Bulgaria - The Rhodope Mountains

 

Sign post in Batak in the Rhodope Mountains

Lake Batak in the Rhodope Mountains

The Rhodope Mountains in the south of Bulgaria are a gentle mountain range of spectacular natural beauty and biodiversity and it's picturesque mountain villages are a hotbed of ancient culture and song.  

We begin in the village of Kostandovo, where apparently you just have to nudge the inhabitants to make them sing.  The Boyana Folk Ensemble in the village was established some 50 years ago and is still going strong with traditional song and dance performances.  I was lucky enough to witness one of their full-length performances at the European Permaculture Convergence in the Rhodope Mountains in 2014.  Here is an extract of their performance:

And here an official video of theirs at the Dorkovo Folk Festival in 2012:

Bulgarian Jazz guitarist Hristo Vitchev resides in California these days, I'm not sure where in Bulgaria he is from.  In 2013 he collaborated with fellow Bulgarian clarinet player Liubomir Krastev to produce an album of jazz inspired by Bulgarian folk called Rhodopa, both after the mountains and a mythical Thracian queen.  Vitchev is also an impressionist painter and he painted his own album cover.  Here is the opening track to the album Devoiko Mari Hubava (Beautiful Young Lady):

Fusion duo Flying Nomads consist of Daniel on Bulgarian tambura and Kristina on Daf (Iranian frame drum).  Their sounds are mostly inspired by the nature around them in the Rhodope Mountains, even recording outdoors, as well as by traditional Bulgarian and world music influences.  Here is a song from their 2021 EP Synthesis called Omen, which is said to represent autumn:

Ethno-ambient band Kayno Yesno Slonce are actually based in Sofia, but claim their music is strongly influenced by the folklore of the Rhodope Mountains.  In fact the name of the band derrives from a line of a traditional song from the region, meaning like a bright shining sun.  They do use a lot of traditional instruments such as the duduk, Bulgarian bagpipes, frame drums and Bulgarian tambura, although they give their music very much a modern touch, sounding almost electronic, even though it's all acoustic.  Here is the opening track of their 2017 album Mare Verborum called THALASSA:

Trio Ravnogor are a Bulgarian/Hungarian trio who met in the Rhodope village after which they named themselves.  Nowadays they seem to be based in Sweden though.  They consist of Nina Grantchrova on vocals, darburka and gardon, Mihail Dinchev on Bulgarian tambura, vocals and percussion and Hungarian György Stuber on vocals, duduche flute and hurdy-gurdy.  They call their style Rhodopian Mountain Blues.  Here is the title track to their 2022 album Bergsblått:

That's it from the Rhodope Mountains, next we're heading to Plovdiv and the rest of Bulgaria.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.

Bulgaria - The Southwest

Dragalevski Monastery on the southern outskirts of Sofia near the village of Bistritsa

 On our way out of Sofia we have to make a quick stop in the village of Bistritsa, where the Bistritsa Babi, The Granny of Bistritsa, were formed in 1939.  They are an all female choir and dance troupe performing very traditional polyphonic singing and rituals from the Shopluk region.  They have even been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.  Here is a a short explanatory video:

Here is a live performance in 2016

For more, check out their 2010 album Authentic Bulgarian Folk Songs.

Next we are heading south to the spectacular Rila Monastery in the Rila mountains.

Photo credit: By Raggatt2000 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29520642

This is obviously the inspiration for instrumental folk band Rila, although I don't know much else about them.  Theirs is music that you would hear at a village fete in Bulgaria.  Here's a track from their 2014 album Bolgárkert entitled Kraidounavska ruchenista:

On the foothills of the Rila Mountains lies the city of Blagoevgrad, which is home to the American University of Bulgaria.  Here's me admiring a sculpture on the main square back in 2012.

