Balkankan
BALKANKAN is a recently-formed local band that performs at various events playing Macedonian and Serbian music throughout New England. With the sounds of the “Kolo”, “Oro” and “Cocek”, they will bring you for a moment to the hilly Balkan party ambiance.
Baščaršija
Baščaršija is a group of “young enthusiasts” with a great love for music, who came together as a band several months ago. For tonight, they have chosen a group of sevdalinke (“songs of love”, from the word sevdah, “love”) to represent authentic Bosnian music.
Beth Bahia Cohen
BETH BAHIA COHEN is of Syrian Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish heritage. Inspired at a young age by the sounds she heard at family gatherings, she later studied with master musicians from Hungary, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East. She currently performs with several groups including Ziyiá and Orkestra Keyif. Beth has been performing solo concerts called “The Art of the Bow” and has a new solo CD called “Weaving the Worlds”. For more information or bookings, contact Beth at <beth_AT_bethbahiacohen_DOT_com>.
Bez Granica
Bez Granica (“without borders”, “without limits”) – Created by friends and family, the all-star cast includes current and former members of Zlatne Uste, BamCo, Xopo, and other well known Balkan bands. Drawing from the Rom Brass repertoire of the Balkans, you will find this an engaging musical and dance experience that moves you beyond your current limits. Contact Laine Harris at (203) 288-9295.
Divi Zheni
DIVI ZHENI (“Wild Women”) is a women’s Bulgarian chorus and band none of whose members come from Bulgaria–except for director Tatiana Sarbinska, Bulgarian folk singer and teacher extraordinaire. Formed in 2000, Divi Zheni has performed concert and dance music–ranging from traditional village style to choral arrangements–at festivals, concerts, and dances in the Boston area, Connecticut, New York, and Bulgaria. More information.
We welcome new members. If you are not quite ready to join the chorus, you can take lessons with Tatiana to learn singing technique. If there is enough interest, a class might be arranged. Contact: Tatiana at
Družina
Družina (“a group of friends”) plays a high-energy blend of dance music from the Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, and Romany traditions, incoporating both new compositons and time-honored Balkan favorites in its repertoire. Melinda Fields (accordion), Gordana Strouch (vocals), Rumiana Kovacheva (tambura), Helen Marx (percussion), Joe Blumenthal (bass). www.myspace.com/druzinadancemusic
The Gogofski Trio
The GOGOFSKI TRIO is Dave Golber (clarinet), Henry Goldberg (drums), and Melinda Fields (accordion). We do gutsy music from the Republic of Macedonia and thereabouts. We prefer to play out on the floor with the dancers, rather than up there on the stage. Contact Dave Golber, <dgolber_AT_aol_DOT_com>,
Grachanitsa
GRACHANITSA is a Boston-based group exploring rich Serbian folk dance and music heritage. It has become known throughout the Northeast for its original choreographies, elaborate costumes, polished style, and attention to detail. Grachanitsa is directed by George Koldzich, formerly a soloist with the Krsmanovich National Folk Dance Ensemble in Belgrade. Tonight, Grachanitsa will present you Gnyilane, the Serbian Wedding Dance from Kosovo. For more info, visit www.gracanica-boston.org.
Harris Bros. Band
HARRIS BROS. BAND – Tight Harmonies, driving rhythm, and inventive arrangements - the brothers are expressing themselves in Balkan, Roma style. For bookings contact Drew Harris
Horo Na Pesen
The phrase “HORO NA PESEN” describes a Bulgarian village tradition of dancing to a song, rather than to instrumental music. Traditionally there are two small, tight groups of singers; at Balkan Music Night we stretch the definition a bit, inviting EVERYBODY to join in the singing (“the band is Us!”) and sometimes having instruments accompany the singers.
Get a head start on learning the songs! Words and music to “Otišla je Dojna”, and Words and music to “Domakine”.
