il Troubadore

Just found a few copies of Il Troubadore Klingon Music Project's "Louisville Invasion" bootleg from 2011. Live tracks from our appearances at Conglomeration Science Fiction Convention (2011) and "Star Trek: The Exhibition" which was at the Louisville Science Center (May 2011)!

Right before The Global Cello: Asian Fiddles presentation/demonstration started a young kid wandered in and asked what I was doing. I explained that I was getting ready for a presentation on Asian fiddles. He was fascinated by the instruments and kept asking what they were and if he could bring them, one-by-one, to show his friends.

His friends kept asking him where he was getting these instruments and he kept telling them they were from his inventory! 😂

He was especially excited to learn that the Kamanche was from Iran because he said one of his friends was from Iran! Not long after, he brought the three friends to the Artist studio and many questions ensued--mainly where the instruments were from and if they could touch and play them.

In between some of the most glorious avant garde Asian fiddling (and percussion since I had drums and gongs in the room) they would ask me to demonstrate one instrument or other--then the cacophony would resume. That lasted into what was supposed to be my presentation and I was just fine with that.

After they left, I went on with the presentation as intended (pics below are from that)--about 25 minutes later than intended, and to a now empty room. 🤣

Instruments in the photos from top to bottom, left to right:

Morin Khuur (Mongolia)
Dombra* (Kazakhstan)
Saw U (Thailand)
Kamanche (Iran)
Sarangi** (Nepal)
Erhu (China)
Saw Duang (Thailand)

I'll post the setlist later.
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*I know that the dombra isn't technically a bowed fiddle, but interestingly there is a long tradition of turning long neck lutes into bowed stringed instruments (e.g. the Satar in Xinjiang; Yayli Tanbur in Turkey) and I discussed that (though didn't demonstrate bowing it).

**My Nepalese Sarangi isn't exactly playable currently--I still have a lot of work to do to restore it to usable condition.