Türkiye - Istanbul to Izmir

 As we are heading out of Istanbul we stop in the eastern neighbourhood of Kadıköy, where actress and pop singer GülbenErgen was born in 1972.  Apparently she is hugely popular in Türkiye and her albums have sold in the millions.  Here is her just released single called Nanik:

During the height of his career, clarinettist Mustafa Kandıralı (1930-2010) was known as the sound of the holidays as he hosted a morning show on the radio.  As a 13 year old he ran away from his hometown of Kandıra, 150km on foot, to Istanbul.  He dabbled in many different Anatolian genres, as well as making it internationally in the jazz world, even playing with Louis Armstrong once.  Here is just a bit of a flavour of the man, playing an Anatolian dance tune called Bahriye Çiftetellisi:

Next we are heading south along the west coast of Turkey to Bursa.  This is where composer, ney and bendir player Mercan Dede aka DJ Arkin Allen was born in 1966.  Born as Arkın Ilıcalı, he now lives in Canada producing a fusion of traditional acoustic Turkish and other oriental styles with electronic sounds.  He is also heavily influenced by Sufism and much of his music has a hypnotic quality.  He has accumulated many international awards, including best World Music Album by Womex for his 2007 album 800.  Here is a song from that album called Istanbul:

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Özgür Çelik was born in 1979 in the city of Uşak in the interior part of the Aegean region.  He was born into a family of artisan instrument makers and learned to play the instruments his father made, such as the baglama, the kabak kemane and others, from an early age.  He is now a lecturer at the Aegean University.  On his 2012 solo album Öznağme he showcases many of the different instruments he plays.

Next we are heading to the Aegean coast to the city of Bergama, where Roma clarinettist Hüsnü Şenlendirici was born in 1976.  He comes from a long line of musicians with his father and grandfather both playing clarinet and trumpet.  He is now considered one of the foremost proponents of the Turkish clarinet.  On his 2010 album Ege'nin iki yani (Both sides of the Aegean) he combines with Greek Trio Chi for a meeting of cultures across the sea.  Here's a song from this album called Gel Gel Kayikci (Come, come boatman):

Hüsnü Şenlendirici is also part of Izmir based Roma funk band Laço Tayfa.  This 8-piece ensemble combine Anatolian rhythms with contemporary funk and even reggae sounds.  Here is a tune from their 2002 album Hicaz Dolap called Atmaca:

That's it for today.  As usual you follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Türkiye - East Thrace

 After Bulgaria we now arrive in Turkey or the official name the Republic of Türkiye.  I have never been to Turkey as of yet, so have only the usual stereotypes to offer: the gateway to Asia, the country of whirling Dervishes, oriental bazaars, Turkish delight and kebabs.  Whilst I have never been, it's probably the first culture different from mine that I had encountered as a kid growing up in Germany, which has a large Turkish diaspora. One day I'll go for myself to see, in the meantime I'll just travel in mind through the medium of music.

We start our virtual journey in East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, which has been a region of conflict between the Ottomans, Bulgarians and Byzantines over the centuries.  Our first stop is the small city of Kirklareli, where qanun player and composer Göksel Baktagir was born in 1966.  The qanun is a zither-like string instrument that is commonly played solo or as part of an ensemble throughout the Middle East.  Here's a short piece from his 2008 album Hayal Gibi 3 (Like a Dream), called Huzur, with some dramatic landscape shots:

Also from Kirklareli is master percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Burhan Öçal.  Living on the crossroads between the Balkans and Turkey, he has incorporated both influences into his music together gathering a band of Gypsy musicians from various corners of East Thrace and called them the Trakya Allstars.  It is based around the regionally typical instruments of the zurna, a reed instrument similar to the oboe and the davul, a local drum.  He added some Balkan Gypsy brass into the mix, which is rather unusual in Turkish music.  Here's a song from their 2003 album Kirklareli Il Siniri called Karakaş Mahallesi:

Singer/songwriter Candan Erçetin was born in 1963 a bit south in the city of Lüleburgaz.  She is mostly known for her pop music, but as she is of Macedonian descent, she mixes in Balkan elements into her music, singing in Turkish, French and Greek.  She represented Turkey at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, but appears by all accounts a well balanced person with multiple interests.  Here is a song from her 1999 album Elbette called Annem:

