A week of music making with wonderful Bhutanese guitarist/singer/songwriter Tshering Dorji culminated this weekend with a concert here in Thimphu, and an appearance together on Bhutan's national TV (BBS) entertainment program "Spotlight".
I actually met Tshering on my very first night here in Bhutan. That night, my school administrator, Rinchen, and fellow music teacher Masayuki took me to my first dinner in Bhutan to a restaurant in town called "Hotel Tandin" where I was introduced not only to Tshering but two other important companions for my life here in Thimphu (Sherab and Lama Shenphen Zangpo). That night I learned about the activities at Deer Park Thimphu: A Centre for Art and Contemplation and this buddhist learning and community center has not only been a great source of learning and discovery for me in terms of buddhism but it has also provided a community of friends, both Bhutanese and international.
The following tuesday, I went to meditation class, and there I was approached by Tshering who said that he also "plays a little bit of guitar" and was wondering whether i'd like to jam sometime. I must admit I hesitantly gave him my number. Perhaps all the years in the US, being approached from time to time by musicians who wanted to jam, and having to develop a little bit of a guarded attitude to protect my time...that in itself is a topic for a whole different conversation.*** And yet I thought to myself why not? Really, why not? Why not say yes. Anyway, not much time passed and we decided to get together, and when I heard his music, I was thrilled that I had said yes. Tshering's songs have beautiful melodies, an integrity of structure and harmony that characterizes only the best of songs, and he himself is a sensitive and wonderfully skilled guitarist and singer. Only later did I find out, that Tshering is one of the most well respected contemporary musicians in Bhutan, admired by many, including up and coming musicians (though he's only 27) and his debut album "Kolors" was immensely successful here.
So we began to work on his songs. And what a joy it has been. I think what we discovered is that the collaboration with our particular instrumentation and the background and particular style of playing that I bring gave his songs a different direction, not necessarily better than the original, but different and fresh.
Our first opportunity to perform together in public was one of the most memorable performances of my life. Towards the end of November, as three extraordinary days of teaching by a remarkable buddhist master, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, came to a close, we were asked by Deer Park to present a musical offering of thanks to Rinpoche on behalf of the Deer Park community. So there we were performing a traditional Bhutanese song that Tshering had arranged in front of hundreds of Bhutanese who had come to attend the teaching and in front of Rinpoche himself. It was a privilege, an honor, and most of all a truly moving experience. Personally, I had been so moved by the three days and by the presence and energy of this master teacher and so coming to it, I was already quite charged emotionally. The feeling in the room, the listening going on, had a quality to it that was different from any other kind of listening and feeling that I had experienced previously as a performer. It's like the music had more meaning to the listeners than I have previously experienced. Or put another way, it was about much more than the music. Music was a vehicle to express gratitude. And as a performer I could feel the intensity of the moment, not only because of the audience, but because I was also saying a deep heartfelt thanks to Rinpoche through the music, and speaking not just for myself but for everyone else in the room. The feedback that we received in the following days and weeks (i've often been approached by people I don't know who were there and recognized me) indicated that my impressions were shared by others, and that indeed countless people had been moved by the experience, and by such a unique type of offering.
Yesterday we performed together at the Centennial Music Concert Series. This is a concert series organized by the radio station and my show on it, and i'm helping them organize the first concert series in Bhutan!!! This month's performance was the third installment. And though the turnout was a little bit smaller than I had anticipated, we had a great time sharing our music with the listeners, who were very appreciative.
Earlier this week, ahead of our performance together at Centennial, I had Tshering on "Deep Listening" my weekly radio show, as my hour long feature guest. We discussed and listened to his music, talked about his creative process, his life and the nature of Bhutan's music industry and conditions for artists and musicians here. We had so much fun together and I believe it made for some good radio!
Today, Tshering Dorji and I were featured on "Spotlight" the music program on Bhutan Broadcast Service (National TV). We performed four songs and were interviewed, and the show will be broadcasted in a few weeks. We had a great time together, were very pleased with how it went and the very popular host, Namgay Zam, did a fantastic job with the program.
Realizing that our collaboration is a kind of "first" in the music world of Bhutan it's exciting to know that the program and our music will be aired all over the country, and it's very possible that even in very remote villages, in areas that I will probably never get to visit, people might watch and enjoy our music. That is gratifying.
Looking forward to more playing with Tshering, both publicly and informally, in the very near future!!!
Noam
***Small footnote then: one of the problems that I felt as an artist in the US, was the constant worry about money, making ends meet, which in turn then leads to a fierce need to protect my time...after all i'm already spending much of my time on activities that are not my highest priority and yet must be done in order to make a living, and therefore there appears to be less room for generosity, and also things often end up calculated in terms of financial return. After all one needs to pay rent. Well, here in Bhutan, making a salary that is extremely modest by US standards, and yet having no financial worries at all, I suddenly find myself able to do all sorts of things without worrying about money. When people ask for music lessons, but cannot afford to pay, if I have the time to do it, I give lessons. I have volunteered my time as a radio show host, and for my performances at Centennial Radio, because I know that they need the funds to help support their station, and really since i'm ok financially, and love music and playing music, getting paid doesn't matter as much. When I don't have to worry about money, I find that I have much more room to give and not want anything in return. Something to ponder I guess about the way our society back in the West is structured, and what financial problems do to peoples' attitudes and to their hearts.
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