Tengir-Too is a contemporary ensemble that plays traditional music. The group takes its name from the mountain range that towers over the high mountain passes connecting Kyrgyzstan and China, and is best known by its Chinese name, Tien-Shan, or “Celestial Mountains.”
Founded and directed by Nurlanbek Nyshanov, a talented composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist who grew up in the city of Naryn, Tengir-Too provides a living workshop for Nyshanov’s efforts to find a voice for Kyrgyz music in the contemporary cultural field.
Nurlanbek Nyshanov has helped restore the integrity and authenticity of Kyrgyz music, incorporating innovations.
Nyshanov draws on his compositional skills to develop outstanding arrangements for small ensembles of repertories formerly performed by solo players. He collaborated with Rysbek Jumabaev, a reciter of the great Kyrgyz epic tale Manas, and with performers from the Silk Road Project, founded and directed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, to create a multimedia presentation of the Manas. The Manas production was presented at the British Library and at Carnegie Hall through a collaboration between the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia (AKMICA) and the Silk Road Project.
Other members of Tengir-Too include Kenjegul Kubatova on alto vocals; Gulbara Baigashkaeva, a master performer on the komuz – the three-stringed lute that the Kyrgyz regard as their national instrument; and Asylbek Nasirdinov, who plays the qyl-qiyak, a two-stringed upright fiddle with archaic ties to shamanism. Special guest Zainidin Imanaliev illustrates an older performance tradition – the virtuoso soloist who is at once master instrumentalist, singer, and entertainer.
Nurlanbek Nyshanov – Artistic Director, wooden and metal jew’s harp, sybyzgy, choor, chopo choor
Gulbara Baigashkaeva – komuz and jew’s harp
Zainidin Imanaliev – vocal and komuz
Rysbek Jumabaev – manaschi (Manas epic reciter)
Kenjekul Kubatova – vocal and komuz
Asylbek Nasirdinov – komuz, jew’s harp, qyl qiyak
Azamat Otunchiev – qyl qiyak Kyrgyzstan Asia
Discography:
Music of Central Asia Vol. 1: Tengir-Too: Mountain Music from Kyrgyzstan (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2006)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
