Blue Mongol

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
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)