Heilo HCD 7136 (1999), Ånon Egeland. Issued in the U.S. as NorthSide NSD6037 (1999). Ånon Egeland, Ånon. Ånon Egeland is a much respected collector, researcher, and performer of Norwegian traditional music. He is heard here in his first solo album. A virtuoso on the Hardanger fiddle, Ånon also plays here fiddle, seljefløyte, traditional recorders, English guitar, and munnharpe, with the collaboration of associates on quite a few of the tracks. Four of the 23 tracks are munnharpe solos (and the instrument is listed for an ensemble track as well, but evidently only in a drone function). Ånon is also a master of the unique Norwegian munnharpe style. Much in evidence here are the mixture of tones with closed and open glottis, and the rhythms, in which plucking and phrasing contradict the beat to the extent that my non-Norwegian head spins! (For a little help, see the notation of "Nordafjells" in VIM 8, p. 48.) Incidentally, Ånon is a very gifted calligrapher; the CD's cover has his name magically transformed into a Viking ship.

NorthSide NSD6011 (1998). Tapani Varis, Jews Harp. The American issue of Kansanmusiikki-instituutti KICD 46, which I reviewed in VIM 6.

Tzadik TZ 7216. Makigami Koichi and Anton Bruhin, Electric Eel (1998). I would have said that there could be no avant garde in the trumping world, but this record is the exception that proves the rule. And, like so much consciously avant-garde music, it falls a bit short of its aspirations. Makigami's work is not without merit and interest, but the kinds of nontraditional vocal techniques he uses have been displayed with more impressive virtuosity and more compelling technique by Joan La Barbara, François Dufrène, Carlos Santos, and others, not to mention (with respect to the heavy breathing) in the traditional music of the Dorzé of Ethiopia and the Inuit of Hudson's Bay. Anton Bruhin plays a background or accompanying role, which probably keeps him from demonstrating the phenomenal art we are used to from him. I don't mean to say that the record is not valuable. It displays an excellent variety of the results that Bruhin draws from his E.T. (Electric Trump). There is much variety among the seven tracks. Tadagawa Leo, and excellent musician and trumpist in his own right, contributes to two tracks; one of these, no. 4, is a fine showcase for three trumps. Track 5 is evidently played on two very low-pitched Szilyágyi dorombs, whose sonorities are well demonstrated.

North American Jew's Harp Festival, 1997 Highlights (1997). Yeah, it's not the same as being there, but it's a great sample of what's heard. The 20 tracks were recorded live at the 6th annual Festival, at Richland, Oregon, August 15-17. There's a predominance of American country and traditional music, along with several improvisations and a little pop. There's no dull moment in this selection from the Festival's two and a half days of nonstop music. Several of the great trumpists are represented, including Larry Hanks, Bill Gohring (who played "Turkey in the Straw" for me, when I claimed that it couldn't be done on the trump-I had to publicly admit my error), and Gordon Frazier (brilliant on "Five Foot Two," unlikely though it might seem for a trump solo). The major revelation of the festival for me had been the playing of Jules DeGiulio, represented here by a wonderful improvisation that starts off easy, then turns into a riot of staccatissimo tones joined with a variety of longer tones; at a couple of points, things coalesced into very buzzy strains of (I think) "Turkey in the Straw" and "Rabbit in the Pea Patch." Another of my favorites is "Jew's Harp Bill," adapted by Janet and Bill Gohring from a 1930 recording. Order from The Jew’s Harp Guild www.jewsharpguild.org , or from www.zeelandnet.nl/paclax/jewsharp.