Singer Hatice Yıldız Levent, better known by her stage name of Muazzaez Ersoy was born in 1958 in the town of Uzunköprü. She sings classic Turkish / Arabesque songs giving her the nickname of Nostalgia Queen in Turkey.  Here's a song from her 2016 album Özel Koleksiyon 2 called Dumanlı Dumanlı:

Roma clarinettist Selim Sesler was born in 1957 in the town of Keşan near Edirne, but sadly died of heart disease in 2014.  He came from a long line of professional musicians who originated from Greece, but were moved in 1923 in the population exchange between the 2 countries.  He was performing at Gypsy weddings from the age of 14, but his fame originally started outside his native country, touring internationally with Canadian musician Brenna MacKimmon.  Here is a song from his 2006 album Oğlan Bizim Kız Bizim (Anatolian Wedding) called Şu Köyceğiz Yolları:

Cem Karaca (1945- 2004) was born in Bakırköy on the European side of Istanbul province.  He was a leading influence in the Anatolian Rock scene, being a member of numerous bands during the 70's, as well as recording under his own name.  During a time of great political turbulence, he was accused of inciting a revolution with his song lyrics by the government.  As a result he went into exile in West Germany, where he stayed until 1987, when an amnesty was given to him.  Anatolian rock and psychedelia have had a bit of a renaissance in recent years and many of Karaca's recordings have been re-released, such as the 2023 compilation by German based label Anadolu.  Here is song featured on this album called  Tamirci Çıragı, about a humble car mechanic falling in love with a client, but being told to accept his working class status by his boss.

That's it from the European side of Turkey, next we are heading into the bustling metropolis that is Istanbul, where we'll spending some time.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.

Bulgaria - Plovdiv & the Rest

Plovdiv Mosque from a nearby roof terrace

Plovdiv old town

Now, unlike Sofia, I really did like Bulgaria's second city Plovdiv.  It has an ancient history with Roman ruins visible in various parts of the city and is reputedly one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe dating back some 7000 years.  It now has a vibrant student scene, famed for great food and a lively nightlife.  On one occasion we were eating in a restaurant when we were unexpectedly treated to this dance performance:

Singer and choir master Eugenia Georgieva is a native of Plovdiv, but now resides in London, where she leads a Bulgarian choir at University College London.  She performs both solo as well as part of various ensembles, delving mostly into traditional material from the Rila Mountains, but also dabbling with electronic music.  Here is a track from her 2018 solo album Po Drum Mome / A Girl on the Road called Brayne le Ivane / Hey, Brother Ivan:

One of the ensembles Eugenia is part of is the Perunika Trio, a traditional a'capella group together with Victoria Evstatieva and Victoria Mancheva.  Here is a short song called Pripade temna mugla from their 2008 debut album Introducing Perunika Trio:

Singer Neli Andreeva was born in the town of Asenovgrad, but grew up in the Rhodope Mountains, where she began singing traditional songs from an early age with her grandmother.  She is also choir master of the Philip Kutev Folklore Ensemble, more of which below.  Here is a song called Da Znaesh Maicho featuring her as lead singer together with the Nusha Choir and Croatian pianist Zvjezdan Ružić, which features on their 2023 album Dandelion:

Folk singer Valya Balkanska, born 1942 in Arda in the southern Rhodope Mountains near the Greek border, has literally achieved interstellar fame.  Her song Iziel ye Delyo Haydutin was included on a music recording that was on the NASA spacecrafts Voyager I and II that were launched in 1977 to explore space beyond our solar system.  I wonder what aliens made of this, but it it is indeed a beautiful piece of music which was originally recorded on vinyl in 1968.  Here is the song:

Clarinet player and band leader Ivo Papazov was born in Kardzhali in the eastern Rhodpe Mountains.  He started playing in public from the age of 12 at Gypsy weddings and later founded his own wedding band, pioneering the style of Balkan Gypsy wedding music fusing Balkan music with elements of funk, rock and jazz, often played at breakneck speed.  He collected numerous awards including the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award in 2005.  Try out his 2007 Best of album for some more, but here is an historic live performance on Nightmusic.  Try not to wriggle around manically...

Next we are heading north into the Rose Valley, which provides a large percentage of the worlds rose oil.  During our time in Bulgaria we based ourselves in the small village of Rozovets.

