Never stop admiring Albina Degtyareva, the Ayarkhaan female ensemble, who is doing all the best to promote the Yakut knomus music around the world. And it’s so sad she’s doing all that for free.

Enjoy!

Juliana in her video Uhuktuu. Performed by khomus, a Yakut musical instrument.

This is Juliana. She performs music by the Yakut musical instrument called Khomus.

Juliana is well known in Yakutia, Siberia / Russia. By the way, she started her career in the first team of Albina Degtyareva’s Ayarkhaan female ensemble.

At present, she performs solo and sounds powerful and looks effective.

Watch her video clip “Uhuktuu” (Awakening), listen to mp3 and see screenshots in high resolutions. Read the rest of this entry…

A short video is dedicated to the biggest Yakut national holiday called Ysyakh (Yhyakh). Celebrated annually in June.

Created by Vladimir Moonkuev. Music by Sasha Lukin.

No words. The video conveys all the message. Enjoy! Certainly, you’re welcome to Yakutia in summer!

Last weekend, friends of mine, Oe Karpov and Andrey Dyakonov, arranged the great event. It was a BIG city event, but done in a TINY manner. They rented a wooden house in the wooden part of Yakutsk City, invited close friends and let the rock music sound in all power and authenticity.

Yeah, it was the “103″ rock band performing the unique ethno Siberian heavy music. It was utterly awesome!

Frankly, I am a big fan of “103″. Like its story. It is a little group of young people, who arrived into the city from a little Yakutian village called Khatassy by the public bus “103″ a few years ago. This village is mainly known as the producer of pork & beef. Nothing special could appear over there, apart from the delicious meat.

And here they are. Authentic ethno rock music! Delivered by guys, who learned to play musical instrument themselves in a little wooden village hall. By the way, they use the sound of the khomus, Yakut Jews-harp instrument.

Read the rest of this entry…

Ayarkhaan

Albina Degtyareva’s AYARKHAAN female ensemble is giving three concerts in London, UK, on October 21-22, 2011. Learn more about the group and concerts’ time & locations. Read the rest of this entry…

An image from Days of Yakutia in Toronto, Canada.

What a great news! Sardana Savvina let me know that two Yakutian films are going to participate at The Imagine Native Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto, Canada. They will be screened at Bell Light BOX Movie Theater on October 22nd and 23rd, 2011.

If by any chance you appeared to be in Toronto on those days, don’t miss the chance to visit the film festival and watch Yakutian movies. You won’t regret ever! Check the screening schedule.

Further, find films description and get energized by the While the Wind Blows movie trailer with a song performed by the famous Yakut rock band “103″ and Varya Maksimova.

Read the rest of this entry…

Good news for world music admirers and fans of the Ayarkhaan trio. July 24, 2011, Albina Degtyareva‘s Ayarkhaan Trio performed at the BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall) in London, UK.

“Three Sakha women from Siberia blew the audience away with their unearthly sounds of jew’s harp and animal imitation. It was truly amazing,” Misha Maltsev reports.

Read the rest of this entry…

This is the video from the Live Music of the Silent Film event arranged by Kostas Danilov for cine amateurs in EPL’s Diamond House Cafe in Yakutsk (Yakutia / Russia) a couple of weeks ago.

Read the rest of this entry…

Here in historical videos, you can see how Yhyakh (Ысыах in Russian), the Yakut national holiday, was celebrated in the 1960s. For the long period, the Soviets prohibited the Yakuts to hold its traditional summer event, but eventually, since 1941, allowed.

Yhyakh is the celebration of the summer solstice. Dedicated to the spirits of Ajyy and nature revival. Followed with the rising sun worship ceremonies, abundant food, kumis (also spelled kumiss, koumiss or kumys; it’s the horse milk) drinking, national sports games, horse races.

Further, please, find the second historical video. Read the rest of this entry…

Enjoy khomus (Yakut Jew’s harp) music and images of Yakutia in the amazing video slideshow created by Marianna Leontieva in 2008. The author lives in Moscow and she called the video “Khomus… A Yakutian’s Nostalgia…” Think, no additional info is required.

By the way, Yakutsk will host the 7th International Jew’s Harp Society Congress on June 23-26, 2011. It will be held right before the Yasyakh national holiday celebration in the area of Ys Khatyn near Yakutsk. My god, my fingers are crossed, don’t want to miss this must-be-awesome event.

Download the Congress Program (pdf, 525 Kb).