Nihon Koukin Kyoukai NKK002 (2000). Fedora Gogoleva, Albina Degtyaryova, and Olga Podluzhnaya, Summer is Coming. Texts in Sakha, Japanese, and English. This may be the best sample yet of the traditional musical arts of the Sakha people. The three performers are master practitioners of the Sakha vocal and khomus styles. Gogoleva is the daughter of one of the most distinguished of khomus makers; she is recognized as one of the great players. Degtyaryova is outstanding both as singer and khomusist; she teaches the instrument at the National Musical College in Yakutsk. Her student Podluzhnaya is of Ukranian ancestry, but has devoted herself to the culture of her native Yakutia. She was 13 when these recordings were made-her performance is another example of a worldwide phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries: teenagers who show fully adult technique, musicianship, and interpretive sophistication. Of the 25 tracks, ten are vocal solos or duets, nine are khomus solos, three khomus duos, and three combine voice and khomus in various ways. This disk is highly recommended for anyone who would like to gain some insight into Sakha khomus music through familiarity with the vocal styles. And it joins several others that provide great examples of khomus-playing itself. It may be ordered from Nihon Koukin Kyoukai, 1-12-24, Midorigaoka, Ageo, Saitama 362-0015, Japan.

Robert Zagretdinov, Vargan (1998). It is wonderful to have a broad sample of the art of Robert Zagretdinov, one of the premier trump virtuosos of our time, notable for the breadth of his repertory, styles, and techniques. Zagretdinov plays kubyz on all 30 tracks; the majority of these are traditional tunes from his native Bashkiria and many other parts of the world (British and American listeners will recognize two familiar tunes whose names have become lost in retranslation). Most of these have the accompaniment of a brilliant but anonymous button accordionist; often in fact, it is the accordion that has the melody, while Zagretdinov plays counterrhythms and -melodies. He also sings, sometimes with overtones. There is great variety here. Some pieces are at breakneck speed. Several are in minor; I have never been able to understand how the trump, which is solidly based in the major triad, can adapt perfectly to minor; maybe the accompaniment's chords take over. I readily confess, though, that my favorites are the six improvisations. These show Zagretdinov's technique and imagination in all their richness. All of them have titles: "The Universe" has electronics as background; "Morning" has recorded morning bird sounds; "Ufa-Moscow" is a train imitation, played on two kubyzes of Zagretdinov's own invention, first on an instrument with variable fundamental pitch, then on an electronic kubyz with continuous tone.

RecRec 985 000 12. Travels with a Trump. Anton Bruhin, the Jew's Harp Player. Original Soundtrack of Trümpi, a film by Iwan Schumacher (1999). By now, all the major trumpists I know of are rather well represented on CDs with the exception of the Americans, none of whom have more than a few selections. The present one is Anton Bruhin's second, not to count several on which he has a few tracks only. The record documents a trümpi trip around the world; variety is the word for it. On five tracks, Bruhin plays alone-these already show much variety; three are for his E.T. On ten others, he plays together with from one to six others. From Sakha/Yakutia, there are two solos by the major khomusists Spiridon Shishigin and Fedora Gogoleva, and one duo. The styles vary enormously, from the Alpine folk style, through Sakha improvisation, to the most avant-garde (no. 10, a duo with Tadagawa Leo, is . . . well, not pretty!). The whole is a marvelous sample of what's up in the trumping world today, with one of the all-time great players at the focal point.

ATS Records CD-0513. International Jew's Harp Festival/Internationales Maultrommelfestival, Molln, Austria '98. 2 CDs (1999). The prime revelation of the Third International Congress and Festival, held at Molln in June 1988, was of the vast variety of ways in which the trump is used today. Allied to this is the rapid internationalization of styles and techniques, as those indigenous to each area become adopted or adapted elsewhere. This double CD, with its well over two hours of music, attests to both the diversity and the cross-pollination that were displayed. In a small space, I can do no more than hint at the diversity. The set has samples of playing from 18 geographical units of North America, Europe, and Asia. Many of today's greatest players are represented. But there is marvelous work here by unknown or little-known trumpists. For example, a composed (as opposed to improvised) solo by Wayne Hankin of the USA, with spoken words simultaneous with the trumping, and the complete 18-minute brilliant performance by Bolot Bairyshev of Altai on trump, top-shur, and with a considerable repertory of different vocal styles. The set also provides a good introduction to traditional wind and string instruments of many peoples, and to many Asian vocal styles. For all this diversity, another CD is on the way with still more samples. The sound of this all-live recording is outstanding. The set comes with a detailed 20-page booklet in two copies, one in German and one in English.