Alash at Rozz-Tox -- March 27.
Thursday, March 27, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Internationally acclaimed throat singers whose American credits include touring with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones to promote the Grammy-winning album Jingle All the Way that featured the Russian talents as guest artists, the musicians of Alash make an eagerly awaited return to Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on March 27, the trio noted for their subtle infusion of modern influences into traditional folk music.
Composed of Bady-Dorzhu Ondar, Ayan-ool Sam, and Ayan Shirizhik, Alash was originally called Changy-Xaya, formed at Kyzyl Arts College in 1999, and became the resident traditional ensemble. An outgrowth of this musical exploration, the group is named for the Alash River that flows through the musicians' home region of Tuva. Alash won first prize at the International Xöömei (throat singing) Symposium competition, and went on to tour the United States in 2006 at the invitation of the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Their trip was organized by CEC ArtsLink, an organization that orchestrates cross-cultural arts exchanges and grants between the U.S. and Central Europe, Russia, and Eurasia, and Alash has toured the United States every year since, playing at a variety of venues. They also conduct workshops at schools and colleges to share their music and culture with American young people.
The musicians are inspired by the music of their grandparents, great-grandparents, and the great musicians of Tuva and Central Asia. At the same time, they are influenced by such Western artists as Sun Ra and Jimi Hendrix. Yet the Alash musicians never sacrifice the integrity of their heritage in an effort to make their music more hip for an American audience. Rather, they look for contemporary ideas that mesh well with the sound and feel of traditional Tuvan music.
Members of Alash also enjoy working across musical genres. They have collaborated with such diverse musicians as the innovative jazz ensemble Sun Ra Arkestra, the virtuoso beatboxer Shodekeh, and the pioneering classical chamber music group Fifth House Ensemble. Alash was part of composer Austin Wintory's "global jam band" which recorded the soundtrack for the video game The Pathless. More recently, Alash's Bady-Dorzhu Ondar collaborated with Shodekeh's Embody project to record the album Embodiments, bringing an American hip-hop vibe into the performance of original Tuvan music.
With the evening's ticket price cut in half through the generous support of the Illinois Arts Council, the musicians of Alash play their Rock Island engagement on March 27, admission to the 8 p.m. all-ages show is $10-15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
