Last Sunday afternoon, we went to Paul Pena's memorial concert. I first heard throatsinging on the Tangents radio show, just before the movie "Genghis Blues" came out. I couldn't figure out what I was hearing, so of course I called in. The show's host, Dore Stein, told me to keep an eye out for the movie, since I loved the incredible overtones created by Tuvan singing. Dore has introduced me to many unusual artists, including Bela Fleck, the sometimes jazz/sometimes bluegrass/crossover banjo player. You can listen to Tangents online.

Seeing Genghis Blues was one of those incredible moments, when a story that is being told is EXACTLY the story that you NEED to hear. The people are real people, like folks you know, and their adventure is one that you can imagine having yourself. We took a number of people to see the movie on different occasions, and I still feel I'd like to see it again.

Looking around the crowd at the memorial, I wondered how each of them had been touched by Paul Pena's story. I wished that there could be time for random people to stand up and say something. The music, poetry and speeches that we did here were all performed from the heart. The most amazing and strangly beautiful music, to me, was the performance on didjeridu by Stephen Kent. I have heard him on the radio, but to see him perform took the enjoyment up many notches. The cycle breathing, where he breathes in through his nose and out through his mouth at the same time, is something to see. He sort of danced as he played, keeping his body completely relaxed despite the amount of power and strength that he must need to play.

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