Balkan party music in Seattle

2/4

Eli, Eli

Posted by on Jun 15, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

A love song performed by the Albanian Rom band Kurbeti. We play it as a cocek.

Read More

Lule te bukura ka Tirana

Posted by on Jun 8, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

A beautiful song from Merita Halili, the superb Albanian singer living in New York. “Don’t despair, I’m still yours.” Our good friend Greta from Tirana loves dancing to this song when we play it live at Georgia’s, our favorite Greek restaurant in Seattle. We sing it in a lower key than Merita does.

Read More

Osman Aga

Posted by on Jun 1, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

Muharem Serbezovski sings about a guy who offers to buy Osman Aga’s daughter for a barrel of rakija. Osman Aga’s response is not recorded. We play this as a cocek with disco tendencies.

Read More

Bubamara

Posted by on May 15, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

Audiences always like this song from the Emir Kusturica movie “Black Cat White Cat,” a dark comedy about petrol smuggling and a wedding where almost anything can and does happen, including a return from the dead. We do the vocals, but not the same musical arrangement.

Read More

Dada sali

Posted by on May 8, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 2 comments

From the liner notes to this recording by Ferus Mustafov, the superb Macedonian Rom sax and clarinet player: “This is based on an Albanian tune that any traveller in western Macedonia or Albania is guaranteed to hear once a day at least, although rarely in such a jazzy form as this.”

Read More

Opa cupa

Posted by on Apr 27, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

A song by the legendary Bosnian Rom singer Saban Bajramovic in a bouncy 2/4 rhythm that works well for the Serbian dance u Ε‘est. We repeat one phrase that he doesn’t.

Read More