Blue Mongol
Studio album by
Roswell Rudd and The Mongolian Buryat Band
Released2005
RecordedOctober 11, 2005
StudioNevessa Production, Saugerties, New York
GenreJazz, World music
Length1:04:44
LabelSunnyside
SSC1147
ProducerRoswell Rudd, Verna Gillis
Roswell Rudd chronology
Malicool
(2002)		 Blue Mongol
(2005)		 Airwalkers
(2006)

Blue Mongol is an album by trombonist Roswell Rudd and the Mongolian Buryat Band, a five-member ensemble led by Mongolian vocalist Badma Khanda, featuring horse-head fiddle and bass, instruments resembling zither, dulcimer, and flute, and a throat singer. It was recorded in 2005 at Nevessa Production in Saugerties, New York, and was released by Sunnyside Records later that year. The album is a continuation of the cross-cultural experiments that Rudd began pursuing with 2002's Malicool.[1][2][3]

Rudd and the Mongolian Buryat Band toured the United States in late 2006. He reflected: "Listeners will be reminded of American folk music and aspects of the blues... I call their music 'art folk' because it combines the sophistication of conservatory training with the indigenous performance style of their long history."[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
All About Jazz[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[6]

In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote: "Wow! Simply put, this recording is almost indescribable... There isn't another recording like this on the planet; it's stunning."[2]

The Village Voice's Francis Davis stated: "Twinning with Khanda, matching the throat singer's gargle with growled multiphonics, or just floating over the strings, Rudd throws himself into everything with such relish you might be hard-pressed to tell which tunes are traditional and which are his without glancing at the credits. The Buryats meet him halfway, occasionally recalling Django or country swing, even boogie-woogie... East is East, and West is West, and wherever the four winds blow—that's not just a quote, it's his philosophy."[7]

Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman remarked: "Blue Mongol, with its greater elegance and emotional depth, requires more inherent sensitivity than the upbeat MALIcool, making it a riskier proposition. And while it has a few disconnected moments, it succeeds more often than not, making it a worthwhile listen for those who believe music to be the voice that speaks to all cultures."[5]

Tom Hull commented: "The great jazz trombonist engages a conservatory-trained Mongolian folk group; part of the interest is the similar harmonics between trombone and throat singing, but the highlight is when Rudd cops a Beach Boys line for 'Buryat Boogie'."[8]

Track listing

  1. "The Camel" (Traditional, arranged by Battuvshin Baldantseren, Roswell Rudd) – 4:21
  2. "Gathering Light" (Roswell Rudd) – 5:27
  3. "Behind the Mountains" (Traditional) – 2:56
  4. "Steppes Song" (Traditional) – 4:04
  5. "Djoloren" (Oumou Sangaré) – 8:38
  6. "Four Mountains" (Battuvshin Baldantseren, Roswell Rudd) – 5:35
  7. "Buryat Boogie" (Roswell Rudd) – 5:38
  8. "Blue Mongol" (Roswell Rudd) – 5:19
  9. "Bridle Ringing" (Traditional) – 2:41
  10. "Ulirenge" (Traditional, arranged by Badma Khanda, Kermen Kalyaeva) – 4:59
  11. "American Round (Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer / Amazing Grace)" (Arranged by Battuvshin Baldantseren, Roswell Rudd) – 3:15
  12. "The Leopard" (Traditional) – 5:02
  13. "Honey on the Moon" (Roswell Rudd) – 6:49

Personnel

  • Roswell Rudd – trombone, mellophone, vocals
  • Battuvshin Baldantseren – throat singer, limbe (flute), ikh khur (horse head bass), khomus (jaw's harp)
  • Badma Khanda – vocals
  • Dmitry Ayurov – morin khur (horse head fiddle)
  • Kermen Kalyaeva – lochin (dulcimer), khalmyk dombra (lute)
  • Valentina Namdykova – yatag (zither)

References

  1. ↑ "Roswell Rudd: Blue Mongol". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Jurek, Thom. "Roswell Rudd: Blue Mongol". AllMusic. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Blue Mongol". Sunnyside Records. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Roswell Rudd and Mongolian Buryat Band To Tour U.S." DownBeat. 19 October 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Kelman, John (November 5, 2005). "Roswell Rudd And The Mongolian Buryat Band: Blue Mongol". All About Jazz. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 1247.
  7. ↑ Davis, Francis (October 25, 2005). "Art Folk". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  8. ↑ Hull, Tom. "The Incredible Honk". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
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