While listening to his short-wave radio one lonely evening, blind blues man Paul Pena heard a sound unlike any he had heard before. Broadcast from Radio Moscow, he listened as one voice articulated multiple notes and was fascinated by the unique, almost disturbing sound produced. Nine years later, he had taught himself how to perform khoomei, or the Tuvan art of biphonic throatsinging, and was incorporating it into his own blues, a hybrid of Mississippi Delta Blues and Cape-Verdian music.
Genghis Blues, the first feature film effort of brothers Roko and Adrian Belic, documents Pena's real-life journey as he discovers khoomei, performs spontaneously for visiting Tuvan throatsingers after attending their San Francisco concert, and accepts an invitation to compete in the tri-annual Tuvan throatsinging competition. Pena, as the first American to enter the competition, wins the Kargyraa Division and the Audience Favorite award to become a Tuvan national legend... or at least a local curiosity. Accompanied by friends and associates, we see Pena's experiences and triumphs, while following his personal journey from a vulnerable and depressed member of American society to a famed and celebrated guest halfway around the world. The film is available today for the first time on DVD and VHS.
Tuva is a Russian protectorate nestled between Siberia and Mongolia, and seldom heard from thanks to the isolation of mountainous borders and severe Soviet restrictions. Only recently has the Tuvan tradition of throatsinging come to the attention of the global community, and in 1993 the Tuvan throatsingers embarked upon their first concert tour of America. To Pena's surprise, he heard of the concert and attended with intentions of approaching the performers afterward and serenading them with his own self-taught khoomei.
His impromptu performance was well received by the warm and generous Tuvans, who were the first to tell him of the competition to be held two years later in Tuva. The throatsingers nicknamed Pena Chershemjer, or "Earthquake," thanks to his deep-throated voice and resonating biphonics. This nickname shows the intimate relationship between the tradition of khoomei and nature, as do panoramic shots of the Tuvan landscape throughout the film. The small country is comprised of desert plateaus, lush valleys, and snow-capped mountains in the Sayan and Altai ranges. These contrasting settings inspired Tuva's ancestors in the days of Genghis Khan to create five different variations of khoomei celebrating the blessings of life and nature.
Tuvans today practice a combination of Tibetan Buddhism and animist shamanism, and their spirituality pervades all aspects of their lives. Pena becomes enamored with this spirituality and with the Tuvan ways of live, humbled by their generosity and welcoming smiles. Former throatsinging champion Kongar-ol Ondar acts as Pena's guide through the sites of Tuva and the rich meanings in Tuvan culture, taking Pena and his film crew to his home, his mother's home, and his birthplace.
The film tells Pena's story through a combination of interviews conducted after the trip and footage shot in Tuva. Like the sound of khoomei, which can be shocking when heard for the first time, the film takes a while to warm up. There's a home video quality to the most of the indoor footage that can be either authentic or annoying. Opening with Pena's long list of musical accomplishments (including performances with T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, and Jerry Garcia), it is at first difficult to envision a context in which the interviews with Pena's associates might become pertinent. Once the story leaves America and lands in Tuva, however, Pena's search for harmony becomes clear and the music takes on new meaning.
Genghis Blues could make a thorough and interesting travelogue, but is so much more in that it documents Pena's cultural conflicts while away from home, living such a wonderful and different way of life. After the success of the throatsinging competition, Pena and his friends are besieged by a series of disasters ranging from torrential rains to illness, testing their characters and capacities for improvisation.
Pena shines through not for his steadfast constitution but rather for his truth in expression and honesty in confessing his hopelessness. Suffering from chronic depression and a severe sense of displacement, the blind blues man does not know where he can step to find solid ground. Through this struggle, his music acts as a source of strength and purity, and only by composing new songs is he able to deal with these trials.
The value in Genghis Blues comes from these scenes, which portray Pena as a living miracle. An otherwise totally dependent and vulnerable man existing outside of normal society, through music, Pena is able to express himself so clearly as to enable his audience to see through his blind eyes and walk in his unsure feet.
Where the film succeeds in explaining Pena's spiritual journey, though, it fails in explaining exactly how throat singers make such an incredible - and initially ugly - sound. The tradition of khoomei represents the close ties Tuvans have with nature. The rhythm mimics the hoofbeats of galloping horses, and the varying notes in the upper register depict harmonies taken from natural sounds such as birdsongs. While singing, a single vocalist produces up to four notes simultaneously; a guttural bass drone and various harmonics in the upper register. These harmonics can vary in intensity by moving the lips, tongue, jaw, velum, and larynx. In Tuva, where throatsinging is everywhere, everyone picks it up. But it was surprising for the Tuvans to see an American singing... and singing well.
Originally released in 1999, Genghis Blues received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature, along with Buena Vista Social Club, another film chronicling a musical treasure hunt and the culture inherent in musical tradition. Though both nominees lost to One Day in September, they have similarly gone on to win many other awards, finding success at international festivals and through the sale of their eponymous soundtracks.
The soundtrack, Genghis Blues, includes original compositions by Paul Pena combining his own blues style with Tuvan throat music, and features special appearances by long-time friend and former throatsinging champion Kongar-ol Ondar.
