MORE INFORMATIONS COMING SOON

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MARCH

**NEW ALBUM on ELEN MUSIC / 2012 **
EVA QUARTET & HECTOR ZAZOU “THE ARCH”
produced by Dimiter Panev and Hector Zazou

feat. special guests
Laurie Anderson; Bollywood String Orchestra; Cecilia Chailly; Diva Reka Group; Antoni Donchev; Robert Fripp; Bill Frisell; Djiavan Gasparian; Mehdi Haddab; Kaushiki; Zoltan Lantos; Nils Petter Molvær; Carlos Nunez; Bill Rieflin (REM); Ryuichi Sakamoto etc. 

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

08.03 Bergen Festival / NO

Eva Quartet perform the music of Sandra Kolstad

+

15.03 Leverkusen Bielertkirche Opladen / D

16.03 Dresden Dreikönigskirche / D

AYARKHAAN (Yakutiya)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art096en.php
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWEzVIgEBq4

Incredible vocal & jew’s harp woman trio from Yakutia / Siberia.

The music draws on the powers of Nature and the ancient traditions and wisdom of the Yakut people to create an atmosphere of timeless encounter between Man and the Universe.

08.03 Adelaide WOMADelaide / AUS

10.03 Adelaide WOMADelaide / AUS

16.03 New Plymouth WOMAD / NZ

17.03 New Plymouth WOMAD / NZ

TASHI LHUNPO MONASTERY GROUP (Tibet)
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XPrA_6EyZo

Original rituals from Tibet Monastery.

20.03 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof / D
23.03 Wroclaw Synagoga pod Bialym Bocianem / POL
24.03 Dresden Dreikönigskirche / D

MAY

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

29.04 – 05.05 Shanghai World Music Festival / CHN

* MILES DAVIS ON THE BALKAN CLARINET *
* 60 YEARS ANNIVERSARY / 45 YEARS ON STAGE *
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php
David Sanborn TV show Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLQcknhApjM&feature=related

With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely
source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll
be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinettists
around. He and his band race through numbers based
on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations.
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

11.05 Copenhagen Global / DK
13.05 Heidelberg Gypsy Festival / D

ROMANENO (Bulgaria)
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=daU9hO6Tejk

A New Gypsy project from Bulgaria feat. the blind singer Neno Iliev
and the Jazz Formation of Micho Yosifov, a very special new fusion!

17.05 Heidelberg Gypsy Festival / D

JUNE

KARANDILA JUNIOR (Bulgaria)

Link: www.myspace.com/karandilajr
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0q5TGrZ-no

Incredible children gypsy brass orchestra

12.06 Rozansystok Bezgranic Festival / PL

LE MYSTERE DES VOIX BULGARES (Bulgaria)

* World Famous Bulgarian Woman Choir *

29.06 Martigny 5 Continent Festival Festival / CH

JULY

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

12.07 Köln Romanischer Sommer Festival / D

+

27.07 Nürnberg Bardentreffen Festival / D

* MILES DAVIS ON THE BALKAN CLARINET *
* 60 YEARS ANNIVERSARY / 45 YEARS ON STAGE *
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php
David Sanborn TV show Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLQcknhApjM&feature=related

With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely
source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll
be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinettists
around. He and his band race through numbers based
on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations.
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

25.07 Monte Sant’angelo FestAmbiente Sud / IT

AUGUST

BALKAN KHANS (Bulgaria)

Link: balkankhans.wordpress.com/balkan-khans/

10.08 Sziget Festival / HUN

BLACK SEA PROJECT
Link: www.elen-music.com/art006en.php

Anatoly Vapirov – soprano saxophone (Bulgaria)
Enver Izmailov – guitars (Crimea/Ucraine)
Stoyan Yankoulov – percussion (Bulgaria)

” … The musicians succeeded in charming the audience with a vital mixture of rhythms, melodies, improvisation and repeated sounds of the East-European folklore. Highly complex and at the same time spontaneous music – like a conversation which sticks to the point and never develops into insignificance – without mannerism and always exciting… “
Birgit Gabler / Concerto

30.08 Groningen Zomer Jazz Festival / NL


ENVER IZMAILOV SOLO (Crimea/Ucraine)

“By two handed hammering on he is making the guitar a new instrument which is in no way inferior to the polyhone possibilities of the cembalo. Izmailov’s tours through baroque quotations, Slavian folklore and sound excesses are technically and artistically pure magic.”
Uli Olshausen / Frankfurter Allgemeine 

30.08 Groningen Zomer Jazz Festival / NL


OCTOBER


AYARKHAAN (Yakutiya)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art096en.php
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWEzVIgEBq4

Incredible vocal & jew’s harp woman trio from Yakutia / Siberia.

The music draws on the powers of Nature and the ancient traditions and wisdom of the Yakut people to create an atmosphere of timeless encounter between Man and the Universe.

06.10 Tokyo Sound Live Festival / JP


NOVEMBER


TASHI LHUNPO MONASTERY GROUP (Tibet)
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XPrA_6EyZo

Original rituals from Tibet Monastery.

01.11 Upsala Festival for Sacred Music / NO


MOR KARBASI (Israel, Iran, Morroco)
Link: www.morkarbasi.com

New sephardic jewish music. An incredible voice – a very special mix of cultures and music – Jewish, old Persian, North African, Spanish.

14.11 Vienna Sargfabrik / A

JANUARY / FEBRUARY


*** NEW ALBUM on ELEN MUSIC / 2012 ***
EVA QUARTET & HECTOR ZAZOU “THE ARCH”
produced by Dimiter Panev and Hector Zazou

feat. special guests
Laurie Anderson; Bollywood String Orchestra; Cecilia Chailly; Diva Reka Group; Antoni Donchev; Robert Fripp; Bill Frisell; Djiavan Gasparian; Mehdi Haddab; Kaushiki; Zoltan Lantos; Nils Petter Molvær; Carlos Nunez; Bill Rieflin (REM); Ryuichi Sakamoto etc. 

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

18.01 Bonn tba / D
22.01 Amsterdam Tropentheater / NL
23.01 Koblenz Cafe Hahn / D
+
Norway Tour together with Unni Lovlid
24.02 Operahuset pa Nprdfjordeid / NOR
25.02 Riksscena Oslo / NOR
28.02 Dokkhuset Trondheim / NOR


FEBRUARY


MUSIC FROM MONASTERY
one night festival feat.

EVA QUARTET & DVUGLAS (Bulgaria)
TASHI LHUNPO MONASTERY GROUP (Tibet)

03.02 Berlin Philharmonie / D

TASHI LHUNPO MONASTERY GROUP (Tibet)
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XPrA_6EyZo
04.02 Leipzig Halle II / D
05.02 Kassel Schlachthof / D

*** NEW ALBUM ON ACT RECORDS *** 
JOSEFINE CRONHOLM (Sweden / Denmark)
Link: www.myspace.com/josefinecronholminperson

Cronholm’s music is like poetry. A breathtaking, intuitive and absolutely original voice has found its own expression.

09.02 Halle Woman in Jazz Festival / D

CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD Ensemble (Norway)
Link: www.christianwallumrod.com

Christian Wallumrød – piano, harmonium, toy piano
Eivind Lønning – trumpet
Espen Reinertsen – tenor sax
Gjermund Larsen – violin, hardanger fiddle, viola
Tove Törngren – cello
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums, percussion, glockenspiel

” … The Ensemble is expanded to a sextet, yet sounds like one organic corpus. Fiddle, harp, cello and trumpet melt together in beautiful melodies… Jazz, baroque, minimalism, contemporary music are words that only begin to convey a small spectrum of Wallumrod’s musical universe. He has an authentic sense of sound and structure, and again we are spellbound by the unique syntheses and the balanced contrasts …  “
Verdens Gaang

15.02 Leipzig Alte Handelsbörse / D


MARCH


BLACK SEA QUARTET
Link: www.elen-music.com/art006en.php

Zoltan Lantos – violin (Hungary)
Anatoly Vapirov – soprano saxophone (Bulgaria)
Yotis Kiourtsoglou – bass (Greece)
Kornel Horvath – percussion / udo, gato etc. (Hungary)

” … The musicians succeeded in charming the audience with a vital mixture of rhythms, melodies, improvisation and repeated sounds of the East-European folklore. Highly complex and at the same time spontaneous music – like a conversation which sticks to the point and never develops into insignificance – without mannerism and always exciting… “
Birgit Gabler / Concerto

22.03 Neubrandeburg Jazzfestival / D


APRIL


VARDAN GRIGORYAN Duduk Quartet (Armenia)
Link: www.myspace.com/vardangrigoryan
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQZiseWq648

Vardan’s unique talent for the live performance of Armenian folk music and his own compositions was revealed already in the music school. It proves his various collaborations with several world-known musicians, such as Paul Winter, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, etc. Vardan works and collaborates with Arto Tuncboyacjyan & Armenian Navy Band, he has participated in different international festivals (such as “Music Meeting”, “Jazz at Vienne”, “Strictly Mundial”, etc.) representing both, Armenian Culture and his own unique musical compositions.
Vardan’s collaborations with each project brings unique features and flavour.
Vardan has taken part in the creation of many different recordings, playing in various styles (jazz, folk, pop, etc.).

10.04 Leipzig naTo / D

*** VERY SPECIAL PROJECT / 60 YEARS ANNIVERSARY ***
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

feat many special guests from diferent countries
like OKAY TEMIZ, FERUS MUSTAFOV, PANDELIS STOIKOS, KALMAN BALOGH, ROBERTO DE BRASSOV etc.

” … With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinetists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations … “
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

14.04 Brussel Balkan Trafik Festival / B

KARANDILA JR (Bulgaria)
children gypsy brass orchestra
Link: www.myspace.com/karandilajr

16.04 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof / D

YAZDJIAN-KIOURTSOGLOU-KARIPIS SUPERTRIO (Armenia / Greece)
Link: www.myspace.com/haigyazdjian

Haig Yazdjian – ud, voice
Yiotis Kiourtsoglou – el.bass
Vangelis Karipis – percussion

Haig Yazdjian was born by Armenian parents in Syria, and has been living in Greece for the last 20 years. Yazdjian was hailed for the unique ways he was blending diverse elements of the eastern Mediterranean music traditions vested in the practice of considering tradition as a live creative force.

