Tuvan throat singing first came on my radar when I was a teenager, via the documentary Genghis Blues, where San Francisco blues musician Paul Pena learned the art over shortwave radio and was invited to Tuva to perform in one of their festivals. I even saw one of his hosts, the amazing Kongar-ool Ondar, do his harmonic singing live at Amoeba Records on Haight Street, a formative experience that is long gone but not forgotten, like the two artists I just mentioned. So I can say with some authority that any chance to see this music performed live by masters is well worth it. Luckily for us, Tuva’s Alash Ensemble is here in our county tonight at 7:30 p.m., and in the Old Steeple, which is a perfect venue for this kind of magic ($30, $25 advance).
This article appears in Building a Safety Net.