Blue Mongol


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.
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."

Reception

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."
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."
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."
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'."

Track listing

# "The Camel" – 4:21
# "Gathering Light" – 5:27
# "Behind the Mountains" – 2:56
# "Steppes Song" – 4:04
# "Djoloren" – 8:38
# "Four Mountains" – 5:35
# "Buryat Boogie" – 5:38
# "Blue Mongol" – 5:19
# "Bridle Ringing" – 2:41
# "Ulirenge" – 4:59
# "American Round " – 3:15
# "The Leopard" – 5:02
# "Honey on the Moon" – 6:49

Personnel

* Roswell Rudd – trombone, mellophone, vocals
* Battuvshin Baldantseren – throat singer, limbe, ikh khur, khomus
* Badma Khanda – vocals
* Dmitry Ayurov – morin khur
* Kermen Kalyaeva – lochin, khalmyk dombra
* Valentina Namdykova – yatag