A unique work of collaboration from three artists of different ethnic backgrounds have created a beautiful audio album. The album featuring renowned Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal has been nominated for 2021 Grammy Awards. This nomination makes him one of the very few Tibetan artist receiving international recognition of this magnitude.
Laurie Anderson, a renowned American visual and performing artist has collaborated with Tibetan singer and composer Tenzin Choegyal and composer, producer Jesse Paris Smith and published the unique audio album called Songs from the Bardo. This album has now been nominated for the ‘Best New Age Album’ at 2021 Grammy Awards.
Anderson has created this beautiful audio odyssey Songs from the Bardo, which pairs key sections of The Bardo Thodol or the Tibetan Book of the Dead with gongs, flutes, strings, and percussion. The Tibetan Buddhist text that lays out detailed descriptions of the forty-nine-day journey of our consciousness from the moment of death to our next rebirth. Choegyal provides the occasional Tibetan chanting and traditional instruments, while the calm, clear voice of Anderson is heard reciting the English translations throughout, describes The Tricycle.
Tenzin Choegyal is a Tibetan artist, composer, activist, musical director and cultural ambassador. Born to a family of Tibetan nomads, Tenzin Choegyal was forced into exile in India as his family fled the repression in Tibet. As a child, Tenzin would listen to his mother singing in the nomadic style and he attributes much of his passion for that genre to her early influence. Over the years, Tenzin has a successful international career as a musician, playing at such prestigious events as WOMAD as well as several Concerts for Tibet House at Carnegie Hall, New York. In addition to his much loved solo performances of soaring vocals and circling rhythms, Tenzin is an avid collaborator with musicians from diverse cultures, traditions and genres.
From classical western (with chamber orchestra Camerata of St John’s), contemporary (with Philip Glass) to ancient traditional (with didgeridoo master William Barton), Tenzin embraces opportunities to take his music to uncharted territory both in the studio and on stage.
Tenzin’s Tibetan folk song Apo Gaga has been nominated in of the seventeen categories of the 2020 Queensland Music Awards. From the seventeen categories, the Tibetan song is one four nominations in the category of World Music.
Nawang Khechog, a Tibetan enthno-musician is the first Tibetan to be nominated for Grammy Awards. He has been nominated for his album “In A Distant Place”, in collaboration with R. Carlos Nakai, a reputed native American flutist; William Eaton, famous guitarist; and the pulsing world beat percussion by Will Clipman, in the “New Age Music” category.
Leave a Reply