Music

Contents

Introduction / Mugla (T) / Serifos (GR) / Athens (GR) / Vlore (AL) / Brindisi (I) / Solta Island  (HR) / Pola (HR) / Koper (SLO) / Venice (I)

Introduction
In this part of our Blog we are going to present the musicians we meet. On the top of the page, you’ll find the most recent up-dates. We will give a short portrait with some basic information, place an interview of 1-2 minutes where the musician can introduce himself, give his opinion on his country or one phenomenon of his culture and where he then introduces one song of his choice. This song in a way should reflect one aspect of his culture and therefore provide a closure to his argument.

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Turkey / Muğla: “Karmaliter”
On the 29th of September we met with Kenan, a turkish student from Muğla, who kindly introduced us to Cem, the owner of the “Matizz Bar” in Muğla and head of the local band “Karmaliter”. The name of this band comes from a political group in about 900 after Christ who fought for Communist and Anarchist ideals. We spent a very funny and nice evening and where received in a truly way of “Turkish hospitality”. We almost wouldn´t stop eating and drinking all night long and we passed a whole night with talking, clapping our hands in the rythm of the music and – some of us – even with dancing! It was an extraordinary experience. Please find the provisional video of the interviews below with an extra link for the translations!

Portrait
Name: Cem Kocabiyik; Murat Yilmaz; Önder Cakir
Profession: Bar owner and Saz-player; decor-teacher and flut-player; Guitarist
Type of music: Turkish traditional and modern songs
Born: Mugla 1980; Izmir 1981; Eskisehir 1984
Residence: Muğla
Website: Check facebook under muratyilmazmurat@hotmail.com!

Click here for a translation!

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Turkey / Muğla: Gürsan Saraç
Date: 30th of September.

Portrait
Name: Gürsan Saraç
Profession: Classical music conductor, Head of Music Department of Mugla University
Type of music: Turkish Classical Music
Residence: Muğla
Website: Check “agsarac” videos on Youtube!
Songs: 1. Çökertme, 2. Köyceğiz Yallari, 3. Feraye: A Capella, 4. Kerimoğlu

Video will be made as soon as possible!

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Greece / Serifos: Traditional Serifos Group
Date: September 2009.

Portrait
Name: Theodore
Profession: Singer and drumms
Type of music: Traditional songs from Serifos Island
Born and Residence: Serifos
Band members: Nikos Livianos (Toubi), Nikolaos Moustakas (Toubi), Adonis Zacharias (Souvavli), Konstantinos Magoulas (Souvavli)

Greece / Athens: Spiros Georgiadis
Date: September 2009.

Portrait
Name: Spiros Georgiadis
Profession: Oude-Player
Type of music: Traditional Greek songs
Born: Halkidaifos
Website: http://www.myspace.com/utici

Video will be made s soon as possible!

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Albania / Vlore: Musicians Petro Marko Theatre
On September the 4th 2009, we went to meet Dhimitraq Furxhi, the director of the theatre Petro Marko in the centre of Vlore. The contact we made thanks to Artan, a well known painter of the city that collaborated in our earlier project Happy Albania. Dhimitraq presented us to Artur, a compositor and director of the music department of that theatre. Though we had extremely little time to stay in Vlore, and though the theatre was closed for holidays, Artur managed to call a group of six musicians that would come the next morning(a Saturday!) to play for us. In fact, Artur was so kind to explain the evolution of Albanian music to us, which we will demonstrate with three different music epochs below. Enjoy the small introduction into Albanian music!

Albanian “Music Lesson”
1. Traditional a capella, polyphonic style with four voices: A Capella Song
2. Traditional music with voice and instruments, particularly for Vlore, between 1930 and 1970: Song 2
3. “Our dancing” from the modern singer “Maja” together with the polyphonic group from Dukat: Song 3
4. Type of music called “Pogonishte”: A traditional dance from the South of Albania. The rhythm is 2/4 and it is danced in an open and mixed circle of people: Song 4
5. Song “Arome Portokalli” (Orange Aroma) chosen by the musicians of the theatre to show to the readers! It is the most popular song of their city Vlore: Song 5

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Albania / Vlore: Rovena Ibrahimi
On the 5th of September we met Rovena in occasion of our meeting with the musicians from the local theatre “Petro Marko” in Vlore. Originally Rovena just helped us to make translations of the musicians statements into Italian, but then she turned out to be quite popular in Vlore and even gave us two CD’s of hers. After the translations were finished Rovena was very kind and gave us a tour with her car around the city. We visited her Language-Studio for children, where she offers for little money English and Italianlessons to children in her neighbourhood. – Oh yes, and I forgot: She made us taste a salty “milk-water drink” which was firstly a little bit unfamiliar, but which then became even more addicting afterwards. Faleminderit Shume Rovena! .

