Fanfare Ciocarlia-Balkan/Gypsy

[MisterE]

These guys are awesome. This stuff is HUGE over there. I had never heard Balkan music until a couple of years ago when I stumbled upon it by accident...

I talked with a jazz player collegue who had actually gone to study it, and it´s been catching on in NY over the last few years.

Click around on some of the related videos and there´s more music in that vein....

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[pipeclubsi]

It's just a Romanian copy of original Serbian brass bands like Fejat Sejdic - who is known as a king of trumpet and blew Miles Davis away. Miles stated:'I didn't know the trumpet can be played that way'! And it's all by ear. Check the El condor pasa version. There is an annual gathering in Guca,Serbia where they compete, along with a barbecue feast.
Guca site: Guca (Pronounced Gootcha!) You can download there.

Fejat Sejdic Brass Band

El condor pasa

another Fejat's

1983 Guca jamboree

The origins go to British Indian army bands and then through Gipsies to Europe.

Enjoy!

 

[MisterE]

Ales!!

This is awesome!! Thanks! I didn´t know the origin of this style before. I´m looking through the Guca site now...

I love this guy too, Marko Markovic... Does some amazing stuff that is new to my western trumpet ears!

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[pipeclubsi]

I'm glad you like it!
Markovic is one of the most known players, father Boban and son Marko. Those 'trubaci' (meaning:trumpeteers, pron. troobatchee) guys like to improvise and also play jazz or ethno-jazz mixture. But they make most money by playing the weddings, of course. Duels are common, they like to compete and show off. There were even cases of a band being disqualified from the contest because of a too long solo, like Slobodan Salijevic.
I hope you will find great joy in this music, it's a soul music of the Balkans.
Regards! :cheers:

 

[sstodvictory]

.
Here are a few Bulgarian-inspired recordings that entered my collection in the 80's.

1. Don Ellis band "Bulgarian Bulge" is typical of Ellis' experimentation with odd time signatures. He produced a string of Balkan inspired numbers during Milcho Leviev's time in his band, and Leviev (a Bulgarian) solos on piano in this selection. Ellis' trumpet solo is short. He shows his skills off better elsewhere on this album (Tears of Joy).

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2. "Pilence Pee" performed by the London Bulgarian Choir. This particular recording sounds exactly the same as the one on the 1987 Elektra/Nonesuch music CD "Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" (The Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir). Traditional Bulgarian female choir has a unique and beautiful sound. Total absence of vibrato in any voice, and, I think, a certain "hardness" in the voice timbres (which must take some serious training) combine to give the sound unusual piercing clarity. Also notice the dissonant intervals in the harmony.

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[pipeclubsi]

Actually I own the "Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" CD. Interesting thing.
And I love Don Ellis piece a lot.

Have you ever heard about Ferus Mustafov, a sax and clarinet virtuoso from Macedonia. Let me tell you an anecdote. I was working an a local TV station and we went to a festival. I pointed out Ferus and said to the camera guy: Record this man, he is the best musician of this kind on a planet, he plays both:saxophone and clarinet."
My coworker asked: "Oh, yeah? At the same time???"
At that very moment Ferus started to play both instruments at the same time!!! )))))
It was fantastic! People went crazy, and he played so good with both instr. in his mouth. Funny guy he is, small with high heeled shoes, chubby but with tight shirt on, bald but with long hair, and a pure music genius. He plays gipsy music from Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, but also likes to play jazz, and combination of all....
This mix will give you the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CKQTwlb9BQ&feature=related

Ferus goes well with pipe smoking for sure!

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I heard the Newark Balkan Girls Chorus when I saw "In the Bedroom," was entranced by their sound but have since been unable to find a trace of them on the net, wanting to get a CD.

As this thread features Balkan music, I thought one of its contributors might now where I can purchase same.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

[MisterE]

I heard the Newark Balkan Girls Chorus when I saw "In the Bedroom," was entranced by their sound but have since been unable to find a trace of them on the net, wanting to get a CD.

As this thread features Balkan music, I thought one of its contributors might now where I can purchase same.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Check it out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Newark-Balkan-Chorus/dp/B001FKH0V6

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

MisterE,

I'm unable to purchase these MP3s due to "geographic restrictions"; I guess that Amazon UK carries these songs, and not Amazon USA, as some contractual dispute, or something akin to it, occurred.

Thanks for your help in any case.