22.04 Freiberg Jazz Festival / D
25.04 Ilmenau Jazz Festival / D
26.04 Wien Sargfabrik / A
27.04 Innsbruck Festival / A


JUNE / JULY


MUNADJAT YULCHIEVA (Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art055en.php

Munojatkhon Yulchieva – vocal
Shavkat Mukhamedov – rubab
Dilfuza Khaydarova – dutar
Khodjimurad Safarov – doira

“Leading performer of classical Uzbek music and its Persian-language cousin Shashmaqâm. One of the Great Artist and Voices from Mid Asia!”
As a performer she is incredible, like a Queen – She is a part of the World Heritage!

12.06 Rovigo tba / IT
14.06 Ravena Festival / IT

15.06 Torino Museum of Oriental Art / IT

KARANDILA JR (Bulgaria)
children gypsy brass orchestra
Link: www.myspace.com/karandilajr
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0q5TGrZ-no

16.06 Prague Rachot Festival / CZ

+
22.07 Namest Nad Oslavou Festival / CZ


JULY / AUGUST


TASHI LHUNPO MONASTERY GROUP (Tibet)
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XPrA_6EyZo

02.07 Trento Festival / IT

*** NEW ALBUM ON ACT RECORDS *** 
JOSEFINE CRONHOLM (Sweden / Denmark)
Link: www.myspace.com/josefinecronholminperson

Cronholm’s music is like poetry. A breathtaking, intuitive and absolutely original voice has found its own expression.

07.07 Kongsberg Jazz Festival / NOR

ROMANENO (Bulgaria)
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogypkk_SdA8&hd=1

Neno Iliev – vocal
Misho Yosifov – trumpet
Boris Iliev – sax
Willy Stoyanov – trombone
Boris Taslev – double bass
Vasil Spassov – piano
Venzi Radev – drums

A New Gypsy project from Bulgaria feat. the blind singer Neno Iliev and the Jazz Formation of Micho Yosifov, a very special new fusion!

07.07 Worms Jazz & Joy Festival / D

+

24.-29.07 Antwerpen Zomer van Antwerpen Festival / B

EVA QUARTET & DVUGLAS (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

13.07 Fribourg Festival for Sacred Music / CH

LE MYSTERE DES VOIX BULGARES (Bulgaria)
*** World Famous Bulgarian Woman Choir ***

17.07 Lörrach Stimmen Festival / D

18.07 Feldkirchen Amthof / A

*** GRAVEL-VOICED TROUBADOUR ***
RENE LACAILLE & BAND (Reunion)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art095en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/renelacaille

Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l’Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion’s vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture’s celebration of life and good times.

” … The gravel-voiced troubadour in rumbustuous form, swinging between rum-soaked chansons and thumping singalongs … “
The Observer UK

29.07 Nürnberg Bardentreffen Festival / D
******** MILES DAVIS ON THE BALKAN CLARINET ********
**** 60 YEARS ANNIVERSARY / 45 YEARS ON STAGE ****
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria) *
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

David Sunborn TV show
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCweFfcV7Xo

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely
source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll
be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinettists
around. He and his band race through numbers based
on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations.”
*SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC*

13.08 San Marino Etnofestival / SM
15.08 Kilkenny Arts Festival / IRL
17.08 Oslo Festival / NOR
18.08 Zürich Festival (Option) / CH
 
 
JULY / DECEMBER


**** NEW ALBUM on ELEN MUSIC / 2012 ***
EVA QUARTET & HECTOR ZAZOU “THE ARCH”
* produced by Dimiter Panev and Hector Zazou *

feat. special guests
Laurie Anderson; Bollywood String Orchestra; Cecilia Chailly; Diva Reka
Group; Antoni Donchev; Robert Fripp; Bill Frisell; Djiavan Gasparian;
Mehdi Haddab; Kaushiki; Zoltan Lantos; Nils Petter Molvær; Carlos Nunez;
Bill Rieflin (REM); Ryuichi Sakamoto etc.

* EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria) *
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four
solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix
bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that
you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is
pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

26.07-01.08 Taipei International Choral Festival / TW
+
20.08 Zürich Theaterspektakel Festival / CH
+
17.10 Olsztyn Theatre Festival / PL
+
16.11 Transvocale Festival / D

DECEMBER

MUNADJAT YULCHIEVA (Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art055en.php

Munojatkhon Yulchieva – vocal
Shavkat Mukhamedov – rubab
Dilfuza Khaydarova – dutar
Khodjimurad Safarov – doira

“Leading performer of classical Uzbek music and its Persian-language cousin Shashmaqâm. One of the Great Artist and Voices from Mid Asia!”
As a performer she is incredible, like a Queen – She is a part of the World Heritage!

09.12 Lörrach Burghof / D

******** MILES DAVIS ON THE BALKAN CLARINET ********
**** 60 YEARS ANNIVERSARY / 45 YEARS ON STAGE ****
IVO PAPASOV SPECIAL ACOUSTIC BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

” … With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations… “ 
*SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC*

12.12 Vienna Konzerthaus / A

FEBRUARY


STEPANIDA BORISOVA ENSEMBLE (Yakutia)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art032en.php

Shaman vocals from Asia with drums and electronic.
The vocalist Stepanida Borisova belongs to the Turkish people of Sakha who are living in Jakutia and who are rooted in the religion of shamanism. She is in command of different styles of Jakutian singing.

03.02 Antwerpen Zuiderpershuis / B
04.02 Amsterdam Tropentheater / NL
05.02 Utrecht Rasa / NL


FEBRUARY / MARCH


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

06.02 Lerida Caixa Forum / ES
08.02 Palma Mallorca Caixa Forum / ES
+
27.02 Barcelona Caixa Forum / ES
01.03 Madrid Caixa Forum / ES


MARCH


*** NEW ALBUM ON ACT RECORDS ***
JOSEFINE CRONHOLM (Sweden / Denmark)
Link: www.myspace.com/josefinecronholminperson

Josefine Cronholm – vocal
Gustaf Ljunggren – guitar
Jonas Berg – piano, keys
Gunnar Halle – trumpet
Thommy Andersson – Bass
Bent Clausen – drums, vibraphone

Cronholm’s music is like poetry. A breathtaking, intuitive and absolutely original voice has found its own expression.

18.03 St.Ingbert Jazz Festival / D
19.03 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof / D

ISABELLE OLIVIER (France)

Isabelle Olivier – harp
David Venitucci – accordion
Louis Moutin – drums

” … We’re under the spell : Isabelle’s harp blends harmoniously with her magnificent quintet, offering an original, ground-breaking, repertoire. The music is beautiful, as unfettered and wild as the ocean, open on all ends. Each musician writes for the group and breathes his own poetry into the project … “
Jazzman / LE

23.03 Vienna Sargfabrik Akkordeon Festival / A


APRIL


*** WONDERFUL CHAMBER PROJECT ***
KALMAN BALOGH & PETER RALCHEV BALKAN PROJECT (Hungary / Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art045en.php

Kálmán Balogh – cimbalom (Hungary)
Peter Ralchev – accordion (Bulgaria)
Ateshhan Juseinov – guitar, tambura (Bulgaria)
Csaba Novák – double bass (Hungary)

* New Project of two great Balkan Musicians *
Peter Ralchev – the great Bulgarian accordion virtuoso with
Kalman Balogh – the great Hungarian cimbalom player!

15.04 Brussels Balkan Trafik Festival / B


MAY / JUNE


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

13.05 A-cappella Woche Hannover / D
15.05 A-cappella Woche Hannover / D
+
24.05 Murcia Festival / ES
26.05 Bergen Festspillene / NOR
27.05 Kristiansand Spilles i Agder Teater / NOR
28.05 Oslo Vigeland Mausoleum / NOR
+
04.06 Augsburg Maximilianmuseum / D


JULY


*** GRAVEL-VOICED TROUBADOUR ***
RENE LACAILLE & BAND (Reunion)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art095en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/renelacaille

Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l’Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion’s vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture’s celebration of life and good times.

” … The gravel-voiced troubadour in rumbustuous form, swinging between rum-soaked chansons and thumping singalongs … “
The Observer UK

02. & 03.07 Rudolstadt Festival / D

*** WOMAN FROM SIBERIA ***
AYARKHAAN (Yakutiya)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art096en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/ayarkhaan

The music draws on the powers of Nature and the ancient traditions and wisdom of the Yakut people to create an atmosphere of timeless encounter between Man and the Universe. Ayarkhaan’s performances on the khomus an instrument that was said to have been made by gods and possess a magical voice – are inspired by a tradition that has been handed down for centuries but also reflects modern musical thinking.

29.07 Sines Festival / P
30.07 Sfinks Festival / B
31.07 Womad Festival / UK


JULY / AUGUST


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is  pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

01.07 Haarlem Internationale Koorbiënnale / NL
+
26.08 Singapure National Musuem Festival / SG
27.08 Singapure National Musuem Festival / SG

*** MILES DAVIS OF THE BALKAN CLARINET ***
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

” … With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations … “
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

02.07 Roskilde Festival / DK
+
10.08 Mantova / IT
12.08 Roccella Jazz Festival / IT
13.08 Cisternino Jazz Festival / IT


SEPTEMBER


*** CREATIVE BALKAN MUSIC ***
DIVA REKA (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/divareka

Kostadin Genchev – kaval
Dimitar Hristov – tamboura
Stella Bakalova – double bass
Stoyan Pavlov – percussion
feat. female vocal

“Diva Reka” is a project for acoustic-ethno music on the basis of the Bulgarian folklore. The musicians bring this project together in order to show a different view on the Bulgarian folklore music and a different aesthetics of musicianship. The tasteful compositions are conceived with precision, while the improvised sections spurt with virtuosity, energy and charm.