For much of the year it's a quiet place, but at the end of the summer everybody who has moved away over the years comes back for a grand summer party with plenty of food, music, dancing and fireworks.  The band starts playing around 5 pm and goes on non-stop - and I mean non-stop, no breaks between songs or tunes, just individual musicians having a wee break now and then - until 1 am.  Here's a wee flavour of it all:

Composer and arranger Filip Kutev (or Philip Koutev) was born in Aytos near the Black Sea coast in 1903 and died in 1982, but his name lives on in the Bulgarian National Folklore Ensemble Philip Kutev, which he founded together with his wife Maria in 1951.  The ensemble was the first to bring traditional Bulgarian music onto the stage and to a wider audience.  It is now led by his daughter Elena Kuteva.  Below a sampler of their varied activities.  For more check out their 2006 self-titled album. 

That's it from Bulgaria, next we are heading to Turkey.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual travels 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

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. 

Russia - The West & St. Petersburg

 After Moscow we are heading due west to the town of Usyaty in the Pskov Oblast.  This is where button accordionist Ekaterina Trusova has recently released an album of traditional music of the region called Usyaty: Russian Music From Pskov Region in Modern and Archival Recordings.  It's a slightly bizarre album.  The modern recordings are Trusova playing traditional tunes on the accordion, but the archival recordings were made by her in the 90's and are of bad quality, especially those of her father Dimitry Kozintsev, so we'll play a tune from the first and better quality half of the album, a short tune called In the Village at the River:

Next for something a bit more polished we are heading to the city of Pskov itself where gusli player and harpist Olga Glazova was born in 1993.  Her speciality instrument the gusli is an ancient east Slavic multi-stringed zither.  On it she plays her own interpretations of Russian folk songs accompanied by her own voice.  Here is a song from her 2023 album Live in Alexandrinsky Theatre called Memories:

Next we are heading into St. Petersburg itself, the second largest city in Russia and the birthplace of the Russian Empire, formerly known as Leningrad.  Here's a picture of the above-mentioned Alexandrinsky Theatre:

Photo credit

First up is the fun folk-rock band Otava Yo (Отава Ё).  They started life around 2003 as a Pogues-style Celtic punk-folk inspired band called Reelroadъ, but have since moved onto Russian folk with their own energetic rock.  Their breakthrough came through their funny YouTube videos, having them dance madly in costume and tell fun stories that are understandable even to those who don't speak Russian, although they often do come with English subtitles.  It is also worth pointing out that they have publicly spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Here's the opening track to their 2018 album Do You Love / Любишь ли ты called Once Upon a Time in a High Hill / Как на горке, на горе:

The 3 original members of klezmer and Balkan band Dobranotch (Good Night) are all from St' Petersburg but originally met busking on the streets of Nantes in France in 1997.  They left Russia in 2022 in opposition to the invasion of Ukraine and are now based in Germany.  Their main raison d'etre is klezmer with a good dose of Balkan brass, Gypsy tunes and Russian folk.  Here is a song from their 2019 album Mercedes Kolo called Ya Rayah:

Russia's coolest female band, according to Russian Rolling Stone, folk-rock outfit Iva Nova were formed in 2002 in St. Petersburg.  Whilst rooted in Slavic folk, don't expect traditional Russian songs, these ladies rock with a real urban grunge.  Apart from Russian they also sing songs in Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Georgian and Tatar languages.  Here's the opening track from their 2021 live album Snow White Concert called Don't Want It! / Не хочу!:

Gypsy band Loyko were formed in 1990 by Sergei Erdenko initially as a duo, then a trio, sometimes with the addition of his niece Leonsia Erdenko on vocals.  Sergei was actually born in eastern Siberia in 1958 into the sub-group of Servitka Roma, but started this project in St. Petersburg.  What this man can't do on a fiddle is yet to be determined, from lightning fast pizzicatos to making train noises, bird calls, horse trots and other effects.  Whilst gypsy music is at the core of the group, they are not afraid to cross over into other genres such as flamenco, Celtic music, Hungarian folk or classical.  Here's a song from their 2012 album Gypsy Times for Nunja called Gypsy Street:

Finally we head west a bit towards the Estonian border stopping at the town of Kingisepp, where composer and accordionist Evelina Petrova was born in 1974. Whilst vaguely rooted in Russian folk, she very much veers off into experimental music and world fusion genres.  Her singing is mostly in made up language and includes hollers and whoops.  One of her projects is the Evelina Petrova Trio formed in Oslo together with Norwegian trombonist Andreas Rotevatn (also supplying electronic effects) and California Hardanger fiddle player Laura Ellestad.  This unusual combination took the form of an experimental lab where everything was permitted and nothing left untested.  Here is a live version of the opening track Farewell from their 2019 album First Dance.  Ellestad is replaced by Scottish fiddler Sarah-Jane Summers (whom we met in Oslo) on this occasion.

