This is their famous boot dance! IngQuZu! Enjoy it! The second one is their A-capella singing which was at RWMF 2007! Do you like it? Any opinions to share?
Friday, April 4, 2008
Black Umfolosi Videos is UP! Watch it!
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 4/04/2008 02:39:00 PM 4 comments
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The VERY FIRST Year
RANDY WORKED WITH THE "SAPE" MUSICIANS FROM S'WAK
RANDY PLAYING THE CHINESE GU-ZHENG
Happy Reading! :D
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 4/03/2008 04:40:00 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Khac Chi @RWMF2007 & Slideshow (Aware of the Instruments)
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 4/01/2008 04:01:00 PM 3 comments
Monday, March 31, 2008
Vietnam's Duo Performer - The Khac Chi
The duo are couple and they are the duo who perform as the Khac Chi. Besides performing for the Rainforest World Music Festival, they perform for the World of Music Arts and Dance Festival and also play at National Symphony Orchestra of Latvia. Their very first came for the Rainforest World Music Festival was 2002 and last year they came again bringing instruments that have never seen anywhere before which some of them have existence of 4000 years. This shows the Vietnamese have very strong inclination of music, right? Can you imagine an instrument from 4000 years ago? Crazy? Amuse? Interesting? Amazing or Miracle? Gosh I couldn't believe too. Anyway, go on about the duo before we go into the instruments part I am going to intro.
Ho, Chi Khac (pronounced: Ho, Chee Kac)
He is the world premiere virtuoso on the Dan Bau (a one string zitter). He compose music and research about music. He attended the National School of Music iat Vietnam and he was heard at concerts throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His very first award was on 1982 Vietnam Competition of Professional Instrumentalists which is first prize. Follow on was the Golden Award at the1985 International Folk Festival of World Youth in Moscow, and First Prize in the government's annual Improvement of Traditional Instruments of Vietnam in 1988. So, think about it? 1982! Gosh I was not even in this world yet. Amazing guy who loves music so much that and he got the talent of it!
Hoang, Ngoc Bich (pronounced: wong, ngoc bic)
Now here, this is Chi Khac's wife (a beautiful Vietnamese lady) who is an exceptional vocalist, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. She also like her husband specializes on the Dan Bau and also variety of very rare instruments from Vietnam's rural and mountainous regions. The RARE instruments are such as t’rung (bamboo xylophone), k’longput (percussion tubles), and ko ni. She was the first woman to won the First Prize for Dan Bau in the 1988 Vietnam Competition of Professional Instrumentalists. Isn't she great? Wow! I guess she really makes a lot of woman proud at that time and of course till now.
The Famous ONE STRING zitter - Dan Bau
It's tall curved stem are made from water buffalo horn inserted at one end. It produces characteristic high clear sound but not a very loud instrument because it was traditionally used in more intimate environments. Isn't it sound romantic?
K’Ni
A special form of stick fiddle that can only found in Vietnam which is a one string violin. The specialty about this instrument is the player's mouth act as the resonating chamber and precise movements of the lips and the tongue creates a broad range of tonal colors and emotional expression which give the K'ni its unique sound. The sounds will altered which almost evoke like human's pronounciation. That shock you??? Well, I did not get to see them last year because they did not perform on d first night! So sad, righT? So got to go this year if they are coming again! :D
I have introduced 2 of their famous instruments and the rest will be put on a slide show after this post for you to have a look. If more information needed, you can go to their website http://www.khacchi.com/instruments/instru.html.
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 3/31/2008 05:52:00 PM 2 comments
- Khoomei: HUUN HUUR TU
Kaigal-ool Khovalyg
Sayan Bapa (Bapa is a versatile string instrumentalist, and performs on the doshpuluur, igil and acoustic guitar)
Radik Tolouche (Tiuliush) - He study igil at Arts School (Kyzyl).
Alexei Saryglar
Saryglar makes his mark as a sygyt singer, and his expertise with traditional Tuvan percussion and string instruments naturally extends into the art of piano playing.
doshpuluur (Tuvan banjo), and the tungur (shaman drum). Their first appearance at RWMF was 2003 which they are the central Asian groups which have been a favourite exotic colour at the event. In year 2007, the 10th anniversary of RWMF they are brought back to entertain their music lovers.
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 3/31/2008 10:03:00 AM 2 comments
Friday, March 28, 2008
Performer of RWMF - Black Umfolosi
Black Umfolosi
On the left: When they were young
They were first formed 15th March 1982 at George Silundika Primary School in Ntabazinduna and 1983 moved to Nyamandlov. It starte because the boarding school have no facilities to entertain children during weekends and one evening the campfire children started singing at random the community songs. It was so much enjoyed by both the children and school staff that it was suggested the formation of a school choir. Last year, 2007 were their 25th anniversary and they came for the RWMF 10th year anniversary so it was a double celebration for them at the Sarawak Cultural Village.
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 3/28/2008 05:32:00 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Questions linger on my mind about RWMF
- What you guys think about RWMF?
RWMF is an event that you get to see different indigeneous musicians around the world coming to your very own state which really amuse me about what kind of music they have and how well they are to perform for us. My point of view about the event is just to be in the crowd and I guess I do not really know how to enjoy some of the musics performed. But I actually likes the performers from Zimbabwe which is known as BLACK UMFOLOSI - this guys were great as they send musics by tapping their foot and body which they bring everyone's get on the foot just to dance with them as well.
Not forgetting our very own Sarawak groups which are the TABUH PAK AINAL (Sarawak) and ANAK ADI’ RURUM (Sarawak) and of course RANDY RAINE REUSCH (Canada) his music using the violin was really great and that really attract a lot of the audience to be actually listening and enjoying it.
- What actually attract so many people around the world to visit Sarawak at the month of July in every year just to attend this event?
Well, this festival are unlike like others festival which usually have one of two stages constant stage performances. But this musical festival allowed music fans to choose from a variety daytime workshop, mini recitals, master classes and ethnomusicology interactive lectures which went from 2pm to about 5pm in the evening. It is also a good chance for the music fans to meet up the favorite band members and to get autographed. Besides that, the fans are able to learned about various instruments and influences after rapping with some of the musicians. For example, KHAC CHI duo from Vietnam show their unique and rare instruments at RWMF 2007.
The picture on the left are the HUUN HUUR TU which perform the throat singing known as the art of Khoomei. Audiences are able to see one of the oldest forms of music making which is the art of Khoomei which it is part of the ritual of mimicking nature - the mountains, grasslands, wind, water and light. There are from country of Tuva which lies between Siberia and Mongolia.
Of course besides being gather at cozy place at the Sarawak cultural village and learning about their musics and instruments, there will be food stalls by the local and also handicraft booth.
- Is it all because of the music performer or any other reason behind it?
I guess it is all about the music performer for most of the audiences as you can see I have list out some of the special performer and intruments we are able to see in this whole festival.
- Why do they choose to be held in Sarawak instead of other places?
The place was chose to be at Sarawak was because to allowed music lovers to enjoy the resounding rhythms in the heart of the one of the world's oldest rainforest, and it was specifically in a living museum dedicated to preserving the indigenous cultures of Borneo. With the 17 acre of Sarawak Cultural Village served as the venue for the 3 days event so the cramped concert experience non-existents.
Posted by Tears Of Forest at 3/26/2008 06:36:00 AM 1 comments