10.09 Lich Festival / D

*** MILES DAVIS OF THE BALKAN CLARINET ***
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

” … With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinetists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations … ”
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

21.09 Feldkirchen Kultur Forum / A
22.09 Bonn Beethoven Festival / D
23.09 Esch-Sur-Alzette Kulturfabrik / LUX
24.09 Gent Decentrale / B
27.09 Kiev Opera House feat Symphonic Orchestra / UKR


OCTOBER


BULGARA (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/bulgaragroup

Their music is a homogenous very groove mixture of extracts of Balkan and Bulgarian folklore with modern beats like drum & bass, funk etc.
Modern sound, adding to the beauty of the traditional Balkan Music.

03.10 Bonn Oper Platz Festival / D

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is  pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

16.10 Salzburg Jazz & The City Festival / A
+
20.11 Warsaw Ethnographic Museum / POL


NOVEMBER


ENVER IZMAILOV SOLO (Crimea Tatar / Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art008en.php

“By two handed hammering on he is making the guitar a new instrument which is in no way inferior to the polyhone possibilities of the cembalo. Izmailov’s tours through baroque quotations, Slavian folklore and sound excesses are technically and artistically pure magic.”
Uli Olshausen / Frankfurter Allgemeine

09.11 Leipzig Telegraph / D
11.11 Stuttgart Laboratorium / D
13.11 Münster tba / D

*** MILES DAVIS OF THE BALKAN CLARINET ***
IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

” … With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinetists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations … ”
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

25.11 Antwerpen Arenberg / B
26.11 Brasschaat CC Brasschaat / B


NOVEMBER / DECEMBER


SOFIA VOCAL FEST
SOFIA / BULGARIA

27.11 NDK Lumiere Hall
KIRAN AHLUWALIA (India)
Link: www.myspace.com/musickiran

30.11 National Gallery for Foreign Art

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

01.12 Union Bulgarian Composers Hall
DVUGLAS (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/dvuglas

02.12 Studio 5
HAIG YAZDJIAN SPECIAL PROJECT (Armenia/Greece)
Link: www.myspace.com/haigyazdjian

03.12 Studio 5
UNNI LØVLIDs Project RITE (Norway)
Link: www.myspace.com/unnilovlid


DECEMBER


SEVDA AZERI PROJECT (Azerbaijan)
Link: www.sonicbids.com/SEVDA

Sevda Alekperzadeh – vocal
Malik Mansurov – tar, ud
Salim Mammadov – bass guitar
Elchin Shirinov – piano
Natik Shirinov – perc / nagara, davul
Vagif Aliyev – drums, percussion

Her musical career has been formed by a synthesis between western and eastern music. She is also interested in classical and pop music. Her magical blend of music from East Asia, the Orient and the Occident caught the attention of experts from the East and from abroad. This unique way of adopting and adapting different musical traditions means that Sevda has opened up a whole new chapter in the history of Azeri Music.

14.12 Istanbul World Music Festival / TUR

JANUARY


UNNI LØVLIDs Project RITE
Link: www.elen-music.com/art089en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/unnilovlid

Unni Løvlid is one of the most exciting folk music performers around day, who dares to take traditional music to entirely new places, and has the creative imagination to do so. She is a versatile musician and artist and has experience from a great variety of projects and genres in the region Norwegian folk, contemporary music and electronica. It has taken four years to complete RITE, for which Løvlid has written all the words and music herself. The music on RITE lies somewhere between electronica, contemporary and world.

Unni Løvlid – vocal, electronics
Håkon Kornstad – saxophone, electronics
Thomas Strønen – percussion, electronics
Ingar Hunskaar – sound

18.01 Magdeburg Kammerspiele / D
19.01 Leipzig Telegraph / D
20.01 Marbug KFZ & HR Radio / D

Unni Løvlid – vocal, electronics
Håkon Kornstad – saxophone, electronics
Erik Skodvin “Svarte greiner” – electronics
Ingar Hunskaar – sound

24.01 Karlsruhe Tollhaus / D
26.01 Lubljana Cankarjev Dom / SLO
27.01 Feldkirchen Amthof / A
29.01 Linz Posthof / A


FEBRUARY / MARCH


*** NEW ALBUM on ELEN MUSIC / 2011 ***
EVA QUARTET & HECTOR ZAZOU feat. Special Guests
Laurie Anderson, Bulgara Group, Cecilia Chailly, Antoni Donchev, Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell, Djiavan Gasparian, Mehdi Haddab, Kaushiki, Zoltan Lantos, Nils Petter Molvær, Carlos Nunez, Bill Rieflin (REM), Ryuichi Sakamoto, etc.

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

21.02 Kassel Kreuzkirche / D
24.02 Thun Mokka / CH
25.02 Dornbirn Spielboden / A
26.02 Wolfach Klausenbauernhof / D
27.02 Martigny Centre de Loisirs et Culture / CH


MARCH / MAY


RENE LACAILLE & BAND (Reunion)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art095en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/renelacaille

René Lacaille – accordion, ukulele, guitars, voice
Julian Babou – guitars
Yanis Lacaille – percussions, charango, backing vocals
Marc Lacaille – percussions, backing vocals
Oriane Lacaille – backing vocals, percussions, keyboard

Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l’Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion’s vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture’s celebration of life and good times.

” … The gravel-voiced troubadour in rumbustuous form, swinging between rum-soaked chansons and thumping singalongs … “
The Observer UK

04.03 Vienna Sargfabrik / A
06.03 Dornbirn Spielboden / A
07.03 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof / D
09.03 Lubljana Cankarjev Dom / SLO


MARCH


DUNABE MUSIC FESTIVAL
“Musical dialogues on the Memory of Europe”
Link: www.danubemusicfestival.com

HAIG YAZDJIAN, MIHALY DRESCH QUARTET, MATTHIAS LOIBNER, ALAN BERN & PETER RALCHEV, MISIRLI AHMET, FERUS MUSTAFOV, ELISABETH VATH, CARLOS NUNEZ etc.

This is very special trip. A condition is that the musicians have to play on sessions. So every night there not only concerts but also a lot of another sessions. The ambiente is very nice, because there are just 100 people on the ship. At the day the ship is in a city and you can visit the different places.

20.03 – 31.03. Danube River
Esztergom, Vukovar, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein, Melk, Linz, Passau

YAZDJIAN-KIOURTSOGLOU-KARIPIS TRIO (Armenia / Greece)
Link: www.myspace.com/haigyazdjian

Haig Yazdjian – ud, voice
Yiotis Kiourtsoglou – el.bass
Vangelis Karipis – perc .

Haig Yazdjian was born by Armenian parents in Syria, and has been living in Greece for the last 20 years. Yazdjian was hailed for the unique ways he was blending diverse elements of the eastern Mediterranean music traditions vested in the practice of considering tradition as a live creative force.

24.03 Frankfurt am Main Die Fabrik / D
25.03 Steyr Akku / A
26.03 Danube Music Festival Budapest / HUN
27.03 Danube Music Festival Bratislava / SK
28.03 Danube Music Festival Vienna / A

SEVDA AZERI PROJECT (Azerbaijan)
Link: www.sonicbids.com/SEVDA

Sevda Alekperzadeh – vocal
Malik Mansurov – tar, ud
Salim Mammadov – bass guitar
Elchin Shirinov – piano
Natik Shirinov – perc / nagara, davul
Vagif Aliyev – drums, percussion

Her musical career has been formed by a synthesis between western and eastern music. She is also interested in classical and pop music. Her magical blend of music from East Asia, the Orient and the Occident caught the attention of experts from the East and from abroad. This unique way of adopting and adapting different musical traditions means that Sevda has opened up a whole new chapter in the history of Azeri Music.

27.03 Marseille Babel Med Fair / FR


MAY


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

13.05 Utrecht Rasa Festival / NL
16.05 Hannover Masala Festival / D
18.05 Lich Bezalel-Synagoge / D
+
30.05 Bath Fringe Festival / UK

BLACK SEA TRIO
Link: www.elen-music.com/art006en.php
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jy6e3z1Bks

Enver Izmailov – guitars (Crimea / Uzbekistan)
Anatoly Vapirov – soprano saxophone (Bulgaria)
Kornel Horvath – percussion / udo, gato etc. (Hungary)

18.05 Prague tba / CZ
19.05 Frankfurt am Main Fabrik / D
21.05 Hannover Jazzclub / D
22.05 Brussels Muziekpublique Molière / B
23.05 Nijmegen Music Meeting Festival / NL
24.05 Nijmegen Music Meeting Festival / NL (Enver Izmailov Solo)
25.05 Vienna Porgy & Bess / A

DIVA REKA (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/divareka

26.05 Bonn tba / D
27.05 Bonn Museum / D


JUNE


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

17.06 Poznan Ethno Port Festival / PL


JULY


DIVA REKA (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/divareka

Kostadin Genchev – kaval
Dimitar Hristov – tamboura
Stella Bakalova –  double bass
Stoyan Pavlov – percussion
feat. 2 female vocals of EVA QUARTET

“Diva Reka” is a project for acoustic-ethno music on the basis of the Bulgarian folklore. The musicians bring this project together in order to show a different view on the Bulgarian folklore music and a different aesthetics of musicianship. The tasteful compositions are conceived with presicion, while the improvised sections spurt with virtuosity, energy and charm.
Their first record album will come out this year and features guest appearances of Gergana Dimitrova and Evelina Spasova – soloists of Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares, as well as Julia Gatderova from the Pirin ensemble.

01.07 Leipzig naTo / D
02. & 03.07 Rudolstadt TFF Festival / D

RENE LACAILLE & BAND (Reunion)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art095en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/renelacaille

René Lacaille – accordion, ukulele, guitars, voice
Julian Babou – guitars
Yanis Lacaille – percussions, charango, backing vocals
Marc Lacaille – percussions, backing vocals
Oriane Lacaille – backing vocals, percussions, keyboard

Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l’Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion’s vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture’s celebration of life and good times.