So much for European Russia for now..  I'm sure there's a lot more to find in this vast country, but a lot of websites there seem to be blocked here in the west and it's not easy to find stuff.  Next stop is going to be Estonia, until then you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Russia - Moscow

 

Photo credit: By Ludvig14 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31764182

We arrive in Russia's capital Moscow, home to the Kremlin, the centre of power, and unsurprisingly a rich music scene. We'll just scrape the surface with some local acts.  First up is all female ethno-experimental quartet FolkBeat, who started life in 2012.  They combine traditional Russian folk songs with contemporary pop idioms using beatbox techniques and loop stations incorporating hip-hop, drum'n'bass, jungle and punk influences.  Here is a song from their 2016 album FolkBeat & Friends - The Joyful Meeting called I Can't Stand It:

Folk & jazz composer and performer Sergey Starostin was born in Moscow was born in Moscow in 1956 and is famous for his modern interpretations of archaic Russian, Tuvan and Sámi folk music often combined with jazz.  He went through several phases from traditional to more jazz influenced music and back to his original roots.  He collects and makes some of his own instruments including various flutes such as the kalyuka overtone flute and reed instruments.  During his research he recorded thousands of tracks of authentic songs and instrumental compositions.  On his 2004 album Easy As Pie he combines with percussionist Mario to produce a very pared back folk album, which was a result of a jam session.  It includes a version of this song called Deep:

Singer/songwriter Inna Zhelannaya (b. 1967 in Moscow) started her career in rock music as part of various bands and writing her own material.  In 1989 she began collaborating with the above mentioned Sergey Starostin, who introduced her to folk music.  In 1994 she founded her own rock band called Farlander, with whom she performed for nearly two decades.  In 2013 she changed direction again with a new band, incorporating more folk elements as well as psychedelic rock, producing her own psych folk style.  Her 2014 double album Izvorot (The Bending) received much critical comparing her to King Crimson meeting Russian roots.  This a song from the album called Palisade:

Experimental singing group the Dimitri Pokrovsky Ensemble was founded in 1973 in Moscow by Dimitri Pokrovsky himself and his wife Tamara Smyslova to research, collect and perform traditional Russian village music.  Pokrovsky has since died in 1996, but the choir goes on and has recently celebrated its 50 birthday.  Here's a track from their 1991 album The Wild Field (re-released in 2019) called Mosquito:

Gypsy guitarist Vadim Kolpakov was actually born in Saratov in 1981 near the Caspian Sea, but is now based in Moscow.  He is the third generation in his family playing the 7-string gypsy guitar.  Together with his uncle Alexander he formed the Kolpakov Duo.  Here are the 2 opening tracks of their 2010 album Introducing the Kolpakov Duo called Suite of Gypsy Tunes and Dui,Dui:

In the mid 1980's, when Perestroika and Glasnost began to bloom in the old Soviet Union, 4 students around Igor Yuzov got together playing music in their dorm.  Rock'n'roll was still banned, but having a rebellious streak they combined Russian folk with this decadent western genre to create their own Russian folk'n'roll.  They called themselves Limpopo after the river in Southern Africa, because it sounded exotic.  They were having a lot of fun together and at their peak performed at a Soviet/American peace walk.  That's where Igor met an American woman, got married and emigrated to California.  Soon the other band members followed him and they reformed, initially busking on the streets of Santa Monica, adding ridiculous dance moves and a good dose of humour to their performances.  They became so popular that they were discovered by a producer who invited them to record their song.  They went in for one session in which they recorded 20 songs, which became their debut album Crazy Russian Folk'n'Roll in 1991.  Later they entered a talent competition, which they won.  Nowadays they go under the name of the Red Elvises with some changes in personnel.  Here is the winning entry to the talent show called Korobeyniki, which features on the debut album:

 

I can't find out much about singer Anna Hoffman, other than she is based in Moscow and specialises in Sephardic music, the music of the Jewish community that inhabited the Iberian peninsula until they were largely expelled by the late 15th century.  They spoke their own Spanish dialect called Ladino and mixed cultural influences from Spain, North Africa, Turkey and the Balkans.  Hoffman's voice is strong and expressive as her backing band Romancero Sefardi subtly accompanies her.  Here is a short concert of hers showing women's songs of the sephardic tradition, some of which feature on her 2013 album Juego de Siempre:

