American pop music is characterized by singers who sing one pitch at a time, but Tuesday, an audience at Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St., will see singers capable of singing at least more than two at one time.
This style of singing is called throat singing, and Alash, a trio from Tuva, a federal subject of Russia, is visiting Athens to introduce its traditional Tuvan folk music to American audiences.
Bady-Dorzhu Ondar, Ayan-ool Sam and Ayan Shirizhnik sing while also accompanying their voices with traditional Tuvan instruments, like the igill, an instrument similar to a cello; the doshpuluur, a three-stringed instrument; percussion and modern instruments like the acoustic guitar and Russian accordion.
The Tuvan trio has toured across the world for the last 14 years, and over the last seven has been joined by manager and interpreter Sean Quirk, who came to Tuva after becoming interested in the unique sound of the native music.
Quirk said though the music will at first appear unfamiliar, it is innately accessible because of the band’s ability to marry the folk music to a more modern setting.
“It’s all really organic and subtle,” Quirk said. “The overall sound of everything still maintains a distinctive Tuvan character. It’s strongly attached to the roots. But everybody in the band grew up listening to not just Tuvan music, which has its own unique sound, but all kinds of music.”
Quirk said throat singing allows the musicians to manipulate their voices to create “multiple simultaneous pitches out of a single singer with various kinds of timbre.”
The name Alash, Quirk said, further explains the melding of modern and traditional musical stylings.
“Alash is the name of a river in the west of Tuva,” Quirk explained. “Think about the idea of tradition and the flow of traditions passing on from ancestors to descendants. They feel that the river symbolizes that.”
Alash has been touring the United States since September, performing in universities, bars and concert halls. The performance at the brewery is the first of what they are calling the Quiet Concert Series.
“There is a need for high caliber shows at an earlier hour,” said Eric Thomas, who booked the show for Jackie O’s. “(Alash) seems to prefer that environment, and it’s a real nice room for a small, small show.”
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