This is where folk singer Iliya Arginov (1931-2012) spent most of his career, although he was born further south in Sandanski.  Either way, both places are near the North Macedonian border and his songs large repertoire consists mostly  of Macedonian folk songs.  His son Dimitar went on to a career as a lead singer in a metal band apparently.  Anyway, Iliya recorded more than 200 songs and released 7 albums during his life.  Here is just a flavour of a live performance:

The Trio Bulgarka was a female vocal trio active between 1975 and 1999.  The 3 women actually came from different regions, but as one of them, Stoyanka Boneva, came from the Pirin Mountains, we'll make our next stop in Bansko, at the foothills of those mountains, famous for its sand rock formations and deeply flavoured Melnik wines.

The trio Bulgarka's glittering career included being part of the Mystere des Voix Bulgares and even recording with Kate Bush.  This is the story of the recording with Kate Bush:

Here is a live performance by the trio.  For more check out their 1989 Best of album:

That's it from Bulgaria's southwest, next we are heading into the beautiful Rhodope Mountains.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Bulgaria - Sofia

 Now, I'd be lying if I said I like Sofia as a city, but I have many memories from this place, many of them happy, some of them tinged with sadness.  My cousin Bart was cremated there by the whackiest funeral director you are ever likely to meet, I have made lasting friendships here, I saw Roger Waters perform a re-run of Pink Floyd's The Wall here, I had some great food and drink at a mafioso-run restaurant, became a well known regular at a rustic hotel.  I could fill a movie, or alternatively a beer-fuelled evening of story telling.  So let's explore some of the music from the capital of Bulgaria.

Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Sofia

 One of my first encounters with the music of Bulgaria was at a concert in 2004 of the Bulgarian Voices - Angelite, who were performing together with Mongolian outfit Huun Huur Tu at the Sconfinando world music festival in Sarzana, Italy.  The all female choir was one of the many off-springs from the old Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, which began back in 1952 and was later renamed as Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares.  They have developed their own style combining the distinctive Bulgarian slightly disconsonant (to western ears) harmonies and irregular 9/8 rhythms with other influences from around the world.  Here is a track from their 1987 album, Cathedral Concert, which was recorded live in the St. Petri Cathedral in Bremen, Germany.  The song is called Begala E Vena:

Also former members of Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares are the Eva Quartet, who came together in 1995, showcasing traditional Bulgarian folk songs.  Here the title song from their 2021 album Minka:

The Ravnec Folklore Band are a male ensemble from Sofia, who play traditional folk from across the country, but predominantly from the Rhodope Mountains.  They try to stay close to the original material using traditional instruments like Bulgarian bagpipes.  Here is a song from their 2017 album Na porti chuka i ruka called Goro le, goro, zelana:

Ethno-fusion band Oratnitza combine traditional Bulgarian singing with vibrant beats and dancefloor rhythms.  Although using acoustic instrumentation, they have an almost techno vibe to their music.  Here is a track from their 2018 album Alter Ethno entitled Pushka Pukna:

Ethno-Jazz band Outhentic were founded in 2012 in Sofia. They cleverly blend Bulgarian folk with jazz and improvisation, and even a touch of folk-rock.  The kaval / flute solo in the following live version of the song Roazoral Dedo almost has something of Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson.  It's from their 2019 album Transparent:

World fusion band Irfan were established in 2001 in Sofia.  They produce hypnotic, slightly New-Age melodies mixing electro-acoustic world fusion of music from the Balkans, the Orient and Medieval Europe, led by oud and haunting female voices.  Here is the title track from their 2015 album The Eternal Return:

Multi-instrumentalist Nikola Parov was born in Sofia in 1962 in Sofia, but moved to Budapest, Hungary at the age of 10.  There he founded the Balkan folk band Zsarátnok with a bunch of Hungarian musicians.  With this band he stayed close to Bulgarian traditions, but later collaborated with various Irish musicians including Davy Spillane.  Here is a track from their 1998 album The Balkan Move called Simplicity:

Pop/jazz singer and actor Milenita (born Milena Nikolova) was actually born in Havanna, Cuba in 1975, but returned to Sofia at the age of 14 via Madrid and Mexico City.  She later had spells Palma de Mallorca and Chicago, but is now firmly settled in Sofia.  So she is truly a citizen of the world, which shows in her various musical influences, singing in Bulgarian, Spanish and English.  Her music leans on contemporary jazz influences with a strong pop flavour.  She only ever released 2 albums, but has also written music for films and acted herself.  Here is the opening track to her 2010 album Gato called Cherni Kotaraci:

And finally a hip-hop ode to Milenita's home town Sofia-Grad:

That's it from Sofia, next we're heading into the southwest of Bulgaria.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Bulgaria The North

 

Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Now I spent quite a bit of time in Bulgaria about 10 years ago on various trips.  If ever you want to find out more about the country, I recommend you find 2 Bulgarians and go on a non-stop road trip across Europe.  You will be told about the Turkish 'Yoke', the period during which the territory was under Ottoman rule, Bulgarian yogurt (best made from goat's milk in the west of the country and far superior to Greek yogurt), the problem of the gypsies, shopska salad (far superior to Greek salad, how the Bulgarians invented wine, and how the Greeks generally have stolen the culture of the Thracians and claimed it as their own, etc... You'll also learn about the Bulgarian mafia and corruption and get to taste plenty of rakia, the moonshine plum brandy.  It goes without saying, that Bulgarian women are the most beautiful in the world.  

After just such a road trip, criss-crossing the country, finding the best wines the country has to offer, gate-crashing parties in small villages, in a car repair shop/turned tropical beach and an Irish pub in Blagoevgrad, I now consider myself an expert in all things Bulgarian.  Finally my most lasting connection to Bulgaria is that I bought myself a handmade Bulgarian tambura there from one of top makers of the instrument, which is now my preferred musical instrument.

We start this particular road trip in the north-east of the country in the small town of Isperih, where folk and jazz musician Theodosii Spassov was born in 1961.  His instrument of choice is the kaval, an 8-hole wooden shepherd's flute.  Spassov is a serial collaborator, having played with many greats of jazz and Bulgarian folklore as well Irish music and dance troupe Riverdance.  One of his collaborations was with all female Bulgarian choir Cosmic Voices, who were founded in 1994 in Sofia.  The resulting album, re-released in January this year, is called The Spirit of Bulgaria (originally released 2001), blending Bulgarian folk with jazz.  This a song from the album called Podnojie (At the Foot of the Mountain):

Next we are heading to the city of Lovech, where guitar maverick Ateshkhan Yuseinov was born.  He made a name for himself with his unique guitar playing style, combining fast Balkan rhythms with jazzy improvisations.  Here is a track from his 2019 album Strange Suit, where he collaborates with beat box world champion SkilleR aka Alexander Deyanov from Sofia.  The tune is called Fire Bees in a Box:

Next stop is the town of Belogradchik in north-western Bulgaria, mostly because it is one of the most stunning locations in Bulgaria.  The famous rocks of Belogradchik are an area of 90 square kilometres of red sandstone formations, that have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.  They have even built an impregnatable fortress into the rocks.

Near Belogradchik was also one of my gate crashing events mentioned above.  As we were eating in a country hotel, there was a birthday party going on, which we promptly joined.  As I was suffering from a cold at the time, I was supplied with gallons of hot rakia.  There was also some home-made music to entertain the guests.  Excuse the poor picture and sound quality:

And we'll leave it at that as we are going to the Capital Sofia next.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.
 

