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Interesting introduction to Kazak traditional music

04/26/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The singers and performers on this CD do an excellent job. Their songs highlight a lot of Kazak folkloric themes and legends, such as a tale of two young men who fall in love with the same girl and compete in an archery game for her love. The first series of songs (#1-#8) is singing accompanied by the dombra, which is a plucked instrument. The second series (#9-#15) features the kobyz, a bowed instrument which has a very mysterious sound and used to be played by Kazak shamans. Participating artists are Kapash Kulysheva, Kairat Baibosynov, and Smagul Unbetbaev. The CD comes with a booklet (with text in English and Japanese) which explains the themes of the 15 songs."