Hye Fusion
HYE FUSION is an American born trio of well seasoned musicians who perform the music of all of the Middle East, resulting in a dynamic synergy of melodies and rhythms, ranging from classical to folk, employing current and traditional instrumentation. Tonight Malcolm Barsamian (oud, clarinet, saxophone); Harry Bedrossian (oud, keyboard); Charles Dermenjian (darbuka) will play Turkish music. Contact:
Jeni Jol
Jeni Jol (“New Path”) is based in both Boston and NYC and plays mostly Turkish Romany music, as well as Turkish-influenced Macedonian urban music called čalgija. Led by Tev Stevig on cümbüş, the group’s other performers at Balkan Night are Greg Squared and Alec Spiegelman on clarinets, Joe Kessler on violin, Sam Duchenne on trumpet, Kendall Eddy on upright bass, with both David Andrew Moore and Eric Peterson on percussion. For info and bookings, contact Tev Stevig at <tstevig_AT_hotmail_DOT_com>.
Mladost
Mladost Folk Ensemble will take you on tour to the corners of the earth. Join us in an exploration of the different cultures and ethnicities of the world, learning of each through song and dance. The members of Mladost draw their inspiration from the life of Conny Taylor, co-founder of Boston’s Folk Arts Center of New England, and their dances from folk dance experts around the world, combining both in extraordinary performances selected for their style, footwork, and presentation. Look for Mladost in performance or contact us to have us appear at your event!
Nateli
NATELI (“candle light”) is a mixed community choir in Boston that sings unaccompanied songs from the Republic of Georgia. Georgians have sung in their own styles of harmony and polyphony for a thousand years. The tradition includes Orthodox Christian hymns, pagan hymns, work songs, love songs, ballads, dances, and songs to toast an occasion. The songs are in the Georgian language.
For more information, contact <dgillman_AT_alum.mit_DOT_net>.
Pajdaši
PAJDAŠI (“buddies, friends”) is a Boston-based group of musicians who have come together to share the joy of learning and performing Croatian village and popular folk songs, as well as dance tunes. They will warm up your heart with a drmeš or a polka and will touch your soul with wistful ballads. Always ready for that beat, Pajdaši have a great time with great music and with each other! For more information about Pajdaši, contact Ksenija at <xeniaxmar_AT_yahoo_DOT_com>.
Poludaktulos Orchestra
The “Many-Fingered Orchestra” employs unique instrumentation in their lively performances of Northern Greek brass band music. Guitarist and band leader Tev Stevig formed the group to expand the role of guitar in Balkan music and to counteract the current lack of Balkan brass bands in the Boston area. His particular focus in this project is translating Greek clarinet styles and motifs to the electric guitar. By bringing together a diverse cast of professional musicians with varied backgrounds, the Poludaktulos Orchestra aims to bring a fresh perspective to Balkan brass music. For info and bookings, contact Tev Stevig at <tstevig_AT_hotmail_DOT_com>.
Rakiya
RAKIYA is named for the fiery fruit brandy which is popular in the Balkans, and mentioned in many songs. Though it is sold in stores, the best rakiya is home-made, and this particular batch was brewed secretly in a cold, dark basement in Brighton. Rakiya plays Rom and Balkan songs and dance tunes. Rakiya consists of Dean Brown (drums, dumbek), Colin Ferguson (keyboard, accordion, dumbek), Dave Golber (clarinet), Heather Lee (vocals), Alan Mattes (sax), Tim McNerney (bass), Tev Stevig (guitar, cümbüs), and Patrick Yacono (clarinet, vocals, keyboard). For more information, see www.rakiya.com; contact Rakiya at <ddeanbrown_AT_comcast_DOT_net>.
Shining Moon
SHINING MOON is a group of musicians from the Boston area playing and singing some of their favorite tunes from the Balkans and beyond. They are also performers with other local groups. Members are Dean Brown, Colin Ferguson, Heather Lee, Dana Sussman, David Traugot, Brian Wilson, and Patrick Yacono. Contact: Dean Brown at <ddeanbrown_AT_comcast_DOT_net>.
Skordaliá
(Skor · da · liá) n. 1. A zesty garlic dip. 2. A zesty Greek band. Iosif Tezakis (oud, guitar), Konstantinos Lampros (sandouri), Kimon Hiatzis (accordion), Elizabeth Kyriakoglou (violin), and Benan Simsek (percussion) bring you a lively mixture of dance tunes from the Greek islands and Asia Minor. Visit us on the web at www.zestygreekmusic.com.