Finally the all female vocal ensemble and internet sensation Beloe Zlato (White Gold) originally formed in the city of Norilsk in deepest Siberia, but are now based in Moscow.  They all studied music and got together over their shared love of traditional Russian folk.  They made a name for themselves on YouTube performing in romanticised rural settings, wearing simple dress, sometimes traditional costumes, sometimes just jeans and T-shirts, singing in beautiful harmonies a Capello or accompanied by a balalaika.  Their recorded music is not available on the usual channels, but their videos are a joy to watch, as they exude a fresh and carefree energy.  Here is an example of a song called A Week:

That's it from Moscow, next we're heading towards St. Petersburg.  As usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Norway - Agder & Rogaland Counties

Before leaving the Vestfold og Telemark County we stop in the coastal city of Sandefjord.  The above picture was taken there, when I had the pleasure of spending a few days on a private island there back in 1982, attempting to learn to windsurf and waterski.  Jazz guitarist Andreas Haddeland was born here in 1977.  In his latest project he combines with folk singer Liv Ulvik and percussionist Ulrik Ibsen Thorsrud to form a band called Østerlide.  On their 2020 self-titled debut album they re-invent traditional Norwegian folk songs enveloping them in an eerie, haunting soundscape.  Here's a track from the album called Varulven: 

We're heading back south, rounding the nose of the Scandinavian bear to arrive in Agder county.  Hardanger fiddle player Ånon Egeland and viola player Mikael Marin explore the darker side of the traditions of the region with their instruments tuned an octave down.  They call their style folk noir and the tunes are associated with songs of grief, godly reverence and lost love.  They are both considered legends of the Scandinavian folk scene in their own right and got together for a couple of albums, including their 2020 recording Farvel Farvel. Here's a tune from the album called Adam den første:

Singer/songwriter, record producer and novelist Jenny Hval was born in Tvedestrand in Agder county in 1980.  She has dabbled in various genres, including alternative rock, experimental folk and avant-garde, having started her music career in Gothic metal.  She cites Kate Bush as one of her main influences.  She is known for controversial lyrics tackling subjects like pornography and the patriarchy and felt a bit of a hypocrite when she got married recently, given that she has previously been critical of conventions around love and relationships.  She dealt with those conflicts in her own persona with her latest album Classic Objects and particularly with this song of the album called Year of Love:

Back to something more traditional, folk singer and silversmith Kirsten Bråten Berg was born in Arendal in Agder County in 1950.  Trained as a silversmith she got into singing traditional Norwegian folk songs in the 1970's.  She has given concerts and recorded numerous albums since.  In 1990 she met jazz bassist Arild Andersen (whom we met in an earlier post) and has joined his band since.  Her last solo album was in 2010 called Songen and this is a song from it called Astrid, mi Astrid:

Moving on to Stavanger, the main city of Rogaland County for something a bit different.  Here we meet a band called Naaljos Ljom, who play what they call "Traditional Norwegian Microtonal Dance Music".  Essentially it's another complete re-invention of Norwegian folk music, by giving it the electronic dance floor treatment.  I'm not entirely sure it's my cup of tea, but I'll leave it out there anyway for yourselves to judge.  This is from their 2021 self-titled debut album called Langeleikslått:

Singer/songwriter Aurora Aksnes, known simply as Aurora, was born in Stavanger in 1996, although grew up in Høle in Rogaland and a remote village in the Os Mountains near Bergen.  Being surrounded by nature in a relatively isolated location has very much influenced her outlook on life and musical style.  She has achieved some considerable international success with her Nordic folk influenced pop.  She also sites Kate Bush as her influences, as well as Bjørk, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.  Here's the opening track to her 2016 debut album All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend called Runaway:

    `Finally we revisit Slovakian-Norwegian Gypsy orchestra Angrusori, whom we met before in Slovakia.  They are a collaboration between 2 cultural centres involving the Kitchen Orchestra from Stavanger and a group from Slovakia's Roma community.  They got together to record an album at a venue called Tou in Stavanger in 2021, which then appropriately was named Live at Tou.  This is a track from the album called Pre ada baro svetos:

This is it for today, next we'll head up the west coast of Norway towards Bergen.  In the meantime, as usual you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.