Sublime collection of field recordings of artists from the areas of Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia, and Turkey) recorded by Ben Wheeler, Bulat Khalilov, Timur Kodzoko and Stefan Williamson Fa as part of the Sayat Nova Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Caucasian music and its ethnomusicological study. This is an accompaniment to the 2013 lp
Mountains of Tongues. Each side of the double-tape set features different aspects of this musical tradition: Side A is songs and music ensembles playing uplifting and epic/heroic songs, side B is singers and choirs, side C is wind and reed instruments, and side D is string instruments. There are also some conversations and sounds from villages, giving this a definite Alan Lomax vibe. I can't recommend highly enough that everyone listen to this. Originally released on Winebox Press on a very limited tape run, this is the 2016 re-release on Winebox Press's sublabel Early Music.
Side A
Side B
Side C
Side D