Bulgarian Musicians Reunite
for CD Release, U.S. Tour
NEW YORK - One of Bulgaria's premier wedding bands has reunited after 14 years,
recording a CD of traditional Bulgarian dance music and planning a U.S. 'reunion
tour' scheduled for Fall 2008. The multi-talented group of five musicians from
Thrace, in southern Bulgaria, played together for nearly
20 years until Donka Koleva emigrated to the U.S. in 1995.
In late 2007, Donka and her husband Nikolay returned to Bulgaria to record
Kabile Reunion with their former band members. The debut CD contains 11 of the
most popular numbers from their years as a group and includes both
vocal and instrumental versions of native Bulgarian songs. The CD is
self-produced; the 2007 tour is funded in part with travel and visa assistance
from the Eastern European Folklife Center (EEFC), a nonprofit organization based
in California.
'Kabile Traditional Wedding Band' was formed in 1978 and became one of the most
popular bands in Thrace. Based in the city of Yambol, the group took its name
from the village of Kabile, where they performed one of their earliest gigs. The
group specialized in performing native music on traditional village instruments,
resulting in an acoustic experience quite different from that played on Western
instruments influenced by American jazz. This form of Bulgarian wedding music
has attracted worldwide attention and scholarship for its incredible virtuosity
and musicianship. During its heyday, the band played almost every weekend at
weddings, baptisms and cultural festivals in Thrace.
The band plays instruments of a traditional Bulgarian village band. The gaida is
a bagpipe made of goat skin and pipes. The tapan is a large wooden drum covered
with sheep or goat skin and played with two specially designed drumming sticks.
The kaval is a flute-like instrument open at both ends, played by blowing on the
smaller, sharpened end, the band also includes the accordion. The band's five
members each serve as an outstanding representative of his or her musical
specialty. Individually, each member of the band has an exceptional history of
scholarship and performance.
Collectively they form one of the most respected ensembles in Bulgarian Thrace.
About the band:
Dzhenko Andreev (gaida) is a graduate of the Filip Koutev High School of Music
in Kotel, Bulgaria, one of the two prestigious music high schools in Bulgaria.
Founded in 1967, the school was the first high school in Bulgaria to offer a
full curriculum of traditional Bulgarian music. Over the five-year
course of study, students generally specialize in a specific instrument or type
of music. Regional folk music and dance ensembles, which preserve local styles,
have much support throughout Bulgaria. Mr. Andreev has been a member of the
Sliven Ensemble for over 20 years and has toured with them
internationally.
Ivan Handzhiev (vocals, accordion) is also a graduate of the Filip Koutev High
School of Music and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, the
country's most prestigious university-level institution for folk music.
Handzhiev also served on the faculty of Filip Koutev High School as a music
instructor for more than 25 years.
Angel Krastev (tapan) was born and raised in Yambol. He learned to play tapan
from the village masters and as a child participated in many music festivals. In
high school he formed a popular bitov band that was much in demand for
festivals, weddings and other public events. He has served as a soloist with the
Yambol Ensemble since 1973.
Nikolay Doktorov (kaval) is a graduate of the Filip Koutev High School of Music
and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts. He currently serves on the
faculty of the High School 'Anton Strashimirov' in Varna, Bulgaria, where he
teaches kaval and conducts folk orchestra. He is also the conductor of several
regional ensembles in Varna, including the Folk Ensemble 'Pendary'
and the Folk Orchestra 'Spektar' of the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria,
Donka Koleva graduated from the Musical Folklore High School in Shiroka Luka and
performed for three years with the Sliven Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances.
She was the director of the Folk Song Chorus of Sopot and has been a featured
soloist on Bulgarian Radio and Television. She has participated in many singing
competitions in Bulgaria and Europe. Her voice has been featured on numerous
recordings and in 1997 her recording of 'Javore' was named 'Song of the Year' in
the Bulgarian national radio competition. Since emigrating to the U.S. in 1995,
Donka Koleva and
her husband Nikolay Kolev have played an active role in fostering Bulgarian
music across the country. They teach workshops in their respective fields and
perform solo, together as a duo and as a family quartet with their daughters,
Penka and Maria.