his new sports car. He vrooms down Fremantle’s cappuccino strip. The car then proceeds { via it no-longer-proceeding } to humiliate its arrogant owner. Simon makes car-noises, sings and plays v nimble ac guitar, with Andrew Clermont’s zippy mandolin.

LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SIMON NIELD?
See note to cut-previous )

SEGUE

2316
CD CUT 3, ’ERGIM SYARYYM’ ( SONG OF HOPE )
COMPOSER DETAILS ARE QUITE UNCLEAR. ( this probably has a traditional component, with words at least in part authored by Sainkho { Sainkho Namtchylak }, to whom the lyric is registered. She may or may not have had a role in the musical composition, which is registered to Kaigal-Ool Khovalyg }
PUB NOT SPEC
JARO 4281-1
( No Australian distributor
www.jaro.de
Releases are available, direct, worldwide
Simply click ’English’ prompt to see the site in English )
HUUN-HUUR-TU, FEATURING SAINKHO - ’MOTHER-EARTH! FATHER-SKY!’
4: 33
( Sainkho’s female Tuvan voice to fore on a genial song , set to a relaxed horse-trot rhythm. The all-male Huun Huur-Tu’s members provide backing vocals and ’harmonic’/ ’throat’/ ’overtone’ vocal parts, plus ac nylon-stringed guitars and other plucked and bowed strings, percussion.

The lyric says this:
My dear fiend, I shall help you endure this life..
We will not look for an easy way, we will help each other, my beloved.

My dear friend, to light up the people’s path is our task.
Let us not step away from this path, let us stay together, my beloved )

2324
CD CUT 6, ’DEMBILDEY’(NOMAD DANCE)
COMPOSER DETAILS ARE QUITE UNCLEAR. { this probably has a traditional component, with words at least in part authored by Sainkho ( Sainkho Namtchylak ), to whom the lyric is registered. She may or may not have had a role in the musical composition, which is registered to Kaigal-Ool Khovalyg }
PUB NOT SPEC
JARO 4281-1
( No Australian distributor
www.jaro.de
Releases are available, direct, worldwide
Simply click ’English’ prompt to see the site in English )
HUUN-HUUR-TU, FEATURING SAINKHO - ’MOTHER-EARTH! FATHER-SKY!’
6: 01
( genially robust, horse-inflected Tuvan song/dance for Sainkho’s female voice and Huun-Huur-Tu’s male Tuvan voices. Has some spectacular ’harmonic’/ ’throat’/ ’overtone’ vocal parts, plus various Tuvan bowed and plucked strings, percussion, some fx, and a flute. Bird calls are sometimes mimicked. The lyric begins with a couplet that translates, thus:

It is not the end of the songs; it is just the leaves of the tree drying out:
The leaves are drying out, but new ones will grow )

SEGUE

2330
CD CUT 8, ’BROTHER EAGLE’
STEHAN MICUS
ECM RECORDS
ECM 2063/ 176 2533
( in Australia through Fuse Music
www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.ecmrecords.com )
STEPHAN MICUS - ’SNOW’
7: 29
(begins with mysterious, loooow-vibrating tones on a bass duduk, sounding like a cross between the world’s bass-iest harmonica and a bass clarinet. Then, two low-toned cotton-strung West African harps (sindings) provide a walking groove, atop which the bass duduk lilts.. Then, enter 15 wordless Stephans polyphonically chanting, as if from a hitherto-undiscovered order of monks. Light years better than most such attempts. Micus is not yet another purveyor of ’world/ambient/new age’ pap. He is the sole musician )

2340
CD CUT 5, ’ERGE CHOKKA’( UNNEEDED )
WORDS AND MUSIC BY SAINKHO ( SAINKHO NAMTCHYLAK )
PUB NOT SPEC
JARO 4281-1
( No Australian distributor
www.jaro.de
Releases are available, direct, worldwide
Simply click ’English’ prompt to see the site in English )
HUUN-HUUR-TU, FEATURING SAINKHO - ’MOTHER-EARTH! FATHER-SKY!’
6: 25
(dark and dolorous/eerie: described by its author and primary {female, Tuvan} singer as a ’Tuvan blues’ It expresses the pain of feeling un-needed. I think {underline, think } she provides both the lead vocal-with-words and the wordless ’throat/harmonic/overtone singing’ parts on this. Huun-Huur-Tu accompany her on igils {bowed Tuvan fiddles: here, cello-like }, nylon-stringed guitar, flutes, shamanic drum and other percussion.

MORE HUUN-HUUR-TU ON RADIO NATIONAL ALERT

Next Friday - October 10 - ’The Daily Planet’ repeats the edition which featured their 2007 album.

’The Daily Planet’ with Lucky Oceans airs Monday to Friday at 2.20pm
Except on Fridays, it has a second airing at 11.20 pm
website {includes audio} : www.abc.net.au/rn/dailyplanet )

SEGUE

2346
CD CUT 3, ’SARA’
STEHAN MICUS
ECM RECORDS
ECM 2063/ 176 2533
( in Australia through Fuse Music
www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.ecmrecords.com )
STEPHAN MICUS - ’SNOW’
6: 57
( solemn, but not sad song/chant with a great many parts - all of them Stephan: 22 voices, one sinding {low-toned, cotton-strung, West African harp}, one steel-stringed ac guitar and three hammered dulcimers )

LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT STEPHAN MICUS?

You can read a revealing, interview-based article, here:
www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=16055 )

2356
CD CUT 7, ’ZIRYAB’
PACO DE LUCIA, ARR DIEGO GUERRERO
PUB NOT SPEC
NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. RECORDING PROVIDED BY AND USED WITH PERMISSION OF THE ARTIST
( artist’s website: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=411923093 )
DIEGO GUERRERO - UNTITLED SAMPLER
3: 00 ( excerpt )
( big wide-screen flamenco-fusion large ensemble treatment which honours the man who some consider flamenco/Arabo-Andalusian music’s father figure. Ziryab came from Baghdad {via various other places} to the Moorish court in Cordoba in the 9th century, CE. The lead singer/ flamenco guitarist/ arranger here is currently visiting Melbourne.

DIEGO GUERRERO QUARTET GIGS ALERT ( Melbourne )

The imminent concert is:
Friday October 10 @ 8pm, The Boite World Music Café
Box Hill Community Arts Centre
470 Station St, Box Hill
Diego { voice and flamenco guitar } leads a quartet with percussionist Nasrine Rahmani, saxophonist Lachlan McLean and bassist Chris Hale.

There are more gigs to come, flagged on the artist’s myspace site, as above

LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE ACTUAL {9TH century CE) ZIRYAB?

This is a good place to start:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziryab )

Presenter

Doug Spencer

Producer

Doug Spencer