Black Eyes: Music of Kist Chechens from Pankisi Gorge, Georgia, by Lana Gunashashvili, Linda Gunashashvili, Leila Achishvili, Mansur Gaurgashvili, Nino Pareulidze

Black Eyes: Music of Kist Chechens from Pankisi Gorge, Georgia

by Lana Gunashashvili, Linda Gunashashvili, Leila Achishvili, Mansur Gaurgashvili, Nino Pareulidze

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1.	You changed so much \| მიელ ჭოღა ჰო ხიცაველა 02:12	buy track
2.	High in the mountains \| დო ლექჩუ ლომა 02:31	buy track
3.	Homeland song tune \| დაი მოახგან ეშარ 01:28	buy track
4.	Tamara (girl's name) \| თამარა 01:57	buy track
5.	Chechen boys \| ნოხჩი კენთი 01:52	buy track
6.	Black eyes (version 1) \| ერჟი ბარგაშ 1 01:22	buy track
7.	Tushetian song \| თუშური სიმღერა 02:10	buy track
8.	I can't help thinking of you \| აჰ სუე იეითუ ღილა ოილა 01:39	buy track
9.	Love song tune \| ბიუზამ ბახნა 01:13	buy track
10.	Your eyes \| ი ჰა ბერგაშ 01:40	buy track
11.	I miss you \| სე საგათლო ჰოხ 01:38	buy track
12.	You, Alazani (river's name) \| შენ ალაზანო 02:29	buy track
13.	Lale (version 1) \| ლალე 1 01:05	buy track
14.	Shining Sun \| ჰეი დიედა დაშუ მალზ 01:26	buy track
15.	Black eyes (version 2) \| ერჟი ბარგაშ 2 00:56	buy track
16.	Unusual voice \| ხმა უცნაური 01:47	buy track
17.	Malika (girl's name) \| მალიქა 01:12	buy track
18.	Sometimes in my thoughts \| ნაგაჰ სან ოილანუო 01:23	buy track
19.	Lale (version 2) \| ლალე 2 02:17	buy track
20.	Host ang guest \| სტუმარ-მასპინძელი 02:02	buy track
21.	Set of Chechen tunes \| ნოხჩიინ პოპური 03:11	buy track

about

Music of Kist Chechens from Pankisi Gorge, Georgia.

Kists are subethnos of Chechens who live in Pankisi Gorge at the foot of Great Caucasus range, Akhmeta district, Kakheti region, Georgia. This is the place where Alazani river enters the plain. Core Chechnya lies just behind the range. In Pankisi there are some 10 Kist villages and approximately 9000 people in total.

This album presents local folk music as performed by younger generation with some support from elders. Songs lyrics are both in Chechen ang Gerogian and musical instruments are panduri (of Georgian origin) and balalaika (of Russian origin).

Lana and Linda are twins from a family of 6 children. They usually sing together, however during main recording session Linda had sore throat, so Lana played and sang alone then.

Mansur is a unique musician. He restored and studied to play his old balalaika himself. Being left-handed, he turned the instrument for left hand but did not rearrange the strings.

Therefore, he plays the balalaika upside down. Same way as famous blues woman Elizabeth Cotten played her guitar. And Mansur did not know about her, of course.

Original track titles in either Chechen or Georgian are written in Georgian alphabet as provided by the performers. Tracks are:
in Chechen (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 18)
in Georgian (7, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20)
in both Georgian and Chechen (4)
instrumental (3, 9, 14, 17, 21)

On album cover:
upper photo from left to right: Lana, Linda.
lower photo: Mansur.

Lana Gunashashvili: vocal and balalaika (1, 7, 16), vocal and panduri (2, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 19), vocal (4, 6, 13), back vocal (11)
Linda Gunashashvili: vocal (11), back vocal (1, 4, 6, 7, 13, 16)
Leila Achishvili: vocal (20), back vocal (1, 4, 6, 7, 13, 16)
Mansur Gaurgashvili: balalaika (3, 9, 14, 17, 20, 21)
Nino Pareulidze: back vocal (20)

Recorded in:
Jokolo, at Leila home, 4 November 2017, trio Lana, Linda, Leila.
Birkiani, at Lana and Linda home, 3 March 2018, Lana solo.
Kvemo Khalatsani, at Mansur home, 3 March 2018, Mansur solo and trio Leila, Nino and Mansur.