” … The gravel-voiced troubadour in rumbustuous form, swinging between rum-soaked chansons and thumping singalongs … “
The Observer UK

18.07 Augsburg Festival / D

KIRAN AHLUWALIA (India)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art088en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/musickiran
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QyQAG7mvpM

Kiran Ahluwalia – voice
Rez Abbasi – guitars
Nikku Nayar – bass
Ashok Bidaye – harmonium
Nitin Mitta – table

Kiran Ahluwalia’s music is a reflection of her on-going quest to bring the ghazal style into a modern and global context – while maintaining the connections to its storied and poetic past. Though she may sing about unfulfilled desires, her music reveals a compelling harmony that unites diverse inspirations, into a truly sublime and satisfying whole.

“… Ahluwalia’s voice is caressing and seductive and the arrangements are magnificent …”
Songlines

24.07 Thun Mokka Festival / CH


SEPTEMBER


*** MILES DAVIS ON THE BALKAN CLARINET ***

IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

” … Ivo’s wedding music, played first thing in the morning, provides thorough and long-lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive … “
FRANK ZAPPA

” … Once again, Papasov has his band as well as the listener holding onto the tail of a tiger in this incendiary romp through traditional dance styles given a contemporary facelift … “
DOWNBEAT

15.09 Koblenz Cafe Hahn / D
16.09 Niedersachsische Musiktage Barsinghausen, Zechensaal / D
17.09 Niedersachsische Musiktage Isernhagen, Isernhagenhof / D
18.09 Niedersachsische Musiktage Schloss Haemelschenburg / D
19.09 Frankfurt am Main Das Bett / D
22.09 Karlsruhe Tollhaus / D
23.09 Amsterdam Bimhuis / NL
24.09 Essen Zeche Carl / D
25.09 Copenhagen Global / DK

JAZZ CD OF THE MONTH / RONDO MAGAZINE
ISABELLE OLIVIER
Link: www.elen-music.com/art098en.php

Isabelle Olivier – harp
Johan Renard – drums

” … We’re under the spell : Isabelle’s harp blends harmoniously with her magnificent quintet, offering an original, ground-breaking, repertoire. The music is beautiful, as unfettered and wild as the ocean, open on all ends. Each musician writes for the group and breathes his own poetry into the project … “
Jazzman / LE

17.09 Lich Synagoge Festival / D


OCTOBER


*** NEW ALBUM on ELEN MUSIC / 2011 ***
EVA QUARTET & HECTOR ZAZOU feat. Special Guests
produced by Dimiter Panev
Laurie Anderson, Bulgara Group, Cecilia Chailly, Antoni Donchev, Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell, Djiavan Gasparian, Mehdi Haddab, Kaushiki, Zoltan Lantos, Nils Petter Molvær, Carlos Nunez, Bill Rieflin (REM), Ryuichi Sakamoto, etc.

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

21.10 Sofia National Gallery of Foreign Art / BG
24.10 Bremsche Kloster Malgarten (11am) / D
24.10 Frankfurt am Main Das Bett (8pm) / D

*** NEW ALBUM ON ACT RECORDS ***
JOSEFINE CRONHOLM (Sweden / Denmark)
Link: www.myspace.com/josefinecronholminperson

Josefine Cronholm – vocal
Gustaf Ljunggren – guitar
Jonas Berg – piano, keys
Gunnar Halle – trumpet
Thommy Andersson – bass
Bent Clausen – drums, vibraphone

Cronholm’s music is like poetry. A breathtaking, intuitive and absolutely original voice has found its own expression.

28.10 Munich Unterfahrt / D
29.10 Jena Volksbad / D
30.10 Köln WDR Festival grosser endesaal / D
31.10 Berlin A-Trane / D


NOVEMBER


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

02.11 St Andrews, The Byre Theatre / SCO
03.11 Peebles, Eastgate Theatre / SCO
04.11 Kilmarnock, Grand Hall, Palace Theatre / SC
09.11 Shetland venue tbc / SCO
10.11 Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Woodend Barn / SCO
11.11 Inverness, Eden Court Theatre / SCO
12.11 Stornoway, Western Isles An Lanntair / SCO
13.11 Inverness, Eden Court Theatre / SCO

MUNADJAT YULCHIEVA (Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art055en.php

Munojatkhon Yulchieva – vocal
Shavkat Mukhamedov – rubab
Dilfuza Khaydarova – dutar
Khodjimurad Safarov – doira

” … Leading performer of classical Uzbek music and its Persian-language cousin Shashmaqâm. One of the Great Artist and Voices from Mid Asia! ” As a performer she is incredible, like a Queen – She is a part of the World Heritage!

03.11 Vienna Salam Orient Festival / A
04.11 Antwerpen Zuiderpershuis / B
05.11 Amsterdam Tropentheater / NL
06.11 Utrecht Rasa / NL
07.11 Veere Church / NL

CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD Ensemble (Norway)
Link: www.christianwallumrod.com

26.11 Lugano RSI Radio / CH
27.11 Milano Atelier Musicale / IT


DECEMBER


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77njz6krKj8

09.12 Nantes Paul Fort Concert Hall / FR
12.12 Lörrach Stimmen in Advent Stadtkirche / D

IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

” … Ivo’s wedding music, played first thing in the morning, provides thorough and long-lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive … “
FRANK ZAPPA

” … Once again, Papasov has his band as well as the listener holding onto the tail of a tiger in this incendiary romp through traditional dance styles given a contemporary facelift … “
DOWNBEAT

10.12 Istanbul World Music Festival / TR

KALMAN BALOGH GROUP (Hungary)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art045en.php

17.12 Istanbul World Music Festival / TR

JANUARY


CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD Quartet (Norway)
Link: www.christianwallumrod.com

Arve Henriksen – trumpet
Nils Okland – violin / hardangerfiddle / viola d’amore
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums
Christian Wallumrød – grand piano / harmonium / toy piano

“… Music of character and quiet strength from four of Norway’s most independently-minded musicians. Three of them have impressive CVs in jazz and improvisation, the fourth is recognised as an innovator in the world of folk music. The music they play together in the Wallumrod Quartet defines its own territory, as the players negotiate the leader’s subtle, finely-constructed compositions… ”
The Label ECM RECORDS www.ecmrecords.com

28.01 Brussels Espace Senghor / B
30.01 Amsterdam Bimhuis / NL
31.01 Groningen / NL


MARCH


IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art014en.php

“… With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuosic music you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances, grafting on jazzy improvisations… “
SIMON BRAUGHTON editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

18.03 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof / D
19.03 Dornbirn Spielboden / A
21.03 Fribourg La Spiralle / CH
22.03 Bern Bee Flat / CH
24.03 Munich Jazz Lines Festival (“Schwere Reiter” Hall) / D
25.03 Linz Posthof / A
26.03 Vienna Szene / A
27.03 Salzburg Jazzit / A


APRIL


UNNI LØVLIDs New Project RITE (Norway)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art089en.php

Unni Løvlid – vocal, electronica
Lene Grenager – cello
Hild Sofie Tafjord – electronica
Ingar Hunskaar – sound, electronica

Unni Løvlid is one of the most exciting folk music performers around day, who dares to take traditional music to entirely new places, and has the creative imagination to do so. She is a versatile musician and artist and has experience from a great variety of projects and genres in the region Norwegian folk, contemporary music and electronica. It has taken four years to complete RITE, for which Løvlid has written all the words and music herself. The music on RITE lies somewhere between electronica, contemporary and world.

23.04 Kassel Weltmusikfestival / D
24.04 Flensburg FolkBaltica / D (Fjord Skies Project)
25.04 Flensburg FolkBaltica / D
26.04 Sönderborg FolkBaltica / DK (Fjord Skies Project)

SEVDA AZERI JAZZ PROJECT (Azerbaijan)
Link: www.sonicbids.com/SEVDA

Sevda Alekperzadeh – vocal
Emil Mammadov – piano
Malik Mansurov – tar, ud
Ruslan Huseynov – double bass or bass guitar
Natik Shirinov – perc / nagara, davul
Vagif Aliyev – percussion

Her musical career has been formed by a synthesis between western and eastern music. She is also interested in classical and pop music. Her magical blend of music from East Asia, the Orient and the Occident caught the attention of experts from the East and from abroad. This unique way of adopting and adapting different musical traditions means that Sevda has opened up a whole new chapter in the history of Azeri Music.

21.04 Frankfurt Brotfabrik & Hessian Radio / D
22.04 Bielefeld Kammermusiksaal der Oetker-Halle WDRadio / D
23.04 Esch Kulturfabrik / LUX
26.04 Freiberg Jazz Festival / D

VOLKOV TRIO feat SERGEY STAROSTIN (Russia)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art039en.php

Vladimir Volkov – double bass
Slava Kurashov – guitar
Denis Sladkevich – drums
feat. Sergey Starostin – clarinet, vocal

The project Volkov Trio feat. Starostin is a very intensive music which combines jazz, improvisation and Russian folklore roots. Every musician impresses by his expressive style of music and convinces with absolute professionalism. You will feel dizzyfollowing the hands of the musicians but don’t be afraid of getting lost in the wonderful music.

21.04 Lubljana Cankarjev Dom / SLO
22.04 Amsterdam Bimhuis / NL
24.04 Freiberg Jazz Festival / D


APRIL / MAY


REZ ABBASSI JAZZ QUARTET feat. KIRAN (Pakistan / India / USA)
Link: www.myspace.com/rezabbasi

Rez Abassi – guitar (Pakistan)
Kiran Ahluwalia – voice (India)
Gary Versage – hammond organ (USA)
Danny Weiss – drums, tabla, perc (USA)

Born in Pakistan on the Indian Sub-Continent, removed at the age of four to the sounds of Southern California, schooled at the University of Southern California and the Manhattan School of Music as well as a pilgrimage in India under the tutorial of master percussionist, Ustad Alla Rakha, Rez Abbasi is a vivid synthesis of all the above stated influences and genres.
Snake Charmer is a metaphor for the life energy in our body that rises like a snake through meditation or chanting. According to Eastern spiritualism, we can create a state of personal bliss and eventual world peace by becoming more aware of these properties within.

