Far Off Sounds Ep 15 - Huun Huur Tu- The Tuvan Masters
10m
Directed by Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman and Nick George • Documentary • 2018 • 10 minutes
"Tuvan throat-singing", or khoomei, is an ancient pastime in the steppes of Tuva, a country nestled between Mongolia and Russia. For thousands of years, herders and farmers there have taught their children to sing in the khoomei way. Huun Huur Tu, a group that formed when the Soviet Iron Curtain fell, are the undisputed worldwide masters of khoomei music. Bearing the beauty of their voices and an assortment of instruments whose names we don't know (including a pair of shakers made from bull testicles and a percussion piece made of horse hooves), they act as ambassadors to a timeless way of life, evoking the wild and natural world of Tuva with their music. We met them at Royce Hall in Los Angeles.