Tazi Baba / This Baba is a 30-minute documentary film by Bogdan Darev. It is the story of one grandmother, Penka Encheva, who was an extraordinary traditional singer in her native Bulgaria. She had dreams of becoming a professional singer, but her path led her to become a teacher instead. In 2010, at age 67, she came to America to live with her daughter’s family and help care for her two young grandsons. Penka’s is a universal story of grandmothers from every country across the globe who are divided between here and there, isolated by a lack of English, stuck in suburbs, missing their friends and loved ones back home. However, Penka found a new life with a choir, Bulgarian Voices of Seattle, and is now making her dreams come true. Contact mary@marysherhart.com for order information.
This DVD is part of the Songs of Our Families Bulgarian Heritage Project sponsored by the Bulgarian Cultural and Heritage Center of Seattle and produced by Mary Sherhart. Click on the link for more information.
Musaic (“Music from the Balkans to Tierra Caliente”) is a local band in Humboldt County, Calif. Some of the members have been playing Balkan music together for over 20 years. Musaic has been performing for folk dancing and belly dancers, in coffee shops, and for parties and weddings in this configuration for seven years. Check out the band’s website for samples of music and information about band members.
Songs and dances on the CD include: Gjushevska Rachenitsa, Erev Shel Shoshanim (Yosef Hadar and Moshe Dor), Mazltov, Svadbarski Čoček, Gorani, Imate Li Vino, and many more.
To order, contact Dan Chandler, 436 Old Wagon Rd., Trinidad, CA 95570. Phone: 707/601-6127 or 707/677-3359. E-mail: dwchandl@suddenlink.net.
Dunava is a Seattle-based Balkan women’s vocal ensemble, founded in 2005. This CD features (obviously) a variety of Bulgarian songs—arranged and traditional, instrumental and a cappella. Bulgarian folk songs are at once beautiful, haunting and captivating. They speak of hardships in life and love, but can also be flirty and lighthearted.
This compilation has it all—complex rhythms, close harmonies and that unique Bulgarian vocal sound. Several of these songs were learned at the EEFC Balkan Music & Dance Workshops in Mendocino.
The CD is for sale directly through the CDs page on the Dunava website. Preview and online download are available at CD Baby.
Traditional Balkan songs and dances sung by Peter Lyster, Tatiana Sarbinska, and Orfeia Vocal Ensemble with fresh, modern arrangements from the creative mind of Koliu Kolev.
This 18-track recording includes performances of Devojko Mari Hubava; Bjah Pil Vino; Aksano, Mlada Nevesto; Jove Malaj Mome; Pitat Me, Mamo, V Selo Momite, and many others.
To order the CD and individual tracks, go to CDBaby.
New recordings and books by folks in the EEFC community. Names in bold type indicate EEFC Workshop campers, staff, teachers, and other EEFC supporters.
Traditional Balkan songs and dances sung by Peter Lyster, Tatiana Sarbinska, and Orfeia Vocal Ensemble with fresh, modern arrangements from the creative mind of Koliu Kolev.
This 18-track recording includes performances of Devojko Mari Hubava; Bjah Pil Vino; Aksano, Mlada Nevesto; Jove Malaj Mome; Pitat Me, Mamo, V Selo Momite, and many others.
To order the CD and individual tracks, go to CDBaby.
Dunava is a Seattle-based Balkan women's vocal ensemble, founded in 2005. This CD features (obviously) a variety of Bulgarian songs—arranged and traditional, instrumental and a cappella. Bulgarian folk songs are at once beautiful, haunting and captivating. They speak of hardships in life and love, but can also be flirty and lighthearted.
This compilation has it all—complex rhythms, close harmonies and that unique Bulgarian vocal sound. Several of these songs were learned at the EEFC Balkan Music & Dance Workshops in Mendocino.
The CD is for sale directly through the CDs page on the Dunava website. Preview and online download are available at CD Baby.
Tazi Baba / This Baba is a 30-minute documentary film by Bogdan Darev. It is the story of one grandmother, Penka Encheva, who was an extraordinary traditional singer in her native Bulgaria. She had dreams of becoming a professional singer, but her path led her to become a teacher instead. In 2010, at age 67, she came to America to live with her daughter’s family and help care for her two young grandsons. Penka’s is a universal story of grandmothers from every country across the globe who are divided between here and there, isolated by a lack of English, stuck in suburbs, missing their friends and loved ones back home. However, Penka found a new life with a choir, Bulgarian Voices of Seattle, and is now making her dreams come true. Contact mary@marysherhart.com for order information.
This DVD is part of the Songs of Our Families Bulgarian Heritage Project sponsored by the Bulgarian Cultural and Heritage Center of Seattle and produced by Mary Sherhart. Click on the link for more information.
Musaic (“Music from the Balkans to Tierra Caliente”) is a local band in Humboldt County, Calif. Some of the members have been playing Balkan music together for over 20 years. Musaic has been performing for folk dancing and belly dancers, in coffee shops, and for parties and weddings in this configuration for seven years. Check out the band’s website for samples of music and information about band members.
Songs and dances on the CD include: Gjushevska Rachenitsa, Erev Shel Shoshanim (Yosef Hadar and Moshe Dor), Mazltov, Svadbarski Čoček, Gorani, Imate Li Vino, and many more.
To order, contact Dan Chandler, 436 Old Wagon Rd., Trinidad, CA 95570. Phone: 707/601-6127 or 707/677-3359. E-mail: dwchandl@suddenlink.net.