Trei Arcusi
Trei Arcusi, with Miamon Miller (violin), Becky Ashenden (bass & santuri) and Chuck Corman (kontra & guitar) plays the folk music of the Carpathian Mountains and Greece. From Romanian învîrtitas to the dance cycles of the Hungarian tánzház, Trei Arcusi is delighted to bring their Transylvanian village music to the Balkan Night festivities.
Contact Miamon Miller at: <miamon_AT_sover_DOT_net>.
Turgay Ertürk & Friends
TURGAY ERTÜRK was born and raised in Ürgüp, a small town in Central Anatolia, Cappadocia, Turkey. He started playing saz (baglama) at the age of fifteen. A master saz player and singer, he performs Turkish village music for listening, dancing and entertainment. He also plays ud, yayli (bowed) tanbur, and kemenche for Turkish classical (Ottoman) and urban folk music. His debut CD, “Turkish Village Music with Saz”, is available tonight at the Folk Arts Center table. For information or bookings e-mail <turgay_erturk_AT_hotmail_DOT_com>.
Turli Tava
TURLI TAVA takes its name from the meat and vegetable stew, the Macedonian gumbo, that accordionist/ vocalist Sasho Dukovski ate back home in Bitola. Through that city, along the ancient trade road called the Via Egnatia, history brought waves of travelers and settlers to make the unique cultural blend of Macedonia; the mix that is reflected in Turli Tava’s repertoire. The musicians in the group have been playing for Macedonian communities in North America and overseas for decades. Turli Tava plays the music of all regions of Macedonia, as well as neighboring Balkan countries, and has a repertoire that includes the old-time Macedonian sound as well as new.
Bitola born Sasho Dukovski (accordion/keyboard/vocals) first learned Macedonian music at the knee of his grandfather, a traditional clarinetist, and from his parents, both professional singers in Europe and the US. Sasho’s father’s family is from Bitola and his mother’s family was from Aegean Macedonian. From age seven, he lived in two worlds – Cleveland and Bitola – and soon was performing in both. He graduated from Bitola’s music school and is a veteran of the five-night-a-week hotel and restaurant gigs, weddings, military send-offs, and other private parties that, on a good night, fill Bitola and the surrounding villages with music. He has played with Heraklea, Elita, Pelagoniski Biseri, and many other well known Macedonian groups and also accompanied the vocal duo Selimova/Zhelcheski, Zoran Josifovski, and clarinetist Slave Naumovski.
While still in high school, Sasho began playing with Turli Tava’s clarinetist, Walt “Vlado” Mahovlich (clarinet/sax/gajda), an accomplished multi-instrumentalist in a variety of Eastern European styles and also currently leads the East European folk group Harmonia. Vlado has played for Macedonian and other East European communities since his teenage years. He began playing clarinet originally with traditional musicians who immigrated from the Lake Prespa region of southwest Macedonia. Early on he seriously studied and began playing the music of the old time Macedonian master clarinetists, particularly the late Kime Nachoff. In the 1970’s he was performing with such noted old-timers as Paul “Spaso” Vangeloff and Chris Athans. He has appeared on concert stages throughout North America and Europe, including performances the Smithsonian’s 1976 bicentennial Festival of American Folklife, Smotra Folklora in Zagreb and at festivals in Sofia and Zlanitite Piasotsi in Bulgaria. He has also frequently taught Macedonian clarinet at the summer workshops of All that said, Vlado is really in his element playing for dancing late night at Macedonian weddings and vecherinki.
A Roma born to a singer mother and a folk dancer father in Prilep, Macedonia, Seido Salifoski has played tarabuka and tapan for over 30 years. With his extensive experience playing Turkish, Greek, Balkan, and Middle Eastern percussion combined with flare of jazz from studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, his unique virtuosity has set him apart from the pack worldwide. Seido has played extensively for Macedonian, Roma, Albanian and other community weddings and events. He has played with such notable artists as Tarkan, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, and Ivo Papazov. He’s played extensively in Middle Eastern and Balkan Nightclubs in the New York area as well as being an influential mainstay of the downtown Balkan Jazz movement. Among many other projects, Seido leads his own ensemble, Romski Boji.
