60 Horses in My Herd

This (vinyl only) re-release of the first album by Tuva's premier throat singing group is a welcome reminder of Kaigal-ool Khovalyg's masterly melodic overtone and undertone singing which, accompanied by the rich timbres, subtle bowing and deft fingering on the two-string igil, features on most of the tracks. It is heard to mesmeric effect on ‘Fantasy on the Igil’, an original composition inspired by the first US audiences to hear him play. Listening to his singing – the soft, floaty overtones (khöömei), the stronger, higher melodic harmonics (sygyt) and the open, resonant undertones (kargyraa) – alongside the nuanced, yearning sounds of the igil serves to reinforce his artistry. The bouncy gait of ‘Song of the Caravan Drivers’ (a favourite of Frank Zappa) points to how Huun-Huur-Tu arrangements developed. On ‘Mezhegei’, Yat-Kha's Albert Kuvezin takes the lead, his unique undertone style praising his native place.
Kaigal-ool Khovalyg and Sayan Bapa are the only original members in the current line-up; Bapa and his brother Alexander ably support the maestro. It is a shame that the track ‘KhÖÖmei’ has been left out and that there is less clarity and dynamics on the vinyl than the CD, as these 1993 recordings truly became a benchmark.