Paul Pena
played blues with the greats T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, and Bonnie
Raitt. In 1995, the blind bluesman became the first American
ever to compete in an unusual contest of multi-harmonic "throatsinging."
The Autonomous
Republic of Tuva, wedged between Siberia and Mongolia, for centuries
has been isolated from the rest of the world by jagged mountains
and Soviet restrictions. Only recently have the Tuvan art form
of throatsinging become known to outsiders. Pena discovered Tuvan
throatsinging on a shortwave program of Radio Moscow twelve years
ago. Multiple voices emanated from a single vocalist and the
sounds gripped him like nothing he had ever heard. For
the next nine years he worked to produce similar overtones with
his own voice and to incorporate throatsinging into his blues
music. Unexpectedly in 1993, Pena discovered that Tuvan throatsingers
were on their first concert tour of the U.S.. After their performance,
the
deep-voiced bluesman broke into his own self-taught style of
throatsinging and serenaded the musicians with Tuvan traditional
songs! The throatsingers were amazed by Pena's mastery of the
Tuvan art form and likened his rich voice to the sounds of tremors
in the earth.
They insisted that "Chershemjer" (Earthquake) travel
to Tuva for the next tri-ennial throatsinging contest which would
be held in 1995. Eleven years after he first heard throat singing,
Paul Pena entered the National Theatre of Tuva to make history.
The blind bluseman's performance was so well received, he became
the 1995 throatsinging champion in the style of kargyraa. He
also captured the "audience
favorite" award for the week-long competition. The Tuvan
people had
never seen or heard anyone like him.
Pena was
honored by the Tuvan people, not only because he mastered
kargyraa, but he also learned to speak their language. His friendship
flourished with Kongar-ol Ondar, the throatsinging champion who
had
invited Pena three years earlier. Ondar hosted Pena as the bluesman
experienced the country he once believed he would never visit.
"Genghis
Blues" is a film about exploration and friendship. It is
the story
of a man whose struggle in life is not defined by conformity
and rules but
by an unquenchable curiosity, and love of music. Pena's story
is truly an
inspiration to all.
Background
Paul Pena
is the son of immigrants from Cape Verde, West Africa, and
lives in San Francisco where he plays a unique blend of Mississippi
Delta
blues, Cape Verdian folk, and Tuvan throat music. As a blind
Creole-American, Pena has continually struggled against injustice
through the messages in his music. To Pena, his music represents
the
"inter-cultural harmony which is becoming increasingly important
for the
development of a sustainable world environment."
The Republic
of Tuva, in the heart of Asia, was once an independent
country whose people are proud descendants of the conqueror,
Genghis
Khan. Over one third of the population continues traditional
nomadic
ways of animal-herding.
For centuries
after the collapse of Khan's empire, geographical, political,
and cultural isolation resulted in the evolution of various unique
and
highly developed art forms in Tuva. The most remarkable, "khoomei"
(translated as "throatsinging") confounds Western academicians
to this
day. People in Tuva have learned to produce multiple tones
simultaneously while singing. Throatsingers have been described
as
sounding like "a one-man quartet" and "a bullfrog
swallowing a whistle."
Tuva is
comprised of a mixture of desert plateaus and green valleys
ringed by snow-capped mountains of the Sayan and Altai ranges.
The
powerful contrasts of their environment are said to be the inspiration
for
the Tuvans' development of five distinct styles of throatsinging.
Most Tuvans
practice a mix of Tibetan Buddhism and animist shamanism
despite aggressive Soviet attempts to eliminate "paganism"
since their
occupation of Tuva in 1944. In 1991, the suppression of a popular
call
for independence in Tuva resulted in the massacre of hundreds
of
people including both Tuvans and Russians.
Kongar-ol
Ondar, who won the 1992 throat-singing contest, invited his
friend, Paul Pena, to participate in the contest of 1995. Currently,
Pena
and Ondar have recorded an album, "Genghis Blues,"
which combines
elements of Mississippi Delta blues, Cape-Verdian ballads, and
Tuvan
throat music.
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