Posts by mikegordon

Sukrijin cocek

Posted by Mike Gordon on Aug 24, 2018 in Balkan Sheet Music, Cocek, Rom | 0 comments

We’ve heard this cocek melody played under a variety of names by Rom bands from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia. It was recorded by the Slobodan Salijevic brass band as Sukrijin cocek on the Golden Brass Summit CD (Network LC 6759), but that recording is no longer available on YouTube and we haven’t found another version, so all we can offer here is the chart. We sometimes play this after the Bulgarian pop song Cerno more.

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Cerno more

Posted by Mike Gordon on Aug 21, 2018 in 2/4, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

This communist-era comic song by Todor Kolev, the late Bulgarian actor, comedian and singer, is about a guy who takes a slacker job so he can hang out by the beach at the Black Sea and avoid his wife. We play it as a kjucek.

Caveat: This is one of the few songs in this collection where the transcription is different from the original recording. The transcription is based on a version of the song that we learned from Mary Sherhart in Seattle. It uses a different instrumental break (the original break just repeats part of the vocal melody) and a slightly shortened version of the verse.

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The original recording, with Todor Kolev on violin and vocals. (I think he also plays the musical blade of grass heard at one point.)

Albanski cocek

Posted by Mike Gordon on Aug 17, 2018 in Balkan Sheet Music, Cocek | 0 comments

A sexy instrumental dance number recorded, and possibly written, by Ferus Mustafov in 2013. He plays a brief free-meter solo intro that isn’t transcribed below. I’ve heard bands play this tune without phrase 4.

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Eleno kerko Eleno

Posted by Mike Gordon on Aug 14, 2018 in 7/8, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

A lovely Macedonian lesnoto dance melody in 7/8, about a girl trying to talk her boyfriend into buying her an expensive new hat.

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Sung by Selimova Zelceski:

Danubian dajcovo horo

Posted by Mike Gordon on Aug 10, 2018 in 9/8, Balkan Sheet Music | 0 comments

A lively instrumental in 9/8 by the Horo Orchestra from Ruse on the Danube River in northern Bulgaria. Original recording arranged and conducted by Vasil Purvanov. Played in Seattle for the Bulgarian line dance dajcovo horo by our band and Orkestar RTW (Radio-Televizija Woodinville). This 2-page chart is slightly improved from an older transcription.

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