Altai-Hangai

Altai-Hangai

Group

About Altai-Hangai

Altai-Hangai is a group of musicians and singers from Mongolia. Named after the Altai mountains and the Hangai steppes, large natural reserves in Central and Western Mongolia. Formed by four people from that area in 1993, they have spent much time spreading their music through Europe and the US. Using traditional Mongolian instruments and forms, not only do they produce traditional music, but they have recently started producing some jazz fusion music as well. The Players • Palamshav Childaa (Good Day) - The main source for material and song texts for the group, Palamshav is the son of a herdsman from the Uvs province. Born in 1959, he has travelled round the world, playing the tovshuur, performing traditional, and modern, Mongolian dances. He has played with many different artists, from a wide range of cultures, giving him the ability to fuse different styles. Palamshav is also the groups Shaman. • Ganbold Muukha (Inflexible Metal) - Also born in Uvs, in 1970, Ganbold's family is a family of camel drivers. This doesn't tell the whole story, as they are also highly creative musicians, singers and dancers. Ganbold appears to be the cream of the crop. He sings, plays numerous instruments including the horsehead fiddle, the piano, and even the accordian. His ability to play the more Western instruments probably occured during his professional training at the Music and Dance College in Ulaan Batar. • Ganzorig Nergui (Strong Heart) - From Selenge, his father was a herdsman. During their travels across the steppes Ganzorig learned to sing and imitate the whistles of birds. An excellent throat-singer, he can play the horseshead fiddle to accompany his singing. He can also play the tsuur flute. • Byambakhishig Lhagva (Saturday's Present) - Born in Gobi-Altai, in 1974, the son of a woodcarver and long-song singer, Byambakhishig is highly talented horsehead fiddle player and singer. His entertaining traits came through early, and he had already appeared in a film by the time he was ten. His only musical experience outside Mongolia is with Altai-Hangai. How They Met It all started in 1993, at the begining of summer, near a small village called Khudlaani Nuur. Here the locals, and some travellers gathered to celebrate - it was the begining of Summer after all. The festivities and competitions had already been going on for two days by the time the group met. Right in the center of the party ground, surrounded by wild kumiss drinkers, there was a more modern day competition being run - The Car Maintanance Competition. A genuine Mongolian national sport, the skills displayed here has saved many lives during drives through the barren, uninhabited deserts and steppes. Palamshav was the winner that day. He was the first to crawl from beneath his car and drink a bowl of kumiss. His wild exuberance, leaping around and dancing wildly, as he drank kumiss was commented on, and he was encouraged to find some musicians to be able to fully entertain the surrounding kumiss drinkers. This was not hard for The Champion of Car Maintanance. Over the hubbub of the crowd he could already hear the high whistles of a talented throat-singer. Wandering over he found a young man, and nearby a morin khuur player, with another beside him just stringing his instrument. He summoned them for an evening of music, dance and drink. Here was the begining of Altai-Hangai. Ganzorig was the throat-singer. He had been signed up for the Bokh games, a Mongolian version of wrestling. However, he was no match for the competition and after being knocked out in the first round he joined the singers, encouraging and judging the wrestlers. Byambakhishig was the man stringing his morin khuur. He had been in an archery shoot, his arrow pointing directly at the bay. As the insert states, 'The bow was bent to its limits, while visions of Dzhenggis Khan's master-archers harrassed Byambakhishig's mind. A sudden tremble in the muddy ground on the moment supreme ruined Byamba's chances to follow the footsteps of his famous forebears.' Byambabakhishig had missed, the arrow going wide. Leaving the field he headed to the centre, to string his morin khuur and play for the wrestlers and revellers. The tremble in the ground, which had caused Byambakhishigs miss, was caused by a herd of horses. They were racing, but had lost the course and passed only meters away from the archery tournament. The man in the lead was Ganbold with his horse Dragonfly, he was the first to pass the post, only to find that he had crossed it in the wrong direction. The win was claimed by a young, and until then, unknown horseman who, though slow, had kept to the course. To ease his sorrows Ganbold took up his morin khuur, and headed to the centre of the party. The only (so far) album known is called 'Gone with the Wind', subtitled 'Songs of the Steppes' on the CD front cover and 'Whimsical Whoopee Mongolian Melodies' on the CD itself. Comprising 16 songs, it is a tour of traditional Mongolian music.

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