Romania - Bucharest

 After skirting around the capital on my last post, we are now heading straight into Bucharest and see what the city has to offer in terms of music.  I visited Bucharest for a couple of days back in 2014, here are a couple of photos from that trip:

View to the parliament building

The old town

One of my first encounters with the Gypsy music of Romania was the 1997 movie Gadjo Dilo (Crazy Stranger in the Romani language).  It's the story of a young, naïve and floppy-haired Frenchman, Stéphane, who travels to Romania looking for a Roma singer called Nora Luca, to whom his father used to listen to all the time before his death.  Armed with a tape recorder he ends up as a guest in a Gypsy village, not speaking any of the language and being viewed with suspicion by its inhabitants.  It then turns out that a young woman in the village called Sabina, played by actress, painter and musician Rona Hartner, speaks French, and after some initial hostility a love affair ensues.  The film deals with the continued prejudice against the Roma community, but also features a lot of Gypsy music performed by village musicians and enthusiastically supported by Rona Hartner.  If you haven't seen the movie I highly recommend it for an insight into Gypsy life and for the music.  Here is a scene from the movie of the song Tutti Frutti, the soundtrack has also been issued as a CD:

Rona Hartner was born in Bucharest in 1979, but sadly died recently after a battle with lung and brain cancer.  Apart from her acting and painting career she also recorded a lot of music, specialising in Gypsy music.  She lived the last couple of decades of her life in France.  Here is a live version of a song from her 2013 album Gypsy Therapy with DJ Tagada called Nationalité Vagabonde, a sentiment I can identify with:

RIP Rona Hartner.

The Shukar Collective are an Ursari Roma band that fuses traditional Gypsy music with electronica.  They produce sounds by tapping spoons and other domestic objects combined with an analogue synthesizer.  Here is a song from their 2005 album Urban Gypsy called Bar Boot:

The Mahala Rai Banda is a Roma brass band founded in 2004 in Bucharest by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, who is related to several members of Taraf de Haidouks.  They blend traditional wedding music with Balkan Beats.  It makes for great party music.  Here is a song from their 2019 album Ghetto Blasters called Ding Deng Dong.  The album won the Songlines 2009 Best Album Award:

Bucharest band Balkan Taksim combine Balkan Psych with Subterranean bass and low-fi synth electronica, blending old with new and analog with digital.  Here's a song called Anadolka from their 2021 EP Žali Zare:

That wraps up our tour of Romania, next stop is Bulgaria.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual musical travels on my Tripline map.

Romania - Muntenia

 Muntenia, also known as greater Wallachia, is Romania's most populous region, situated in the south of the country, and includes the capital Bucharest.  

We begin our journey in the town of Găești, where pan flute player Gheorghe Zamfir was born 1941.  The pan flute is known as the nai in Romania and it historically was used in Romanian folk music, but had somehow fallen into obscurity until Zamfir was 'discovered' by a Swiss ethnomusicologist in the 1960's.  Zamfir started off playing traditional folk with his own Taraf band, but later went further and further down the commercial route, playing easy-listening type of music, often together with the German big band leader James Last.  Much of his music was used in film and TV advertisements and he managed some international success.  Here is something a bit more traditional from a performance on Romanian TV:

Now I mentioned the word Taraf up there.  A Taraf is the Romanian term for a small folk ensemble consisting of 3-8 lăutari or Romani folk musicians.  The most famous Taraf in Romania is Taraf de Haïdouks, who have been going since at least the 1980's in the village of Clejani, 40km from Bucharest.  Their original name was Taraful Haiducilor, but their French name stuck due to the same Swiss ethnomusicologist and a Belgian record producer who first signed them.  The Gypsy band has gone on to some considerable international success, long before they became known in their home country, recording and giving concerts in Switzerland and France still during the Communist era.  They have since collaborated with many other Balkan bands, most notably with North Macedonia's Koçani Orkestar.  Here is an energetic set from the Tiny Desk meets globalFest 2023 with tunes included on their albums Band of Gypsies and Band of Gypsies 2:

Ion Miu, known as the Godfather of the Cimbalom, was born in the town of Titu in 1955.  He came from a musical family, his father also playing the cimbalom, and married into another musical family.  Unsurprisingly at least 2 of his off-spring also took up the cimbalom.  Here he plays with his son George a tune called Cu Damigeana, which also features on the 2008 compilation album The Rough Guide to the Music of Romanian Gypsies:

Roma violinist and singer Dona Dimitru Siminică was born in the town of Târgoviște in 1926 and died in Bucharest in 1979.  He learned the violin from his father and supplemented his income from working as a builder with his music.  He only released one album during his lifetime shortly before he died of a heart attack, but one of his songs called La Şalul ce negru  is immortalised on the above mentioned compilation album:

Also featuring on the same album is Roma accordionist Marcel Budală, who was born in the town of Câmpina in 1926 and died in 1989.  Here's his song Hora rudărenilor:

Roma singer Gabi Luncă also features on the same album.  She was born in the town of Vărbilău in 1938 and died in 2021.  Apparently she was a favourite of former dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife.  Here's a song called Pe drumul de la Buzău:

Another artist appearing on this great album is Roma singer Cornelia Catangă, who was born in the town of Zeletin in 1958 and died in 2021 due to Covid.  During her career she toured widely and was often accompanied by her husband.  Here is a song called Doamne, dă-mi putere (God, give me strength):

And finally another artist on the album is Accordionist Ionel Tudorache, who was born in Buzău in 1953 in the town of Buzău and like the previous musicians recorded for the state label of Electrecord.  Here's a live version of his song Pe ulita armeneasca:

That's it from Muntenia for now, next stop is the capital Bucharest.  In the meantime, as usual you can follow my virtual musical journey on my Tripline Map.

Romania - Maramureş & Oltenia

Maramureş is a valley in Northern Romania on the border with Ukraine.  We'll stop here in the small city of  Sighetu Marmaţiei, where singer/songwriter Ducu Bertzi was born in 1955.  He started out with the fiddle at the age of 8, but went on to play the guitar in various rock bands.  He went on to swap his electrical guitar for an acoustic one, singing folk songs, mostly his own compositions and intonations of poems by various writers.  Here is one of his more famous songs called M-am îndrǎgostit numai de ea (I fell in love with her only) from his 2013 album Dor de Duca:

Multi-instrumentalist, multi-media artist and computer scientist Mircea Florian, also known as Florian din Transilvania, was born in the city of Satu Mare in 1949.  Starting off in folk rock he was an early adopter of hippy culture and a experimenter and pioneer of electronic music in the late 1960's.  His music became a blend of Romanian folk with Indian influences and psych rock.  During his career he became increasingly critical of the Ceaucescu regime in Romania and much of his music was censored by the authorities.  In 1986 he defected to West Germany, where he still resides.  Here is an early song of his from his 1971 album Pădure de voie bună called Pădure linistitoare:

Next we are heading to the commune of Podari near Craiova in the Oltenia region of southern Romania.  This is where musician, actor and poet Tudor Gheorghe was born in 1945.  During the Communist times he repeatedly got himself into trouble over his political stance, even getting kicked out of school and later his music being banned by the authorities.  He recorded most of his music live and only accompanied on his guitar or lute.  Later he collaborated with orchestras to give his music a fuller sound.  Here is a short song of his called Doamne la duşmanii mei:

Roma violinist Florea Ciocă (1916-1979) was born in the township of Segarcea in Dolj County of the Oltenia region.  He was in high demand at weddings in his  local area and later rose to national and international prominence and his style is still seen as a benchmark for Gypsy fiddling.  Here is a track which featured on the 2008 compilation The Rough Guide to the Music of Romanian Gypsies called Mierlita cand e bolnava:

That's it for today, next we are exploring the most populous region of Romania, Muntenia.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual musical journey on my Tripline map.

Romania - West Moldova & Transylvania

 

I spent a few days in Romania about 10 years ago visiting a friend in Bucharest (see photo above), then driving across Transylvania (not stopping on account of the vampires...) to Cluj-Napoca and onwards to Hungary.  It's a beautiful country from what I have seen and there is plenty of good music to discover.  

