Chö (Remaster) Choying Drolma & Steve Tibbetts

• 1Ngakso01:15
• 2Kyema Mimin03:14
• 3Kyamdro Semkye03:15
• 4Ngani Tröma Pt. 102:19
• 5Ngani Tröma Pt. 202:42
• 6Chö Chendren03:39
• 7Kangyi Tengi06:31
• 8Ney Ogmin Chöying Podrang02:28
• 9Shengshik Pema Jungney05:28
• 10Om Pana Phem04:29
• 11Leymön Tendrel 103:28
• 12Leymön Tendrel 202:26
• 13Nubchok Dechen02:14
• 14Senge Wangchuk02:31
• 15Dechen Monlam00:57
• 16Tal02:31
• Total Runtime49:27

Info for Chö (Remaster)

At the heart of Tibetan Buddhism is a unique combination of altruism and indestructible self-confidence, and this union is clearly embodied in the religious songs and music of its practitioners. For Choying Drolma and the nuns of Nagi Gompa, a Buddhist nunnery in the foothills of the Himalayas, the songs they sing have been passed down in an unbroken living tradition for hundreds of years.

In 1994, guitarist Steve Tibbetts visited their remote monastery to record their music, which he later framed with elegant and restrained arrangements to create the stunning collaboration that is Cho. Embodying the meditative qualities of the more familiar Gregorian chants, the nuns' otherworldly voices strike the heart and soul with a transcendent beauty that could convince even the most cynical listener of the oneness of the universe.

Choying Drolma and the Nagi Nunnery Foundation sing songs and invocations of the Cho ('cutting') teachings based on the Prajnaparamita practices established by siddha Padampa Sangye and Machik Labdron. The delicate filigree of chants and supplications is beautifully and sparsely adorned by Tibbetts's treated guitars, percussion, and effects to create an otherworldly experience so alluring in its fragility it is easy to forget the strength of purpose behind these messages of generosity, loving kindness, and compassion through release of the ego. Far beyond the often superficial 'new age,' Cho is so rich in contemplation and spirituality that even a cursory listen can hardly fail to evoke a beneficial response, and this glorious tapestry of sound alone is enough homage to its 1,100-year legacy. --Derek Rath

“Over the past few years, the music of Tibetan monks has gained a massive audience, with Western listeners finding refuge from the rat race in the chants and songs of the East. Those same medicinal properties are at the core of this breathtaking collaboration between veteran Minneapolis guitar wizard Steve Tibbetts and Chöying Drolma, a Buddhist nun whom Tibbetts met and recorded at a small monastery in Nepal. When Tibbetts returned home with the tape of Drolma’s supernatural vocals he added some instruments to the songs and sent the tape back to the nunnery as a gift, and to Rykodisc and Hannibal Records, who decided to release it. The result is “Chö” (English translation: “cutting”), a beautiful pastiche of celestial songs that evokes a tenderness, optimism and appetite for life that cuts through in any language. Tibbetts’ understated instrumentation nicely complement the nuns’ disciplined chants, to the point where it sounds as if they’ve been collaborating forever.” (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Steve Tibbetts, guitars, bouzouki, percussion, turntables
Betsy Meyer, cello
Harriet Irwin, cello
Greg Wallace, double bass, bata drum
Jim Anton, electric bass
Kestrel Schwaiger, english horn
Marc Andersson, percussion
Nagi Nunnery Foundation
Marlies Theobald, viola da gamba
Doug Ross, viola
Caton Roberts, violin
Jesse Heffernan, violin
Choying Drolma, voice
Deki Chodron, voice
Delek Yongdzom, voice
Kabcho Drolma, voice
Karma Chotso, voice
Lodro Zangmo, voice
Rhea Valentine, voice
Sonam Drolma, voice
Tsering Chodron, voice
Yeshe Zangmo, voice

Engineered by Steve Tibbetts
Mastered by Dr. Toby Mountain
Produced by Steve Tibbetts

Digitally remastered

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