You’re somewhere in a soaring state of mind, in a landscape of distant mirages and hovering summits – already at the outset, on track 1 of this CD from vocal artist and overtone singer Stuart Hinds. The track is “Midnight”, opening this set of nine pieces by this mystery monger of timbres…
Folks, I’ve never heard anything like this… I mean, I’ve listened to a lot of xöömej (khoomei) singing, and in my collections I even have tapes from a khoomei symposium in Kyzyl in Tuva – but Stuart Hinds’ way of adopting the khoomei singing is unique. It’s eastern, yet western – it’s ancient, yet modern! This means that it’s universal and timeless! That is much to say about any art form, but it’s easy to resort to such judgments when coming across the path of Stuart Hinds. Yet I think that he is an unpretentious person who just goes about his creative acts like any craftsman or artisan.
The calm and suspended – weightless – overtone singing of track 1 – “Midnight” – is accompanied by a synthesizer (I think…), in a Terry Riley sort of mood, with colors of golden and blue, reminding me a little of Riley’s CD “Songs for the Ten Voices of the Two Prophets” and the melodies (and songs) “Embroidery”, “Eastern Man” and “Chorale of the Blessed Day”, wherein Riley actually sings, after having studied Indian carnatic singing with master singer Pandit Pran Nath.

After this introduction follows some songs without accompaniment, wherein Hinds utilizes nothing but his voice. However, there are more than one melody sung simultaneously, which of course is characteristic of Tuvan and Mongolian khoomei, or any overtone singing. The basis for Stuart Hinds’ singing is the basic melody, the fundamental, out of which overtones rise, forming another melody which dances in a suspended swirl way above the fundamental melody, seemingly completely separated from it.
Now, the notable thing about Hinds’ exemplary adoption of this method of singing is how he counterpoints the soaring, dancing overtone melody with the fundamental melody line, and not least – and this amazes me a lot! – the ease with which he sings! I’ve never heard this before anywhere! Usually an overtone singer sounds really strained, even frustrated, on the brink of breaking down or just about to break out in coughs. Stuart Hinds, on the other hand, just fondles the melody (melodies!) ahead, seemingly with complete ease and even restfulness. This makes this khoomei very easy to listen to, and you even forget the circus-like exercises of the voice, and just loose yourself in the cathedral suspension of these flowering, meandering intarsias of timbral beauty.

Looking at the science of timbres, you find that each note has a fundamental tone and a set of overtones, which, for example, shape the recognizable characteristics and identities of different instruments, voices and so forth. Even the rivers and brooks of Swedish Lapland have their timbral identities, and when you hike in the rock deserts beneath the glaciers you hear this clearly as you move closer to some rivers or waterfalls, while you distance yourself from others; you move in shifting timbral environments!
An artist like Stuart Hinds has developed a magnificent skill in separating the overtones, making individual overtones stand out clearly; thereby having these heavenly, otherworldly melodies dance across the periphery of perception like mirages or

Another very pleasant characteristic of Hinds’ singing is that he never indulges in a way of singing which is aimed primarily at virtuoso vocal artistry, but that he always seems to put the work, the piece, the song itself up front; a discipline which not many would have in Hinds’ situation as a true master of the technique. That is why I judge him as being unpretentious earlier in this review, and I don’t even hesitate to use the word humble. This shows a true and uncorrupted artistry. I’m glad I came across this CD, which not only gives me musical joy, but also a spiritual uplifting!

Aah! Track 7 - “Goodbye Ravi” - is pure glass, pure crystal glass, breaking light in an array of radiant timbral colors! And aaah again! The last track - “Tuvan Groovin” - is a completely fantastic song in the style of indigenous Tuvan khoomei, but not accompanied by for example a khomuz lute, but by a synthesizer. It brings on an unbelievable elation! Hinds even gets so much in the groove here that he digs himself right down into growling kargiraa singing!

I do not know if there are any commercially available CDs out with Stuart Hinds, but if not, it’s due time for one! Since I’ve thought about some sound worlds on the CDs from ECM New Series while listening to this marvelous private collection of Hinds, I would think it very suiting if ECM Records would release a Stuart Hinds CD.