Turli Tava’s music is strongly rooted in Macedonian dance traditions; it’s filled with the energy and creative surprise. Rooted, free yet traditional – Turli Tava is bonafide Balkan gumbo!
For further information about Turli Tava contact Walt Mahovlich, 216/288-8727,
Xopo
Xopo loves playing music for people to dance to and doesn’t hesitate to cross state lines to do so. The band enjoys covering different regional styles during a night’s dance, but for BN ’08 we will focus on Bulgarian dances. Becky Ashenden plays accordion, Anna Patton plays clarinet, Miamon Miller plays fiddle, Chuck Corman plays tambura, and Joe Blumenthal plays bass.
The group derives its name from the XOPO (horo) record label from which we learned many of our favorite Bulgarian dances.
Zdravets
ZDRAVETS, Boston’s friendly neighborhood Balkan band, has been performing at concerts, dances, festivals, parties, etc. (including radio and television in Bulgaria) since 1989. Most of its repertoire of traditional dance music and unaccompanied singing is from Bulgaria, with occasional forays into neighboring countries. Zdravets holds a monthly Saturday dance party and concert in Arlington, MA. For more information, bookings, or to be placed on Zdravets’s mailing list, visit their website: www.zdravets.com, e-mail <zdravets.music_AT_gmail_DOT_com>, or call 617/964-2003.
Zhok Therapy
Zhok Therapy is the “unruly alter-ego” of the Casco Bay Tummlers, a klezmer band that has been performing in Maine and around the world for over fifteen years. We love to take musical elements from the Middle East, the Balkans, and eastern Europe as starting points for danceable improvisations and arrangements that range from reflective to rowdy.
The band is Carl Dimow (flutes and guitars), Julie Goell (bass and vocals), Steve Gruverman (clarinet and sax), and Hayes Porterfield (percussion). This year we’ve added a great trumpet player to the line-up, Mark Tipton.
As the Tummlers, the band has recorded three CDs: from the mists of time, “Klezmer Music”, “Jumpin’ Jewpiter” released after the band’s 2000 tour to Lithuania, and the recently released “Journey”. We’ll probably play a few selections from “Journey” tonight and it will be available at the “FAC Little Shop of Horas.” “Jumpin’ Jewpiter” and “Journey” are also both available at CD Baby. We’ve also got a web site, www.cascobaytummlers.com.
Try a sample of music from “Journey”:
Zlatne Uste
ZLATNE USTE (“Golden Lips”) BALKAN BRASS BAND, based in New York City, is an internationally known group of American-born musicians performing in the Romany (Gypsy), Serbian, Macedonian, and Bulgarian brass band traditions. Four-time invited guest at the Dragačevo Brass Festival in Guča, Zlatne Uste is among the foremost presenters of traditional Balkan dance music in the United States. For more about the band see www.zlatneuste.org, and visit our myspace page for sound clips and photos.
Zornitsa
ZORNITSA (“Morning Star”) is reported to be America’s first performing group of men who sing traditional and urban Bulgarian songs. Under the direction of Tatiana Sarbinska, the group has been performing mainly music from south-western Bulgaria and Macedonia since 1993 in the Boston area, other US cities, and Bulgaria. We are proud to congratulate our director, Tatiana Sarbinska, on the release of her new CDs, which are on sale at the FAC booth in the lobby. Tonight, Zornitsa presents selections from several regions of Bulgaria for your listening enjoyment. For further information, e-mail <Jonathan_DOT_Young_AT_comcast_DOT_net>
Zurli Društvo
Zurli Društvo – (loosely translated: “Zurla Guys”) was formed in 1985 in response to the insatiable demand for the amazing sound of paired zurlas with tapan accompaniment. Tonight’s ensemble – Drew and Laine Harris on zurlas with special guest drummer Henry Goldberg – blends traditional Macedonian and Albanian dance music with modern Roma tunes in a compelling experience. No one stands by idly while Zurli Društvo plays! For more information, please contact Drew Harris,