Album Notes

Ethnic Dance Theatre's eight musicians offer a glimpse into the diverse lands of Albania, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan with incomparable soul and liveliness.

Gadulka player Nicolay Gueorguiev loves and longed for the Bulgarian wedding bands he played with as a professional musician in his homeland. Thus, although EDT had been performing Bulgarian music for over a decade, when Nicolay immigrated to the U.S. five years ago he began to groom his new found fellow musicians in an intensely pure Bulgarian style. Many of the conventions of this musical style are unique to its idiom...meaning that it takes a darn deep commitment from a non-native musician to master the complex interpretations and unique rhythms. Nicolay's "Bulgarian violin" adds a haunting timbre to some of the orchestra's greatest hits.

This CD also features the magical hands of Tim O'Keefe (one of the foremost Middle Eastern percussionists in the country) playing the tapan.

Other instruments you'll hear are the accordion, bass, brac. bouzouki, clarinet, flute, kaval, guida, guiro, harmonium, piccolo, tamboura, tarambuka, and violin.