Ethnic Minority Music of Northwest Xinjiang, China

This is a selection of field recordings made by an intrepid French-Chinese couple of enthusiasts in 2009 in the Ili valley in the far north-west of China's troubled Xinjiang region. The liner notes begin with an impressive rant about the political situation there. I am sympathetic; I was arrested in Ili myself some years ago, for recording music. Given the difficulties they had obtaining these recordings, it's a shame they didn't take greater care with the information. The names of instruments, people and even ethnic groups are randomly spelled and wildy inaccurate.

The Ili valley is, however, a fascinating and beautiful multicultural area, and the album features mainly instrumental solos and duets by Uyghur, Kazakh, Kirghiz and Mongol musicians playing a range of long-necked lutes. While this kind of opportunistic recording trip, drawing on informal contacts, can produce treasures, the skills of the musicians one encounters inevitably varies. The most listenable tracks here are the Kazakh dombra (two-stringed lute) solos performed by professional musicians.