Portrait
Name: Rovena Ibrahimimi
Profession: Singer
Type of music: Turbofolk (Albanian Pop Music)
Born: Skhoder, 1985
Residence: Vlore
Selected song: Buj Buj (Song with traditional melody and modern rythms)

Buj Buj

 

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Italy / Brindisi: Nico Berardi
On the 1st of September we met Nico Berardi. He came together with his friend Patrizia Fazio, a South Italian paintress, to meet us at the port of Brindisi. They were so kind and take us with their car to an olive grove close by a nature reserve called Torre Guaceto, 27km from Brindisi. There we made the shootings in front of olive trees that are more than 100 years old, a beautiful place! But the location has not been chosen merely out of picturesque reasons, but also in order to put Nico`s instrument, the “Zampogna”, a South-Italian double-chantered bagpipe made out of the wood of olive trees, into the framework of its original background. These shootings were very gripping and captivating, not only for the strength of the music, but also for Nico´s overwhelming love for what he does. .

Portrait
Name: Nico Berardi
Profession: “Zampogna” /ethnic flutes/Chitarra/Charango-Instrumentalist , compositor
Type of music: Traditional Apulian music
Born: Bari, 1964
Residence: Ceglie Messapica, in the countryside close to Brindis
Album: Il soffio dell`oltre (the whiff of the bota bag)
Selected song: El Viaje (Spanish for “The journey”)

El viaje

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Croatia / Island of Šolta: Klapa Group “Cuvite”

On the 21st of August we went to meet Mia, Katja and Sylviain the small city of Stomorska on Solta. They invited us to come the open-air concert in the city centre and it was wonderfully cosy and almost “romantic” in that place: in-between the trees the eight members of the Klapa Cuvite, all of them women, sang with their beautiful voices in white dresses… Very nice.

By the way: we also enjoyed the cookies a lot they distributed to the audience. Extremely delicious.

Portrait
Name: Mia Domacina
Profession: Singer
Band: Klapa Cuvite
Type of music: Traditional Croatian singing
Born: Solta, 1987
Residence: Stomorska, Solta
Album: Barka Posrid Srca
Selected song: “Piva Klapa ispod volta” (Klapa ist singing under the window), or better known under “S Ponistre se vidi Solta” (From the window you see solta).

Piva Klapa Ispod Volta

Croatian version with subtitles / new cut

English version

Lyrics in German: Piva klapa ispo’ volta – Unter dem Torbogen singt eine Klapa Gruppe
Es singt eine Klapa leise in dieser stillen Sommernacht, Sie kommt unter der Treppe vorbei, Wo deine Wäsche zum Trocknen hängt. Die Stimmen werden bis zu deinem Fenster getragen, Der Vollmond lacht die Stadt an. Du stehst von deinem Bett auf um der Serenade zu lauschen.

Refr.:   Vom Fenster aus sieht man Šolta, die Klapa singt unter dem Steinbogen, in der Ferne leuchten die Fischerboote. Die Klapa singt leise.

Du gehst im Zimmer umher, auf deinem Nachttisch steht das Bild des Mannes, welchen das Meer zu sich genommen hat. Die Promenade ist schon längst Menschenleer, alle Hoftore sind geschlossen, unter dem Bogen singt die Klapa, deine Bettwäsche duftet. Leise schiebst du den Fenstervorhang weg, du bist reif wie eine Sommerfrucht. Von der Liebe und vom Wein singt die  Klapa unter dem Bogen.

