The Other Side of China CD
This is a collection of songs recorded primarily during field work in Yunnan, a southwestern province of China, where many indigenous tribes still live in their traditional ways. Three songs were recorded at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music: song no. 8, an improvisation on the oldest Chinese – Han – instrument, the Guqin, and songs nos. 19 and 24, from the Kazakh minority from the northwestern province of Xinjiang. All of the songs were recorded from January to June 2015 and then arranged to form a whole, while trying to preserve the spirit of each song, present in the original recording.
- Mosuo women – tea time intro
- Aini woman
- 3 Dai kid monks
- Hani man
- Hani teacher (tree leaf, bamboo flute)
- 4 Hani girls
- Aini woman
- Han girl – improvisations (guqin)
- 4 Hani girls
- Hani group, mixed with Lahu dance beat
- Akha women (drums and gong)
- 2 Hani women (3 string lute)
- Lahu woman
- Mosuo teacher
- Hani teacher (bamboo flute)
- Naxi Dongba – A prayer for safety and happiness
- Han man – Funeral lament (suona)
- Akha woman
- Kazakh man – Sararka (dombra)
- Lahu choir
- 4 Lahu men (mouth organ)
- Tibetan monks of Songzanlin Monastery – Morning prayers
- Naxi Tibetan monk
- Kazakh trio – Kermau Ayday (Jew’s harp, dombra, aderna)
Recording, arranging and mixing: Andrej Kocan
Mastering: Iztok Zupan
Label: Klopotec – IZK CD 050
Photographs: Andrej Kocan
With thanks and gratitude to all the singers and musicians for their contributions to this project.