Penka Encheva and Friends is a 17-track CD recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center in Seattle. It features Penka singing songs from her native Bulgaria, many from the region of Dobrudzha in northeast Bulgaria.
Guest artists include: Bulgarian Voices of Seattle Women’s Choir, whose 30 members were all born in Bulgaria; David Bilides, kaval and tambura; Aleksandr Eppler, kaval; Michael Lawson, accordion; Hristo Mollov, clarinet; Vladimir Mollov, accordion; Jody Rush, vocals. Order at cdbaby.com.
This CD is part of the Songs of Our Families Bulgarian Heritage Project, sponsored by the Bulgarian Cultural and Heritage Center of Seattle and produced by Mary Sherhart.
Now available for preorder: Eva Salina's first large ensemble recording, a tribute to Šaban Bajramović, the legendary Romani singer and composer from Southern Serbia.
With Šaban’s songs, transformed by an imaginative and capable international collection of musicians, Eva casts off gender and genre, welcoming input from diverse forms of dance music while paying respect to one of Romani music’s all-time greatest voices.
Visit www.evasalina.com for more information and to preorder.
Longtime Balkan camp teachers Donka Koleva, Nikolay Kolev and Vassil Bebelekov team up with multi-instrumentalist Varna native Dragni Dragnev on a collection of 12 Bulgarian dance tunes that will get your toes a-tapping. Bulgarika is touring the U.S. this fall, so be sure to catch one of their shows if you can. If you aren't lucky enough to see them live, Donka will gladly hook you up with a CD when the band returns from tour. Email her or call 646/296-4045 to place an order. Listen to track samples here.
Now one of the premier Greek bands in the U.S., the East Coast and West Coast members of Ziyiá met at the Mendocino Balkan camp in 1990 and have been actively playing together ever since. They are excited to finally have another recording—it’s been a while.
George Chittenden – clarinet, gaida, guitar, zourna
Christos Govetas – clarinet, laouto, vocals
Beth Bahia Cohen – violin
Lise Liepman – accordion, santouri
Rumen Sali Shopov – daouli, doumbeleki
$15 or $9.99 digital at cdbaby.com (currently in production; will be available soon)
The AgaRhythm label is re-issuing a newly mastered Near East Far West, a recording made in 1998 that features two fine musicians—Souren Baronian and Haig Manoukian. Souren is still burning the music up, and Haig is never far from our thoughts. This recording was made after being together in Hawaii for a particularly rainy week. Instead of hitting the beaches we hung out inside making music all day, sharing our different musical interests. This musical mix captures that moment in time.
This recording features: Souren Baronian – clarinet, soprano saxophone, riq; Haig Manoukian – oud; George Chittenden – clarinet, alto saxophone; Lise Liepman – santouri, accordion, vocal; Polly Tapia Ferber – doumbek, bendir, Dan Auvil – tupan, defi
$12 or $9.99 digital at cdbaby.com
David Bilides and Dragi Spasovski have recently released the 35th podcast in their series, “Macedonian Postcards,” which features the song “Ori Jano, Sokol Jano,” a love song from the Tetovo area of Macedonia. Dragi discusses the background of the song and talks about the differences between singing with kavals and gajdas, and ornamenting melodies.
Since the first podcast in 2007, David and Dragi have discussed and provided samples drawn from the 54 Macedonian folk songs in Dragi’s three-CD and songbook project issued by Izvor Music. On each podcast, Dragi tells stories about the recordings and musicians and gives glimpses of his life and Macedonian culture in general. You can download each episode individually, listen to an audio stream of each episode, or subscribe to the entire series. Go to: http://podcasts.izvormusic.com
This is Margaret Loomis’ 13th year of putting together a large collection of digital photos from East Coast Balkan camp as a fundraiser for EEFC.
The 2013 Iroquois Springs camp was another amazing week, full of fantastic music, dancing, classes, parties, food, kafanas and friends. These photos will bring back memories if you were at camp, or give you a very good idea of the week if you weren’t there. The photos make a great slideshow—enjoy the DVD yourself, or use it to convince your friends to come to camp! The collection is a lot of fun, and it also makes a nice gift. “I can pretty much guarantee you that there are a lot more camp photos in this collection than you took on your phone,” Margaret says.
The 2013 DVD contains 1,072 photos, including:
- evening parties and kafanas
- music and dance classes in action
- group sings
- Zlatne Uste’s 30-year celebration on Monday night
- auction on Tuesday night
- classes performing at Friday’s student concert
- Friday afternoon soccer game
- candid and semi-candid shots throughout the week
- lots of kids at camp
- scenic views of Iroquois Springs
- many spontaneous moments
The DVD is available for $30 plus $2 shipping/handling in the U.S. Please make checks payable to Margaret Loomis and send to Margaret Loomis, 10206 Day Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Phone 301/565-0539; or email for more information. All proceeds go to EEFC. (Photo collections from most past years are also still available.)
Drómeno, a band based in Seattle and led by Christos Govetas and Ruth Hunter, presents regional music from all over Greece and the Balkans. This recording is a collection of their favorite Macedonian (brass) dance tunes from both sides of the border. Christos Govetas – clarinet, voice; Ruth Hunter – accordion, voice; Eleni Govetas – saxophone; Nick Maroussis – guitar; Peter Lippman – trumpet; Bobby Govetas – drums; and special guest – Benji Rifati: trumpet.
$15 CD or $9.99 digital at cdbaby.com