23.04 Prague Reduta / CZ
24.04 Wroclaw Jazzclub / POL
25.04 Gdansk / POL
27.04 Brno Jazz Festival / CZ
30.04 Darmstadt Knabenschule / D
02.05 Bray Jazz Festival / IR

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

30.04 Vienna Konzerthaus / A
feat. DVUGLAS www.myspace.com/dvuglas
+
12.05 Leipzig Acappella Festival / D
15.05 Theater Landgraaf Limburg / NL
16.05 Leipzig Gewandhaus Acappella Festival / D
+
23.05 Algavre Festival / POR


JUNE


CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD Ensemble (Norway / Switzerland)
Link: www.christianwallumrod.com

Christian Wallumrød – piano, harmonium, toy piano
Eivind Lønning – trumpet
Gjermund Larsen – violin, hardanger fiddle, viola
Tanja Orning – cello
Giovanna Pessi – baroque harp
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums, percussion, glockenspiel

“The Ensemble is expanded to a sextet, yet sounds like one organic corpus. Fiddle, harp, cello and trumpet melt together in beautiful melodies… Jazz, baroque, minimalism, contemporary music are words that only begin to convey a small spectrum of Wallumrod’s musical universe. He has an authentic sense of sound and structure, and again we are spellbound by the unique syntheses and the balanced contrasts”
Verdens Gaang

31.05 Novara Jazz Festival / IT
03-05.06 Lugano Radio Recordings / CH
07.06 Zürich Taktlos Festival / CH

HAIG YAZDJIAN & GROUP (Armenia / Greece)
Link: www.sonicbids.com/haigyazdjian

Haig Yazdjian – ud, voice
Harris Lambrakis – ney
Petros Varthakouris – double bass
Vangelis Karipis – perc

Haig Yazdjian was born by Armenian parents in Syria, and has been living in Greece for the last 20 years. Yazdjian was hailed for the unique ways he was blending diverse elements of the eastern Mediterranean music traditions vested in the practice of considering tradition as a live creative force.

09.06 Esch Kulturfabrik / LUX
10.06 Brussels Musiekpublique / B
11.06 Esch Kulturfabrik / LUX
12.06 Wolfach Klausenbauernhof / D
13.06 Worms Jazz Festival / D feat. ENVER IZMAILOV

UBRE DEBRE GYPSY BAND (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/ubredebre

Kostadin Kostadinov – kaval (wooden flute)
Sylvi Atanasova – vocal
Angel Metodiev – trumpet
Mitko Iliev – trombone
Stefcho Kolev – tuba
Kiril Karabadjakov – double bass
Stoyan Pavlov – percussion

UBRE DEBRE GYPSY BAND is a Bulgarian gypsy formation representing an extraordinary project with acoustic Gypsy music.

13.06 Brussels Musiekpublique / B


JULY


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

02.-04.07. Forde Folk Music Festival / NOR
+
11.07 Malmö Festival / S
13.07 Trento Festival / IT

ENSEMBLE AYARKHAAN REPUBLIC SAHA (Yakutiya)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art096en.php
Video: click here

The soloists of the ensemble appear by the conquerors and by the laureats urban, republic and regional competitions on playing khomus, singing and solo “Osukhaya”. They sing in the style “d’ieretii”, characteristic head-voiced overtones, which comprise unique decorating “counterpoint” to the sounding by the main thing melodious line. Musicians can depict with the aid of the voice and khomus jumps horses, noise wind, cries seagulls and many others natural sounds .

04.07 Rudolstadt Festival / D
05.07 Rudolstadt Festival / D
06.07 Cologne WDRadio Recordings / D
07.07 Trento Festival / IT

RENÉ LACAILLE & BAND (Reunion)
*** NEW ALBUM on label CONNECTING CULTURES ***
Link: www.elen-music.com/art095en.php

René Lacaille – accordion, ukulele, guitars, voice
Julian Babou – guitars
Yanis Lacaille – percussions, charango, backing vocals
Marc Lacaille – percussions, backing vocals
Oriane Lacaille – backing vocals, percussions, keyboard

Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l’Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion’s vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture’s celebration of life and good times.

“The gravel-voiced troubadour in rumbustuous form, swinging between rum-soaked chansons and thumping singalongs”
The Observer UK

09.07 Berlin HdKW Festival / D

A MOVING SOUND (Taiwan)
Link: www.myspace.com/amovingsound

Mia Hsieh – vocal and dance
Tang Hsuan Lo – erhu
Hwa Jou Hsieh – zhong ruan, western guitar
Scott Prairie – zhong ruan, bass
Cheng Chun Wu – percussion, flute, erhu

Traditional Taiwanese, Chinese and neighboring Asian music forms are fused in new original song compositions. Instruments such as the Chinese erhu (a vertically held, bowed instrument), the zhong ruan (Chinese guitar), an assortment of western instruments, and the transcendent vocals and dance of lead singer Mia Hsieh, transport listeners on a journey that Global Rhythm magazine describes as “…delicately balanced between many worlds. an entryway to Eastern music and artful expression
of the human condition”.

“One of the most original outfits working in the world music arena today”
Tom Pryor / Global Rhythm Magazine

18.07 Augsburg Festival / D

CYRO BAPTISTAs Beat The Donkey Perc Project (Brazil / USA )
Link: www.elen-music.com/art090en.php

“There’s nothing comfortably familiar here; Beat The Donkey’s highly visual polyethnic (or perhaps omni-ethnic) high-voltage percussive ensemble will push your mind to its limits. Don’t be scared, though; Beat the Donkey puts on what just might be the most exciting live show you’ll ever see. This is pure, addictive pleasure, fun and funny… trust us, you’ve got to see it to believe it.”
Grassroots

24.07 Sines Festival / P

KIRAN AHLUWALIA (India)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art088en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/musickiran

Kiran Ahluwalia – voice
Rez Abbasi – guitar
Gurpreet Chana – tabla/dhol
Enzo d’Aversa – accordion

Kiran Ahluwalia’s music is a reflection of her on-going quest to bring the ghazal style into a modern and global context – while maintaining the connections to it’s storied and poetic past. Though she may sing about unfulfilled desires, her music reveals a compelling harmony that unites diverse inspirations, into a truly sublime and satisfying whole.

“Ahluwalia’s voice is caressing and seductive and the arrangements are magnificent.”
Songlines

18.07 Augsburg Festival / D
22.07 Paleo Festival / CH
23.07 Paleo Festival / CH
25.07 Mals Xong Festival / A


AUGUST


BANDA ADRIATICA (Italy)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art094en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/adriatik

The band is made of by musicians from different cultures and origins under the star of the Adriatic Sea.
The music represents a long path of searching and experimenting relationships between the music from the South of Italy, Albania, Greece and the north-east Adriatic side.
Original lyrics and music search for a new kind of language able to match traditions and peculiarities of Adriatic cultures.
A hypothetical voyage through the ports of the Adriatic Sea.
A long trip made of chance encounters and spasmodic research.
From the shores of Italy’s Salento to Albania, from Venice to Dubrovnik and as far afield as Crete, dreaming of a safe haven.

06.08 Feldkirchen / A
07.08 Wieselburg / A

BULGARA (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/bulgaragroup

Their music is a homogenous very groove mixture of extracts of Balkan and Bulgarian folklore with modern beats like drum & bass, funk etc.
Modern sound, adding to the beauty of the traditional Balkan Music.

11.-16.08 Antwerpen Summer Festival / B

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet
Link: www.sonicbids.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

23.08 Sopot Festival (The Music Of Cheslaw Niemen) / PL


SEPTEMBER


MUNADJAT YULCHIEVA (Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art055en.php

Munojatkhon Yulchieva – vocal
Shavkat Mukhamedov – rubab
Khodjimurad Safarov – doira
Malikakhon Ziyayeva – dutar

“Leading performer of classical Uzbek music and its Persian-language cousin Shashmaqâm. One of the Great Artist and Voices from Mid Asia!”
As a performer she is incredible, like a Queen – She is a part of the World Heritage!

11.09 Utrecht Rasa / NL
12.09 Brussels Bozar Festival / B

CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD Quartet (Norway)
Link: www.christianwallumrod.com

Arve Henriksen – trumpet
Nils Okland – violin, hardangerfiddle, viola d’amore
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums
Christian Wallumrød – piano, harmonium, toy piano

Music of character and quiet strength from four of Norway’s most independently-minded musicians. Three of them have impressive CVs in jazz and improvisation, the fourth is recognised as an innovator in the world of folk music. The music they play together in the Wallumrod Quartet defines its own territory, as the players negotiate the leader’s subtle, finely-constructed compositions.

10.09 Russelsheim Jazz Fabrik / D

ENVER IZMAILOV & LENYE DUO (Crimea Tatar / Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art008en.php

“By two handed hammering on he is making the guitar a new instrument which is in no way inferior to the polyhone possibilities of the cembalo. Izmailov’s tours through baroque quotations, Slavian folklore and sound excesses are technically and artistically pure magic.”
Uli Olshausen / Frankfurter Allgemeine

17.09 Leipzig Telegraph / D
18.09 Radebeul / D
20.09 Lich Musik Welten Festival in Bezalel-Synagoge / D


OCTOBER


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

10.10 Bielsko-Biala Festival / POL
+
21.10 Budapest Palace of Arts / HUN
+
29.10 Uppsala Sacred Music Festival  / SWE
31.10. Womex Copenhagen Koncerthuset Studio 1 / DK
www.womex.de

NEW EAST EUROPEAN QUARTET
Link: www.elen-music.com/art058en.php

Anatoly Vapirov – saxophone (Bulgaria)
Antoni Donchev – piano (Bulgaria)
Vladimir Volkov – double bass (Russia)
Vladimir Tarasov – drums, percussion (Lithuania)

Organized and presented by Barbican in London this project combines some of the most creative musicians in East-European jazz. A kind of Superformation which caused a very big sensation.

