Blue Mongol

Blue Mongol
Studio album by Roswell Rudd and The Mongolian Buryat Band
Released	2005
Recorded	October 11, 2005
Studio	Nevessa Production, Saugerties, New York
Genre	Jazz, World music
Length	1:04:44
Label	Sunnyside SSC1147
Producer	Roswell Rudd, Verna Gillis
Roswell Rudd chronology
Malicool (2002) Blue Mongol (2005) Airwalkers (2006)

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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
All About Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz

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

1. "The Camel" (Traditional, arranged by Battuvshin Baldantseren, Roswell Rudd) – 4:21
2. "Gathering Light" (Roswell Rudd) – 5:27
3. "Behind the Mountains" (Traditional) – 2:56
4. "Steppes Song" (Traditional) – 4:04
5. "Djoloren" (Oumou Sangaré) – 8:38
6. "Four Mountains" (Battuvshin Baldantseren, Roswell Rudd) – 5:35
7. "Buryat Boogie" (Roswell Rudd) – 5:38
8. "Blue Mongol" (Roswell Rudd) – 5:19
9. "Bridle Ringing" (Traditional) – 2:41
10. "Ulirenge" (Traditional, arranged by Badma Khanda, Kermen Kalyaeva) – 4:59
11. "American Round (Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer / Amazing Grace)" (Arranged by Battuvshin Baldantseren, Roswell Rudd) – 3:15
12. "The Leopard" (Traditional) – 5:02
13. "Honey on the Moon" (Roswell Rudd) – 6:49

Personnel

• Roswell Rudd – trombone, mellophone, vocals
• Battuvshin Baldantseren – throat singer, limbe (flute), ikh khur (horse head bass), khomus (jaw's harp)
• Badma Khanda – vocals
• Dmitry Ayurov – morin khur (horse head fiddle)
• Kermen Kalyaeva – lochin (dulcimer), khalmyk dombra (lute)
• Valentina Namdykova – yatag (zither)