THE BULGARIAN PROJECT
During my time with the Riverdance show, I became good
friends with GEORGI PETROV, a Bulgarian master musician in the band. He introduced me to Bulgarian
folk music, patiently demonstrating the complex rhythms and scales - often
assisted by generous doses of rakia (the potent Bulgarian fruit spirit).
After a while I tentatively started to transfer my growing understanding of the music onto the
harmonica, an interesting challenge!
I learned some traditional tunes and even started to compose my own Bulgarian-style
original music.
One night after several rakias we decided to make an album together! Thus it was that in the summer of '99 I flew to Sofia, Bulgaria for two weeks of
cultural and musical adventure: a week of recording and a week travelling and meeting the big-hearted people of that great country.
Georgi organised the sessions and plays brilliant gadulka. The other Bulgarian players were top names on their
instruments, including Nedyalko Nedyalko (kaval), Angel Dimitrov (tambura and electric guitar) and Peyo
Peev (keyboards). Along with the astonishing musicians and singers Georgi recruited from his home country, we were also joined by Ray Fean, the noted
Irish rock drummer.
Much of the music was composed in the studio, and this gave the whole project an on-the-edge immediacy that
bursts through on the recorded tracks. Everyone felt the collaboration was a real success, drawing on the strengths of quite different musical backgrounds to
create a unique synthesis.
As yet there is no CD release of this material. However, you can download MP3s of the individual tracks (samples below).
TRACKS: Download Single MP3s (instant!)
H A R M O N I C A S Custom-tuned half-valved
chromatic and diatonic harmonicas.
(Click on links to hear samples of the tracks)
Buy ALL Tracks
1.
The
Sofia Shuffle
2. Mother
& Son
3.
Bulgarian
9/8
4.
Jig
Indigo-Chroma Bender
5.
Gossip
6.
Sweet
Bulgarity
7. Sadness
8.
Nadejda
Bloc
9.
Nagila
Jam
10.
Rajanitsa
Song
11. Petrohan
Pass