Historically Romania is divided into 9 historical regions, of which we will explore a few starting in the east with West Moldova.  First stop there is the village of Zece Prăjini, home to gypsy brass band Fanfare Ciocărlia.  Sons of farmers this 12-piece (24-legged) brass band has single-handedly revived Balkan brass sounds in Romania and the wider region with their frenzied rhythms and infectious party sound.  What a great first encounter with the sounds of Romania!  Their song Asfalt Tango was their first international hit and features on their 2009 Best of album and also on this set for the NPR Tiny Desk series:

Fiddler Aurel Mandache was born in 1933 in the village of Răcăciuni and died in 2013 while hunting for mushrooms (not sure if he ate the wrong ones, fell off a cliff or died of unrelated causes).  He played his fiddle at weddings and events of the local Moldovan population as well as for Hungarian and Gypsy minorities.  Here's a tune from his 2003 album Fiddle Dance Music from Moldva, which is no longer available, called Serény Magyaros:

Next we are entering the region of Transylvania, home to Count Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, although I'm reliably informed that most vampires have now migrated to become politicians around the world...  As we mop the sweat off our brows from dancing along to Fanfare Ciocărlia, here comes something altogether calmer from singer/songwriter Lizabett Russo, who is originally from Braşov, but is now based in Scotland.  She combines gentle folk songs from her native country with contemporary jazz and avant-garde sounds.  She sings in both English and Romanian accompanied by gentle instrumentation.  Here is a short piece from her 2019 album While I Sit and Watch This Tree, Vol.1 called Valuri si Ganduri (Waves and Thoughts):

Next we are heading to the city of Târgu Mureș where singer/songwriter and actress Ada Milea was born in 1975. Much of her work has been written and performed for theatre productions and her performances certainly have a theatre vibe, albeit of the absurd and comical variety.  In fact I recommend that you just type in her name on YouTube and there's a wealth of really funny stuff, even if you don't understand any Romanian.  She plays an acoustic guitar, but is often accompanied by her 'band' that play toy instruments, fridge doors and anything else that comes to hand, while looking dead serious.  It's difficult to describe, so here are a couple of examples: 

 

I wish I could understand more Romanian, although she has also released one English language album in 2006 called Quixote, obviously to go with a play about the Spanish windmill battling hero.

Accordionist and Roma manele singer Nicolae Guţă was born in Aninoasa in 1967.  Manele is a genre of folk-pop music from Romania.  His first mainstream hit was a song called De când te iubesc pe tine (Since I've been loving you), and features on the 2008 The Rough Guide to the Music of Romanian Gypsies:

It is well known that Transylvania has a sizeable Hungarian minority, but what is less known is that historically there was also a large Armenian minority in the region working mostly as traders and entrepreneurs.  The latter group largely disappeared by the 20th century or got assimilated into the Hungarian population, but some of their culture has been kept alive.  I don't know much about Alex Száva, except that he is of Transylvanian-Armenian heritage and has released an album in 2007 entitled Armenian Folk Songs from Transylvania.  On it he plays various instruments himself, such as the accordion, mandolin, udon and flute.  Here's a song from the album called The World's Deceitfulness:

That's it for today from Romania, we'll continue our virtual journey next time.  In the meantime, as usual, you can track my trip on my Tripline map

Moldova & Transnistria

 Moldova is another country with an unresolved border dispute.  A narrow sliver of land in the east of its officially internationally recognised territory, between the river Dniester and the Ukrainian border, is controlled by the de facto country of Transnistria or, as they like to be known, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.  They have all the bits making them look like a fully fledged country, such as their own elected administration, currency, military, flag and national anthem, yet they are not recognised by any member of the UN, so are dependent on Moldova for access to the outside world and Russia for military and economic aid.  The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe defines the region as under military occupation by Russia.  To be fair to them mind, they did split from Moldova, before Moldova declared its own independence, so as such has never been under Moldovan control.  Apparently it is possible to visit the territory, which would be quite a cool thing to do visiting a country that doesn't exist.