24.10 Cormons Jazz & Wine Festival / IT


NOVEMBER


*** NEW ALBUM on ECM RECORDS / 40 Years ECM ***
CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD Ensemble (Norway)
Link: www.christianwallumrod.com

Christian Wallumrød – piano, harmonium, toy piano
Eivind Lønning – trumpet
Gjermund Larsen – violin, hardanger fiddle, viola
Tanja Orning – cello
Giovanna Pessi – baroque harp
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums, percussion, glockenspiel

“The Ensemble is expanded to a sextet, yet sounds like one organic corpus. Fiddle, harp, cello and trumpet melt together in beautiful melodies…
Jazz, baroque, minimalism, contemporary music are words that only begin to convey a small spectrum of Wallumrod’s musical universe. He has an authentic sense of sound and structure, and again we are spellbound by the unique syntheses and the balanced contrasts”
Verdens Gaang

01.11 Ingolstadt Jazz Festival / D
02.11 Münich Schwere Reiter / D
03.11 Nürnberg Tafelhalle / D

KIRAN AHLUWALIA (India)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art088en.php
Link: www.myspace.com/musickiran

Kiran Ahluwalia – voice
Rez Abbasi – guitar
Gurpreet Chana – tabla/dhol
Enzo d’Aversa – accordion

Kiran Ahluwalia’s music is a reflection of her on-going quest to bring the ghazal style into a modern and global context – while maintaining the connections to it’s storied and poetic past. Though she may sing
about unfulfilled desires, her music reveals a compelling harmony that unites diverse inspirations, into a truly sublime and satisfying whole.

“Ahluwalia’s voice is caressing and seductive and the arrangements are magnificent.”
Songlines

04.11 Vienna Festival / A
05.11 Steyr Akku / A
06.11 Nürnberg Villa Leon / D
09.11 Amsterdam Bimhus / NL
17.11 London Jazz Festival / UK

SEVDA AZERI PROJECT (Azerbaijan)
Link: www.sonicbids.com/SEVDA
www.networkmedien.de

Sevda Alekperzadeh – vocal
Emil Mammadov – piano
Malik Mansurov – tar, ud
Ruslan Huseynov – double bass or bass guitar
Natik Shirinov – perc / nagara, davul
Vagif Aliyev – percussion

Her musical career has been formed by a synthesis between western and eastern music. She is also interested in classical and pop music. Her magical blend of music from East Asia, the Orient and the Occident caught the attention of experts from the East and from abroad. This unique way of adopting and adapting different musical traditions means that Sevda has opened up a whole new chapter in the history of Azeri Music.

22.11 Bern Bee Flat / CH
26.11 Basel Birds Eye / CH


DECEMBER


ENVER IZMAILOV (Crimea Tatar / Uzbekistan)
Link: www.elen-music.com/art008en.php

“By two handed hammering on he is making the guitar a new instrument which is in no way inferior to the polyhone possibilities of the cembalo. Izmailov’s tours through baroque quotations, Slavian folklore and sound excesses are technically and artistically pure magic.”
Uli Olshausen / Frankfurter Allgemeine

09.12 Hofheim Festival / D

JANUARY

BESTER QUARTET / old name CRACOW KLEZMER BAND (Poland)
Link: www.besterquartet.com

Jaroslaw Bester – accordion
Jaroslaw Tyrala – violin
Oleg Dyyak – accordion, clarinet, percussion
Wojciech Front – double bass

The CKB are one of the most creative and innovative music groups in Poland – keep on searching for new forms of expression for their musical fascinations. The CKB are the only Polish group recording for John Zorn’s Tzadik label that has released their three CDs.

16.01 Bielefeld WDR / D
17.01 Mainz SWR / D
18.01 Brussels / B
19.01 Turnhout / B
21.01 Hannover Jazzclub / D


FEBRUARY / APRIL


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

03.02 Cagliari Festival / IT
+
16.03 Segni (Roma) / IT
18.03 Sezze (Roma) / IT
+
05.04 Torres Vedras / POR


MARCH


ACTORES ALIDOS (Sardinia)

Songs of the Sardinian women
From the Sardinia of the Tenores di Bitti (Bitti Tenors) an original project dedicated to the female polyphony. Songs of love and sacred songs, lullabies and popular dances, funeral laments and serenades.

07.03 Stuttgart / D

DANUBE SHIP ORCHESTRA
Link: www.danubemusicfestival.com

Peter Ralchev – accordion (Bulgaria)
Enver Izmailov – guitars (Crimea)
Kornel Horvath – percussion (Hungary)

28.03 Brussels Balkan Trafik Festival / B

IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuoso music you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. After seeing him in concert, though, you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of the most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances… “
Simon Broughton / editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

29.03 Brussels Balkan Trafik Festival / B


MAY


HAIG YAZDJIAN & ENVER IZMAILOV PROJECT (Armenia / Crimea)

Haig Yazdjian – Ud
Enver Izmailov – Guitar
Lenye – Vocal
Petros Varthakouris – Double Bass, El Bass
Yiannis Kirimkiridis – Piano, Keys
Yiannis Angelopoulos – Drums, Perc

Haig Yazdjian was born by Armenian parents in Syria, and has been living in Greece for the last 20 years. Yazdjian was hailed for the unique ways he was blending diverse elements of the eastern Mediterranean music traditions vested in the practice of considering tradition as a live creative force.

05.05 Athens Festival / GR
06.05 Athens Festival / GR
07.05 Kavala / GR
09.05 Vienna Balkanfeever Festival / A

KALMAN BALOGH & PETER RALCHEV BALKAN PROJECT (Hungary / Bulgaria)

Kálmán Balogh – cimbalom (Hungary)
Peter Ralchev – accordion (Bulgaria)
Ateshhan Juseinov – guitar, tambura (Bulgaria)
Csaba Novák – double bass (Hungary)

* New Project of two great Balkan Musicians *
Peter Ralchev – the great Bulgarian accordion virtuoso with
Kalman Balogh – the great Hungarian cimbalom player!

31.05 Utrecht Rasa / NL
01.06 Amsterdam Concertgebouw-Oval Room / NL


JUNE


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

05.06 Bristol / UK
06.06 London Balkanfeever Festival / UK

ACTORES ALIDOS (Sardinia)

Songs of the Sardinian women
From the Sardinia of the Tenores di Bitti (Bitti Tenors) an original project dedicated to the female polyphony. Songs of love and sacred songs, lullabies and popular dances, funeral laments and serenades.

13.06 Festival / CH
14.06 Augsburg Night of the Museum / D

TONI KITANOVSKI & GREG HOPKINS Project (Macedonia / USA)

Greg Hopkins began his professional career in 1965, freelancing with his trumpet in the Detroit area for such acts as the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Gladys Knight until 1969, when he graduated Michigan State University. Hopkins has also performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder etc.

20.06 Toulouse Rio Loco Festival / F

IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuoso music you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. After seeing him in concert, though, you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of the most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarienn folk dances…”
Simon Broughton / editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

21.06 Toulouse Rio Loco Festival / F
22.06 Toulouse Rio Loco Festival / F (Special Projects with Fanfare Ciocarlia, Esma Redzepova and David Krakauer)
24.06 Stuttgart Festival / D
JULY
KIRAN AHLUWALIA (India)

Kiran Ahluwalia – voice
Rez Abbasi – guitar
Gurpreet Chana – tabla/dhol
Enzo d’Aversa – accordion

Kiran Ahluwalia’s music is a reflection of her on-going quest to bring the ghazal style into a modern and global context – while maintaining the connections to it’s storied and poetic past. Though she may sing about unfulfilled desires, her music reveals a compelling harmony that unites diverse inspirations, into a truly sublime and satisfying whole.

“Ahluwalia’s voice is caressing and seductive and the arrangements are magnificent …”
Songlines

11.07 Ostrava Colors Festival / CZ

IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuoso music you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. After seeing him in concert, though, you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of the most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarienn folk dances…”
Simon Broughton / editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

25.07 XONG Festival / A
26.07 Wolfach Klausenbauernhof / D

ACTORES ALIDOS (Sardinia)

Songs of the Sardinian women
From the Sardinia of the Tenores di Bitti (Bitti Tenors) an original project dedicated to the female polyphony. Songs of love and sacred songs, lullabies and popular dances, funeral laments and serenades.

29.8 Hamburg / D
30.8 Berlin / D


SEPTEMBER


IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuoso music you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. After seeing him in concert, though, you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of the most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarienn folk dances…”
Simon Broughton / editor of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC

17.09 Malmö Jeriko / SWE
18.09 Stockholm Södra / SWE
19.09 Pecs Festival / HUN

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

19.09 Krems / A
24.09 Akku Steyer / A
25.09 Gugg / A
26.09 Hochneukirchen / A
+
14.10 Prague / CZ
15.10 Bielefeld Kammermusiksaal der Oetker-Halle / D
OCTOBER
TONI KITANOVSKI & CHERKEZI GYPSY ORCHESTRA (Macedonia)
NEW ALBUM ON ENJA “BORDERLANDS”
Link: jazzrecords.com/enja/9174.htm
Link: www.elen-music.com/art056en.php

The gipsy brass orchestra ‘Cherkezi’ were thrilled to collaborate with jazz artists. What came out is mysterious hounting melodies and rhythms that make one cry and laugh in the same time, a strange force that makes you move your body and your feet, the ability to play for several hours without a second of a brake, unusual professionalism and dedication to the performance.

