The Kyrgyz Chronicles - Meeting Cotton Eye Joe in Kyrgyzstan!

The Opera House in Bishkek

You know the Cotton Eye Joe song, come on now! I never thought that I would hear that kind of music in concert... Anywhere! But lo and behold, thanks to the US Airbase in Kyrgyzstan, we were exposed to the inner workings of a Kentucky-based band called the Red State Ramblers, all the way here in Bishkek!

Fortunately though, the show stoppers were students from the Aga Khan Music Initiative's "Ustatshakirt" - meaning teacher-student - exactly as it sounds! I suggest you hit play and hear the music for yourself, instead of me trying to explain it.



As for the Ramblers... well the name does say it all now doesn't it?



Ustatshakirt was where it was at though. They were true entertainers! I have no idea what this instrument was, but it's something tiny with a string attached. But transforming the robotic sounds into beautiful melody -- that's all by the players!



So, not surprisingly, the ramblings of the red state were quite tiresome, but the refreshing sounds of Ustatshakirt playing local Kyrgyz music just blew the audience away. The Ramblers did resurrect themselves a little by managing a decent collaboration. I have to admit, I had NEVER imagined I would hear the Kyrgyz musical instrument, kunz, played along with the southern banjo/guitar thing. Collectively, it was quite memorable. And really goes to show that at the bottom of it all, there are always cultural connections. You just have to look a little deeper. Maybe we can all learn to go beyond our biases... (Afshan!)

So I suppose in the end, my second trip out of "hermitude" was also successful! It really is fun being a hermit in a place where you go watch concerts and operas when you're bored!:) Kudos to Bishkek for that!