Transnistrian Parliament. Photo credit: By Донор - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27580045

In the interest of completeness I have truffled out a musical act from the region, the worldbeat/hip-hop trio DoReDoS, who were formed 2011 in the northern town of Rîbniţa.  They actually represented Moldova at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.  This is their 2022 single One in a Million:

The rest of Moldova is culturally and linguistically the twin of Romania.  The official language of Moldova is in fact Romanian and there was even talk of the 2 countries uniting at one stage.  It is however one of the poorest countries in Europe.  We start our journey through Moldova proper in the small commune of Pepeni in the north of the country where folk singer Nicolae Glib was born in 1949.  He is the most popular living folk singer in Moldova and has gathered many awards and prestigious titles.  His most famous song is Moldovean ca mine nu-i (There's no Moldovan such as myself), which features on a 2019 self-titled compilation album of his work:

The rest of the time in Moldova we are hanging around the capital Chişinău.  Nearly a third of the population lives there and it hosts an annual wine festival in October, which sounds fun.  Moldova after all is one of the cradles of winemaking with a history dating back to 3000 BCE.  We start with something probably more authentic from folk singer and ethno-musicologist Cristina Godoroja.  I don't know much about her, but she has just released her debut album in 2023 called Ciobănaş Cu Oile: Songs from Moldova and Romania.  All the songs are sung a Capello and this one is called Down the Dniester to the Valley:

Trans-Balkan band Drobinska's link to Moldova is rather tentative.  The band is actually based in St. Petersburg in Russia and the members are from Russia, Ukraine and Palestine, but it was founded by Oleg Drobinski, who studied and discovered Balkan wedding music in Chişinău, before travelling other parts of the Balkan peninsula.  Here's a track from their 2004 album Cuie de Cirnat called Dumi mi, duni:

Folk-rock band Zdob şiZdub were established in 2011 in Chişinău and have already represented Moldova 3 times at the Eurovision song context.  They mix their fun Balkan rhythms with rock and punk elements.  Here's a fun video of their 2021 single Trenulețul (The Train):

And that's it already from Moldova.  Next, like Zdop siZdub, we're heading into Romania. As usual, you can follow my virtual progress on my Tripline map.

Ukraine - The South

 Next stop on our virtual journey through Ukraine is the industrial city of Zaporizhzhia, famous for having the largest nuclear power station in the country and currently under Russian occupation, which is cause for concern.  

Photo credit: By Ralf1969 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7343361

This is where Guitarist Estas Tonne was born in 1975.  He is of Jewish and German ancestry, but now lives a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place all around the world performing at concerts, on the streets and at festivals.  He calls himself a modern-day troubadour and is classically trained and plays his own finger-picking style inspired by classical and Roma styles often on a 10-string acoustic guitar.  Here is a tune called The Song of the Golden Dragon, which features on his 2023 album Anthology Vol. III, which is currently available for free on Bandcamp: 

Next we are heading to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, but internationally still considered a part of Ukraine.  Crimea has a long and complicated history, ruled by many different powers and even enjoying periods of independence.  The original inhabitants of the peninsula were the Crimean Tatars, a Turkic ethnic group with their own language and mostly adhering to Islam.  Throughout the various occupations of the region they were often discriminated against and in 1944 most of them were forcibly removed by Stalin and resettled mostly in Centra Asia.  Once the peninsula became an autonomous region of an independent Ukraine, the local government was very much pro-Russian, understandable in the context of the native population having been mostly evicted and replaced by Russian speakers.