10.10 Copenhagen Global / DK
12.10 Slupsk Mundus Orientalis / POL
14.10 Leipzig Telegraph / D
15.10 Magdeburg Forum Gestaltung / D
16.10 Frankfurt Brotfabrik / D
18.10 Stuttgart Laboratorium / D

BESTER QUARTET (Poland)
Link: www.besterquartet.com

Jaroslaw Bester – accordion
Jaroslaw Tyrala – violin
Oleg Dyyak – accordion, clarinet, percussion
Wojciech Front – double bass

The CKB are one of the most creative and innovative music groups in Poland – keep on searching for new forms of expression for their musical fascinations. The CKB are the only Polish group recording for John Zorn’s Tzadik label that has released their three CDs.

18.10 Münster Festival / D


NOVEMBER


SEVDA (Azerbaijan)
Link: www.sonicbids.com/SEVDA
Link: www.networkmedien.de

Sevda Alekperzadeh – vocal
Emil Mamedov – piano
Iskender Aleskerov – percussion
Ruslan Huseynov – double bass or bass guitar
Malik Mansurov – tar (national musical instrument)
Natik Shirinov – nagara (national musical instrument)

Her musical career has been formed by a synthesis between western and eastern music. She is also interested in classical and pop music. Her magical blend of music from East Asia, the Orient and the Occident caught the attention of experts from the East and from abroad. This unique way of adopting and adapting different musical traditions means that Sevda has opened up a whole new chapter in the history of Azeri Music.

SEVDA QUARTET
31.10 Steyer / A
02.11 Feldkirchen / A
+
SEVDA SEXTET
05.11 Vienna Festival / A
07.11 Nürnberg Villa Leon / D

JANUARY

LE MYSTERE DES VOIX BULGARES (Bulgaria)

15.01 Stuttgart Liderhalle, Mozartsaal / D

BULGARA (Bulgaria)

Their music is a homogenous very groove mixture of extracts of Balkan and Bulgarian folklore with modern beats like drum & bass, funk etc.
Modern sound, adding to the beauty of the traditional Balkan Music.

19.01 Stuttgart Landespavillon / D


FEBRUARY


CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD QUARTET (Norway)
The Label ECM RECORDS www.ecmrecords.com

Arve Henriksen – trumpet
Nils Okland – violin / hardangerfiddle / viola d’amore
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums
Christian Wallumrod – grand piano / harmonium / toy piano

Music of character and quiet strength from four of Norway’s most independently-minded musicians. Three of them have impressive CVs in jazz and improvisation, the fourth is recognised as an innovator in the world of folk music. The music they play together in the Wallumrod Quartet defines its own territory, as the players negotiate the leader’s subtle, finely-constructed compositions.

02.02 Bielefeld Bunker WDR Mitschnitt / D
03.02 Lubljana Cankarjev Dom / SLO
05.02 Nürnberg Jazz Studio / D


FEBRUARY / MARCH


TONI KITANOVSKI & CHERKEZI GYPSY ORCHESTRA (Macedonia)

NEW ALBUM ON ENJA “BORDERLANDS”

The gipsy brass orchestra ‘Cherkezi’ were thrilled to collaborate with jazz artists. What came out is mysterious hounting melodies and rhythms that make one cry and laugh in the same time, a strange force that makes you move your body and your feet, the ability to play for several hours without a second of a brake, unusual professionalism and dedication to the performance.

23.02 Törlmaglern Gailtal / A
24.02 Feldkirchen Amthof / A
28.02 St.Pölten Cinema Paradiso / A
01.03 Wels Schlachthof / A
02.03 Vienna Ost Club / A
03.03 Waidhofen Thaya Igel / A
07.03 Kitzbühel / A
08.03 Innsbruck Treibhaus / A
09.03 Heidelberg DAI / D

IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuoso music you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. After seeing him in concert, though, you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of the most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarian folk dances… “
Simon Broughton / World Music – The Rough Guide

24.02 Eeklo N9 / B
25.02 Amsterdam Concertgebouw-Oval Room / NL
27.02 Groningen Oosterpoort / NL
28.02 Eindhoven MC Frits Philips / NL
01.03 Middelburg Schuttershof / NL
02.03 Antwerpen Zuiderpershuis / B
03.03 Rotterdam De Doelen / NL
04.03 Utrecht Rasa / NL


MARCH


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

01.03 Antwerpen Zuiderpershuis / B
02.03 Utrecht St. Peter’s Church / NL
03.03 Amsterdam Concertgebouw / NL
04.03 Rotterdam De Doelen / NL

CRACOW KLEZMER BAND / BESTER QUARTET (Poland)
www.tzadik.com & www.besterquartet.com

Jaroslaw Bester – accordion
Jaroslaw Tyrala – violin
Oleg Dyyak – accordion, clarinet, percussion
Wojciech Front – double bass

The CKB are one of the most creative and innovative music groups in Poland – keep on searching for new forms of expression for their musical fascinations. The CKB are the only Polish group recording for John Zorn’s Tzadik label that has released their three CDs.

13.03 Fürth Klezmer Fest / D
14.03 Landau Haus am Westbahnhof / D
15.03 Rotterdam Theatre de Evenaar Rotterdam / NL
+
22.03 Graz Festival / A
24.03 Feldkirchen / A


MARCH / APRIL


DUNABE MUSIC FESTIVAL
“Against The Stream”
www.danubemusicfestival.com

02.04 * BORIS KOVAC (Serbia)
04.04 * ZOLTAN LANTOS & KORNEL HORVATH (Hungary)
05.04 * ROMENGO GYPSY BAND (Hungary)
06.04 * KALMAN BALOGH & PETER RALCHEV Project (Hungary / Bulgaria)
07.04 * OTTO LECHNER & ANATOLY VAPIROV (Austria / Bulgaria)
07.04 * BLACK SEA TRIO (Bulgaria / Hungary / Crimea)
08.04 * EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
09.04 * IVO PAPASOV & ZIG ZAG TRIO (Bulgaria)
09.04 * ENVER IZMAILOV SOLO (Crimea)


APRIL


KAUSHIKI CHAKRABARTY (India)
BBC Music Award Winner!

“Kaushiki is the one young Indian classical vocalist everyone should listen to. Purity of voice, excellent control, maturity and a deep sensitivity demonstrate that this new CD is a milestone in the development of a great talent within India’s rich vocal heritage.”

11.04 Veere, Grote Kerk / NL
12.04 Rotterdam, Doelen / NL
13.04 Utrecht, Rasa / NL
14.04 Antwerpen, Zuiderpershuis / B
15.04 Amsterdam, Tropentheater / NL
16.04 Stans Musiktage / CH
17.04 Ascona / CH
19.04 Dublin / IRL

“COOH” BALKAN DANCE DJ (Bulgaria)

14.04 Brussels BEAUX-ARTS Festival / B

ENVER IZMAILOV SOLO (Crimea Tatar / Uzbekistan)

“By two handed hammering on he is making the guitar a new instrument which is in no way inferior to the polyhone possibilities of the cembalo. Izmailov’s tours through baroque quotations, Slavian folklore and sound excesses are technically and artistically pure magic.”
Uli Olshausen / Frankfurter Allgemeine

14.04 Worms / D
15.04 Landau / D
20.04 Stanser Musiktage Festival / CH

BLACK SEA TRIO

Enver Izmailov – guitars (Crimea / Uzbekistan)
Anatoly Vapirov – soprano saxophone (Bulgaria)
Kornel Horvath – percussion / udo, gato etc. (Hungary)

“The musicians succeeded in charming the audience with a vital mixture of rhythms, melodies, improvisation and repeated sounds of the East-European folklore. Highly complex and at the same time spontaneous music – like a conversation which sticks to the point and never develops into insignificance – without mannerism and always exciting.”
Birgit Gabler / Concerto

21.04 Freiberg, Jazztage / D


APRIL / MAY


GJALLARHORN (Finland / Sweden)
www.gjallarhorn.com & http://web18.lohmar.com/start.html

Jenny Wilhelms – vocals, fiddle, hardangerfiddle
Adrian Jones – viola, mandola, kalimba
Göran Månsson – sub contrabass recorder, flutes
Petter Berndalen – percussion

Gjallarhorn features world music with roots in the Swedish folk music of Finland. A personal and talented echo of the ancient folk music tradition of Scandinavia with its mythical medieval ballads, whirling minuets, prayers in runo-metric chanting and ancient Icelandic rimur epics. The Vocals feature ornaments and microtonality from the Scandinavian traditional way of singing, with elements of improvisation and influences from Indian classical music. The arrangements of the voice layers bring out the harmonisation of the Scandinavian folk music.

28.04 Waidhofen / A
29.04 München Kammerspiele / A
30.04 Schloss Goseck / D


MAY


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

28.04 Ulm Neue Musik Festival / D
+
11.-12.05 Umea Festival / S

TONI KITANOVSKI & CHERKEZI GYPSY ORCHESTRA (Macedonia)

NEW ALBUM ON ENJA “BORDERLANDS”

The gipsy brass orchestra ‘Cherkezi’ were thrilled to collaborate with jazz artists. What came out is mysterious hounting melodies and rhythms that make one cry and laugh in the same time, a strange force that makes you move your body and your feet, the ability to play for several hours without a second of a brake, unusual professionalism and dedication to the performance.

18.05 Brussels / B
19.05 Bielefeld Festival / D
23.05 Halle Saale Objekt 5 / D
27.05 Rotterdam Dunya Festival / NL
31.05 Bath Festival / UK
01.06 Antwerpen Zuiderpershuis / B
02.06 Rödermark Jazz Fest / D


JUNE


MIHALY DRESCH QUARTET (Hungary)

Dresch Mihály – saxophon
Lukács Miklós – cimbalom
Szandai Mátyás – double bass
Baló István – drums

Dresch’s unique fusion of jazz with wild Hungarian music comes from the stomach as well as the head. Full of expressivity and passion it carries us away from the very first moment and does not let go after the end.

30.05 Brussels / B
31.05 Amsterdam Bimhus / NL
01.06 Idar Oberstein Jazz Festival / D

BALTIC QUARTET

Petras Vysniauskas – saxophone (Lithuania)
Vladimir Volkov – viola da gamba (Russia)
Bobo Stenson – organ, piano (Sweden)
Klaus Kugel – drums, percussion (Germany)

A really outstanding project – a wonderful trip into the world of sounds and improvisation. Here many experienced intrumentalists are united whereby every single musician does an expressive sound work in his individula way. With these musicians you might have the feeling of being in the world of sounds.
Improvised, expressively profound – simply genius.

