One of my favorite tracks from Ajinai's latest album, Synthesis. Ajinai is a Beijing-based folk rock group with members hailing from Inner Mongolia. While the instrumentation of traditional Mongolian music plays a huge role in their sound, at their heart they are musical innovators, eager to absorb influences from all genres and "synthesize" them into their unique sonic landscapes.

Album available for purchase at tea-horse.com

Ajinai - I Walk Alone

Studio quality recordings of traditional Yi mouth harp and vocal music played by master Yi musician Edi Rihuo from Liangshan, in Sichuan Province. Yi mouth harp music is perhaps unique in the world because it is performed on mouth harps with multiple flanges, allowing players to play up to 5 distinct fundamental tones. When combined Yi rhythmic sensibilities the result is a hypnotic trance-like music. 

Edi Rihuo - Butuo County Tune - 4-leaf copper mouth harp

Zhou Chao is known as the Guitar Sage in China. A master of both acoustic and electric guitar, he is best known for his solo improvisations.

For more information visit the Tea Horse blog: 
http://tea-horse.com/blogs/news/84196932-zhou-chao-chinas-guitar-sage

Zhou Chao - Overturn

This is the one song I wrote that we ended up recording as the Randy Abel Stable. We were active on the Beijing music scene and on the China festival circuit from 2011 through 2014. We still do a show now and again, but with band members spread all across China it ain't easy.

http://randyabelstable.bandcamp.com/

This Old Town

Another bluegrass outfit I've worked with in China is the Ring Road Ramblers, which was originally a 3-piece with guitar, banjo, and mandolin. After our banjo player left Beijing we had a hiatus for a few years, but got going again in Spring 2015 with a fiddle player who has more of an old-time background.

Joshua Dyer

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