In that context the 2 artists that I have chosen to represent Crimean Tatars were actually not born there.  We start with the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest winner Jamala, whose real name is Susana Jamaladinova.  She was born in 1983 in Kygyzstan to a Crimean Tatar father and an Armenian mother, who were both musical.  In 1989 they did move back to Crimea, where Jamala's musical career started at the age of 9 and where she attended the Simferopol Music College.  She also trained in opera, but sadly decided to make her career in relatively bland pop.  At the supposedly non-political 2016 Eurovision she caused a stir with her song 1944, obviously referring to the year when the Crimean Tatars were forced to leave their homeland by the Soviets.  Apparently she is now 'wanted' by Russia, presumably not to represent them at Eurovision.  Here's the song that gave her international fame:

Jazz guitarist Enver Izmailov is another Crimean Tatar who was born in exile in Uzbekistan in 1955.  He incorporates Crimean Tatar folk elements in his composition, often using typical time signatures.  He plays his custom-made 3 necked electrical guitar tapping the neck of the guitar with his fingers.  Here is a tune called Yalta, after the famous seaside resort, from his 1999 album Minaret: 

Next we are heading to the Podolia region which covers parts of western Ukraine and northern Moldova.  The region has historically been a melting pot for various ethnic groups, including Ukrainians, Jews, Moldovans and other Balkans.  Hence the traditional music of the region is a blend of all those influences.  Brass band Konsonans Retro was formed by members of the Baranovsky family in the town of Kodyma right on the border to Moldova.  Their music has more than just a hint of Balkan wedding music and klezmer to it.  Here's a tune from their 2011 album A Podolian Affair called Moldavskaya Hora:

That's it from Ukraine, next we are heading for a quick visit into Moldova.  Meanwhile, as usual you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map. 

Ukraine - Kyiv

 We arrive in Kyiv on our virtual trip, formerly better known with it's Russian pronunciation of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine and where the famous chicken dish originated. 

We start with the folk music quartet DakhaBrakha, who have garnered quite a large audience abroad and have somewhat become international ambassadors for Ukraine.  They were established in 2004 as a live theatre crew for an avantgarde theatre company the Dakh Contemporary Arts Centre, their name being a play on words of the the name of the centre Dakh meaning roof and Dakha (give) and Brakha (take). They perform Ukrainian songs combined with various other world music influences in what they call 'ethnic chaos', dressed in elaborate costumes.  I first came across them at the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, and have been hooked on their music ever since.  It's so unique and full of joy!

One of the members of DakhaBrakha is also a member of all female dark cabaret troupe Dakh Daughters, also associated with the Dakh theatre.  They have moved further away from tradition towards a poetry of anger to the rhythms of drums of war, with lyrics in various languages and often based on texts by classical authors.  Here is a song from their 2021 album Make Up called Rosy, based on Shakespeare's Sonnet 35:

Music producer Pavel Lenchenko, aka CEPASA from Kyiv produces electronic music that sits somewhere between downtempo, house and techno music rooted in Ukraine.  Synths, drum machine, guitar and his voice create a moody soundscape.  Here is an ode to his home city Kyiv with some nice shots of the city from his 2022 album Niby Chaiky:

Fusion project Bleu are a coming together in 2022 of Ukrainian singers Borys Cholewka and Sophie Tabakov with a group of Moroccan musicians playing the likes of oud and darbukka, plus Belgian accordionist Maurice Blanchy.  Their repertoire consists of traditional Slavonic songs from the wider region, rearranging them to suit the unusual instrumentation.  The result is their 2022 album Tchekala, which was recorded in Belgium.  Here is a stirring song from the album called Kozak:

 Ukrainian folk ensemble Bozhychi were established in 1999 and are very traditional in outlook.  They went on expeditions all around the country including a canoe trip up the rivers to unearth dance tunes and songs from the villages.  They now advise the Ukrainian parliament in matters of youth policy and culture.  Here are some extracts from a live performance in 2014:

That's it from Kyiv, next we are going to explore the rest of Ukraine, including some of the currently occupied territories.  Meanwhile you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.