09.06 Lüneburg Jazz Festival / D

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

17.06 Ettiswil Stimmen Festival / CH
+
24.06 Limburg Festival van Vlaanderen / B

MADIOKO & RAFIKA (France)
www.madioko.com

Afro Funk Oriental from Paris.
Very Hot Afro-Funk Music with Oriental Sounds!
Enjoy the Groove!

23.06 Prague Festival / CZ
30.06 Cologne Festival / D
01.07 Cologne Matinee der Liedermacher / D


JULY


HECTOR ZAZOU SOLO (France)

6-8.07 Rudolstadt Festival / Keys Project / D

ACTORES ALIDOS (Sardinia)

Songs of the Sardinian women
From the Sardinia of the Tenores di Bitti (Bitti Tenors) an original project dedicated to the female polyphony. Songs of love and sacred songs, lullabies and popular dances, funeral laments and serenades.

06.07 Belmullet Festival / IRL
08. & 09.07 Wroclaw Festival / POL

CHERKEZI GYPSY BRASS ORCHESTRA (Macedonia)

NEW ALBUM ON ENJA “BORDERLANDS”

The gipsy brass orchestra ‘Cherkezi’ were thrilled to collaborate with jazz artists. What came out is mysterious hounting melodies and rhythms that make one cry and laugh in the same time, a strange force that makes you move your body and your feet, the ability to play for several hours without a second of a brake, unusual professionalism and dedication to the performance.

16.07 Trento Festival / IT
17.07 Trento Festival / IT
19.07 Kempten Sommer / D
20.07 Waiblingen Festival / D


JULY & AUGUST


IVO PAPASOV & HIS WEDDING BAND (Bulgaria)

“With a huge gut and unwieldy frame, Ivo Papasov seems an unlikely source for some of the most nimble and virtuoso music you’ll encounter anywhere in the world. After seeing him in concert, though, you’ll be left in little doubt that he’s one of the most interesting clarinettists around. He and his band race through numbers based on the complex rhythms of Bulgarienn folk dances…”
Simon Broughton / World Music – The Rough Guide

14.07 Kozani, Vlasti Festival / GR
15.07 Brussel, Brossella Festival / B
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31.07 Kapols Festival / HUN
02.08 Dolomiti Festival / IT
04.08 St. Nazaire Festival / FR


AUGUST


GJALLARHORN (Finland / Sweden)
www.gjallarhorn.com & http://web18.lohmar.com/start.html

Jenny Wilhelms – vocals, fiddle, hardangerfiddle
Adrian Jones – viola, mandola, kalimba
Göran Månsson – sub contrabass recorder, flutes
Petter Berndalen – percussion

Gjallarhorn features world music with roots in the Swedish folk music of Finland. A personal and talented echo of the ancient folk music tradition of Scandinavia with its mythical medieval ballads, whirling minuets, prayers in runo-metric chanting and ancient Icelandic rimur epics. The Vocals feature ornaments and microtonality from the Scandinavian traditional way of singing, with elements of improvisation and influences from Indian classical music. The arrangements of the voice layers bring out the harmonisation of the Scandinavian folk music.

04.08 Quedlinburg Festival / D

CHERKEZI GYPSY BRASS ORCHESTRA (Macedonia)

NEW ALBUM ON ENJA “BORDERLANDS”

The gipsy brass orchestra ‘Cherkezi’ were thrilled to collaborate with jazz artists. What came out is mysterious hounting melodies and rhythms that make one cry and laugh in the same time, a strange force that makes you move your body and your feet, the ability to play for several hours without a second of a brake, unusual professionalism and dedication to the performance.

11.08 Sziget Festival / HUN
14-19.08 Antwerpen Summer Festival / B


AUGUST / SEPTEMBER


EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

22.08 Cutrofiano La Notte della Taranta Festival / IT
25.08 Melpignano La Notte della Taranta Festival / IT
+
14.09 Lauenau, Niedersächsischen Musiktagen, St. Lukas / D
15.09 Uchte, Niedersächsischen Musiktagen, Kirche / D
16.09 Leipzig, Evangelisch – reformierte Kirche / D

UBRE DEBRE GYPSY BAND feat. COOH (Bulgaria)

Kostadin Kostadinov – kaval (wooden flute)
Angel Metodiev – trumpet
Mitko Iliev – trombone
Stefcho Kolev – tuba
Kiril Karabadjakov – bass guitar
Stoyan Pavlov – percussion

feat. COOH (DJ)

UBRE DEBRE GYPSY BAND feat. COOH is a Bulgarian gypsy formation representing an extraordinary project with acoustic Gypsy music and Electronic sounds.

27.09 Amsterdam / Concertgebouw / NL
28.09 Utrecht / RASA / NL
29.09 Dortmund Domicil / D


OCTOBER


KALMAN BALOGH & PETER RALCHEV BALKAN PROJECT (Hungary / Bulgaria)

Kálmán Balogh – cimbalom (Hungary)
Peter Ralchev – accordion (Bulgaria)
Ateshhan Juseinov – guitar, tambura (Bulgaria)
Csaba Novák – double bass (Hungary)

* New Project of two great Balkan Musicians *
Peter Ralchev – the great Bulgarian accordion virtuoso with
Kalman Balogh – the great Hungarian cimbalom player!

03.10 Vienna Konzerthaus / A

CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD QUARTET (Norway)
The Label ECM RECORDS www.ecmrecords.com

Arve Henriksen – trumpet
Nils Okland – violin / hardangerfiddle / viola d’amore
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums
Christian Wallumrod – grand piano / harmonium / toy piano

10.10 Heildelberg Enjoy Jazz Festival / D

DEJAN TEZIC UNDERGROUND (Germany / Croatia)

Christian Weidner – saxophone
Frank Möbus – guitar
Henning Sieverts – double bass
Dejan Terzic – drums

The German Drummer and Cultural Prize Winner Dejan Terzic is presenting his current new project “Underground”. The central starting point of the musical interpretation are the folkloristic disclosures of the Balkan Area – music from Ex-Yugoslavia.
Dejan Terzic, beeing born in former Yugoslavia, also felt the need, at a certain point of his carreer, to start discovering and analyzing his musical roots, and transform these roots into the realms of modern Interpretation.

22.10. Magdeburg / D
24.10. Stuttgart / D
25.10. Frankfurt am Main / D
26.10. Bern / CH
27.10. München, Unterfahrt / D
28.10. Reutlingen / D


NOVEMBER


ANATOLY VAPIROV & HARRY TAVITIAN (Bulgaria / Romania)

Anatoly Vapirov – soprano saxophone (Bulgaria)
Harry Tavitian – piano (Romania)

This Improvised music is influenced by jazz, contemporary chamber music, the folklore of the Balkan and Armenia. Sheer Energy!

07.11 Belgium Festival / B

MUNADJAT YULCHIEVA (Uzbekistan)
Link: www.networkmedien.de

Munojatkhon Yolchieva – vocal
Shavkat Mukhamedov – rubab
Khodjimurad Safarov – doira
Malikakhon Ziyayeva – dutar
Marufjon Khalitov – gidjak

“Leading performer of classical Uzbek music and its Persian-language cousin Shashmaqâm. One of the Great Artist and Voices from Mid Asia!”
As a performer she is incredible, like a Queen – She is a part of the World Heritage!

02.11 Vienna Festival / A
03.11 Zürich Moods / CH
04.11 Bern Bee Flat / CH
07.11 Luxembrug / LUX
09.11 Brussels Musicpublique / B

BESTER QUARTET (CRACOW KLEZMER BAND) (Poland)
www.tzadik.com & www.besterquartet.com

Jaroslaw Bester – accordion
Jaroslaw Tyrala – violin
Oleg Dyyak – accordion, clarinet, percussion
Wojciech Front – double bass

The CKB are one of the most creative and innovative music groups in Poland – keep on searching for new forms of expression for their musical fascinations. The CKB are the only Polish group recording for John Zorn’s Tzadik label that has released their three CDs.

11.11 Burgos Festival / ES

BULGARA (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/bulgaragroup

Their music is a homogenous very groove mixture of extracts of Balkan and Bulgarian folklore with modern beats like drum & bass, funk etc.
Modern sound, adding to the beauty of the traditional Balkan Music.

15.11 London Olympia / UK

DVUGLAS (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/dvuglas

Old Music & Old Folk Music from Bulgaria

22.11 Vienna Sargfabrik / A
24.11 Stuttgart Laboratorium / D (double concert with EVA QUARTET)

EVA QUARTET (Bulgaria)
Link: www.myspace.com/evaquartet

Eva Quartet consists of some of the best Bulgarian female voices – the four solo singers of the world-famous female folk choir “Le mystere des voix bulgares”. Here the different voices are meeting in such a virtuosity that you are getting the feeling of listening to one. The singing of EVA is pure solo work and every tone can be felt very sensitively.

24.11 Stuttgart Laboratorium / D (double concert with DVUGLAS)
25.11 Vienna, Odeon Theatre / A
+
14.12 Bari / IT


DECEMBER


ACTORES ALIDOS (Sardinia)

Songs of the Sardinian women
From the Sardinia of the Tenores di Bitti (Bitti Tenors) an original project dedicated to the female polyphony. Songs of love and sacred songs, lullabies and popular dances, funeral laments and serenades.

06.12 Vienna Konzerthaus / A
07.12 Nürnberg / D

BULGARA Acoustic feat. Gergana Dimitrova / EVA Quartet (Bulgaria)

Their music is a homogenous very groove mixture of extracts of Balkan and Bulgarian folklore with modern beats like drum & bass, funk etc.
Modern sound, adding to the beauty of the traditional Balkan Music.

13.12 Vienna Sargfabrik / A