Refr.: Niemand wird dich strafen, wenn du dein Trauerkleid ablegen würdest, Diese Trauer wird dich welken lassen Wo du doch noch Schönheit geben kannst. Vom Fenster aus sieht man Šolta, Es funkelt ein kleines Licht unter dem Torbogen, Nach Mitternacht singt die Klapa leise ihr Lied.

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Croatia / Pola: Franko Krajcar
On the 17th of August the crew met Franko Krajcar in Pola. They made the contacts thanks to Grace, the wife of our friend Marco. Franko is well known in his aerea as he makes his music with the typical instruments of his region.  He was living and playing in Switzerland and collaborating with various musicians in Europe. Teammembers described him as a very sure, tranquil personality, with a strong opinion, discrete, and very sympathetic. It was a pleasure for all crew members to meet him. .

Portrait
Name: Franko Krajcar
Profession: Singer and plays 17 Istrian instruments
Type of music: Istrian Spiritual-Ethno-Rock
Born / Residence: Pola
Album: Pensieri
Selected song: Pensieri
Websites: http://www.frankokrajcar.com/

Pensieri

A very Franko song: Pensieri  …and Bruno and Givanni working at the jib…

Slovenia / Koper: Od Franclna Mozgani
On 12th of August there was the second meeting with musicians, this time we met the band Od Francla Mozgani (“Franzl’s brain”) at the Jeff Festival in Koper! To bypass problems with navigation our team divided. While Fine went by train and bus to Slovenia, the rest of our team went by boat directly to Pula/ Croatia. The interviews were held with each member of the team – Jure (founder, guitar), Jure (bass guitar), Mrimoz (pimpi/percussion) and Jaka (drummer) – but only that interview that referred most to the chosen song is going to be presented on this site, done by Jaka. The other interviews you’ll find on “news” as soon as the cutting is finished, as well as other useful information on music and culture in Slovenia. .

Portrait
Name: Jaka Berger
Profession: Drummer
Band: Od Franclna Mozgani (“Frantzle’s Brain”)
Type of music: funk, jazz, afro-cuban, rock (in this band)
Born: Novo Mesto, 1980
Residence: Maribor
Websites: http://www.myspace.com/odfranclnamozgani, http://www.myspace.com/brgstime (personal)
Selected song: Lesbian show named Herald

Lesbian show named Herald

Jaka about the music scene in Montenegro!

Jure about Homosexuality in Slovenia!

Please find the video on “Primoz about the passion for things from abroad and their cons” in the chapter of Slovenia.

Please find the video “Jure on Slovenia” in the chapter of Slovenia.

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Italy / Venice: Gerardo Balestrieri
OnThe first interview we did was with Gerardo Balestrieri on 31st of July in Venice. As we did not dispose of any experience in interviewing, many mistakes happened and the quality of the final video is not brilliant, in effect. Anyways, we would like to ask our audience to regard it as a first attempt… Gerardo was an ideal interview partner, as he kept calm during all the work and as he provided us with his interesting point of view. He was of great help to us. Grazie Gerardo!

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Portrait
Name: Gerardo Balestrieri
Profession: Singer-Songwriter, Accordion
Band: Gerardo Balestrieri
Type of music: Balcan-oriental
Born: Remscheid/Germany, 1971
Residence: Venice
Websites: http://www.gerardobalestrieri.com
Album: Un Turco napolitano a Venezia
Selected song: Maruzzella

.track 2 mp3 G Balestrieri

Neapolitan song “Maruzzella”

Ohe! Chi sente E chi mo canta appriesso a me Ohe, pe tramente s affaccia a luna pe vede! Pe tutta sta marina a Procida a Resina se dice: guarda lla na femmena che fa! Maruzzella Maruzze, t e miso dint a lluocchie o mare e me miso npietto a me nu dispiacere Stu core me fai sbattere cchiu forte e ll onne quanno o ciclo e scuro: primma me dice si po doce doce mi fai muri. Maruzzella Maruzze Ohe! Chi m aiuta Si tu nun viene a m aiuta Ohe, m e venuta na voglia ardente e te vasa E vienetenne oj bella e damme sta vucchella ca pe m avvelena e zucchero se fa! Maruzzella, Maruzze…

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Concert on 1st of August 2009 @ Gervasuti Foundation// Venice

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