Tuva is a small Russian republic which sits astride southern Siberia and northern Mongolia and has gained some notoriety for the multi-tonal throat singing practices of its semi-nomadic population. Every time the subject comes up in this column, I use the opportunity to plug the fantastic 1999 documentary Genghis Blues, which covers the journey of the blind San Francisco musician Paul Pena — author of the song Jet Airliner — to said republic to compete in a singing competition there. Lovely stuff. Anyway, 1999 was also the year a traditional Tuvan ensemble called Alash first got together, and they’ve been traveling the world ever since. A much-welcome return to fair Humboldt for the lads is going down at the Old Steeple tonight at 7:30 p.m. If you can help it, do not miss this one. I can assure you that hearing this music live is absolutely transformative, and the venue in question is a perfect vessel for the trip ($35).
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