The Gurtu Monks
The Gurtu Monks
London and the West Country, UK
World/Reggae
|
Join the Mailing List |
Welcome to Gurtu monks.
Here is more information, by our Ben Temple, our Friend. But Remember! Sing with Monk!
The Gurtu Monks
Updates
We now have own website ! It is www.Gurtus.com - please visit
....................................................................................................................................
The Gurtu Monks is a vocal grouping that is pioneering the unusual "Gurtu Style" of chanting. "Gurtu Style" chanting is a highly individual technique that places less emphasis on harmony and structure than on the idea that the chant will express the moment as an experience by the group, hence the songs or chants are titled by mood or location.
Gurtu Monk vocalists take turns at leading different sections of a chant hence the sometimes rambling and unorthodox song structures. A Gurtu chant is only normally possible when there are at least 9 and not more than 13 vocalists. The chants sound strange to untrained ears, as harmony is rarely a feature, indeed, many songs are intentionally discordant. Singers are rarely chosen for their ability to sing in tune, rather than their enthusiasm and willingness to master the many strange vocal inflections that are a key part of the Gurtu style.
A special CD featuring chants that demonstrate this, "The Disharmonious Gurtu Monks", was proposed but never came to fruition. Earlier in the decade there was debate within the group about the type of chanting permissible within the "Gurtu Style of Chanting" which led the Gurtu Monks to collaborations with musicians in the U.K. West Country, where they currently reside.
Unusually, during collaborations they insist that the other musicians involved also join the chanting. In one famous case, only two of the Monks remained in the final mix, the other chants being provided by a session drummer, the engineer and a bass player recording in the next door studio. ("The Gurtu Monks and The Easy Day")
The Gurtu Monks are currently not available for one-off engagements, due to recording commitments. To contact the Gurtu Monks, either email here, or contact Ben Temple at www.BenTemple.com
Their new CD: "Songs of the Gurtu Monks, by the Gurtu Monks" will be available in May 2008.
.........................................................................
Here is more information, by our Ben Temple, our Friend. But Remember! Sing with Monk!
The Gurtu Monks
Updates
We now have own website ! It is www.Gurtus.com - please visit
....................................................................................................................................
The Gurtu Monks is a vocal grouping that is pioneering the unusual "Gurtu Style" of chanting. "Gurtu Style" chanting is a highly individual technique that places less emphasis on harmony and structure than on the idea that the chant will express the moment as an experience by the group, hence the songs or chants are titled by mood or location.
Gurtu Monk vocalists take turns at leading different sections of a chant hence the sometimes rambling and unorthodox song structures. A Gurtu chant is only normally possible when there are at least 9 and not more than 13 vocalists. The chants sound strange to untrained ears, as harmony is rarely a feature, indeed, many songs are intentionally discordant. Singers are rarely chosen for their ability to sing in tune, rather than their enthusiasm and willingness to master the many strange vocal inflections that are a key part of the Gurtu style.
A special CD featuring chants that demonstrate this, "The Disharmonious Gurtu Monks", was proposed but never came to fruition. Earlier in the decade there was debate within the group about the type of chanting permissible within the "Gurtu Style of Chanting" which led the Gurtu Monks to collaborations with musicians in the U.K. West Country, where they currently reside.
Unusually, during collaborations they insist that the other musicians involved also join the chanting. In one famous case, only two of the Monks remained in the final mix, the other chants being provided by a session drummer, the engineer and a bass player recording in the next door studio. ("The Gurtu Monks and The Easy Day")
The Gurtu Monks are currently not available for one-off engagements, due to recording commitments. To contact the Gurtu Monks, either email here, or contact Ben Temple at www.BenTemple.com
Their new CD: "Songs of the Gurtu Monks, by the Gurtu Monks" will be available in May 2008.
.........................................................................
This artist recommends
Contests/Events
