Namgar

ARTIST: Namgar

COUNTRY: Siberia

GENRE: Extremely exotic fusion of Buryat-Mongolian shaman traditions and modern rock/electronic/jazz elements

MORE ABOUT: Singer Namgar Ayushievna Lhasaranova is the leader of the band and her name was used to call the entire group (Namgar  means “white cloud” in Tibetan). She grew up in a Buryat family in the tiny village of Kunkur near the border crossing of Russia, Mongolia, and China. She comes from a long family line of shamans. The other original members of the Moscow-based band are Jipo (Eugene Zolotaryov), Namgar’s husband, who comes from Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, and plays the chanza lute; Altay (Altangerel Khishigtogtokh) is a young Mongolian musician who plays the morin huur  (horse-head fiddle); and Urna (Urantugs Jamiyan), a Mongolian woman from Uliastai, Mongolia, who plays yataga, an ancient zither

In the heart of Siberia, under bottomless blue sky, Namgar’s songs were born. She mastered the mysteries of the great wide open and the voices of spirits of mountains and forests. She loves the melodies sung by her grandmother and her father and desires to maintain the tradition that is becoming extinct. Namgar sings long songs and yokhor dance tunes, uliger legends of mighty champions, precise arrows, and swift horses, just as they were sung ages ago, with arrangements that make her music appealing to world music fans.

The Hori Buryat tribes to which Namgar belongs, historically were supporters of Genghis Khan and important commanders of the Mongol Invasion. Their songs and dances date back to the glorious times of the Mongolian Empire, preserving many genres and songs that became extinct in the other parts of Mongolian world.

Buryats live in the Russian Federation, where it borders with Mongolia and Manchuria. Buddhism, Shamanism, and the natural beauty of South Siberia contributed to their tradition. They share a lot of musical themes with their relatives, the Mongolians, with a special attention to dance tunes that became extinct in Mongolia.

The group made their first appearance on the international stage at Riddu Riddu Festival in Norway in 2002, along with Mari Boine and a bunch of other World Music celebrities.

In October 2003, Namgar released their first official CD entitled “Hatar” (round dance). It boasts a first ever collection of Buryat all-time favorites that are quite distinct and neatly arranged. It was a group of enthusiastic young people from Moscow who started a label called Sketis Music, specializing in world music, who gave the opportunity to the group to record their album, because they were sure this music was fantastic. The album cover was designed by Dashi Namdakov, the most prominent young artist among the Buryats.

In June 2006, the arranger and producer Leonid Vorobyev joined the group and added to authentic sound of the group a modern electronic, rock and jazz elements.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:

- “Nomad” (2009)
- “Hatar” (2003)

SELECTED VIDEOS:

SELECTED PRESS REVIEWS AND QUOTES:

“As for exotica, how about Namgar? This rock ensemble from the Siberian steppe, which combines traditional and modern instruments, is named for its colorfully dressed lead singer, who seems almost a Mongolian version of Bjork.” (The New York Times)

“My favorite band–or at least the band that surprised me the most by combining styles I never imagined I’d hear together–was Namgar, a band I didn’t get to draw. Namgar is from Russia and combines Mongolian folk singing with a sound you wouldn’t be surprised to hear emerging from Iron Maiden’s amps. Namgar was lush, epic, gorgeous and completely unexpected, which is exacly the sort of thing I have come to expect from Global Fest.” (Inklines)

“Four of the 12 acts will be making their American debuts. One, the Russian-Mongolian shaman-rock band Namgar, from Buryatia, concocts distinctive blends of rock  and  Buryat traditions.” (The Star-Ledger)

“The Moscow group preserves the indigenous musical traditions of Southern Siberia and Mongolia, combining old folk tunes with modern compositions and arrangements” (The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts)

“Hailing from the mountains of Siberia, Namgar present themselves in outfits that might come off as unconventional. Their melding of sounds however is anything but ordinary and that alone helped the group grasp the attention of every attendee in the venue’s ballroom area.” (Randomville)

SELECTED PERFORMANCES:

- globalFEST, Webster Hall, New York City, USA (2010)
- OCFF conference, Ontario, Canada (2009)
- Riddu-Riddu, Norway (2009)
- Alianait Art Festival, Canada (2008)
- Arctic Frontiers conference, Tromse, Norway (2008)
- Paris, France (2007)
- Shark-Taronalari, Uzbekistan (2007)
- By:Larm, Tromsö, Norway (2006)
- RidduRiddu Festival, Norway (2005)
- Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo, Malaysia (2005)

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