Marina Toshich is an oud player from Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, now residing in Tel-Aviv, Israel. She has a body of work interpreting some absolutely stunning music for her chosen instrument.
Balkan Folk
[Music] Various Artists – Nightingales & Canaries, Vol. 1: “Oriental” Women on Record, New York & Istanbul, 1928-55
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3272306330/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/New York City was home to a vibrant musical scene filled with singers from Anatolia, Istanbul and the region of Roumelia. Christians and Jews joined together in making some rather bawdy music.
This treasure was released by Ian Nagoski’s Canary Records, a label filled with some absolute gems.
[Music] Mizar – Svjat Dreams
Behind only Laibach and Bijelo Dugme (White Button), Mizar were the most powerful name in the Balkan rock music scene, and crossed over into Darkwave with ease. This is a cover of The Eurhythmics’ classic hit, “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This,” done with a heavy dose of Byzantine goth.
[Music] Piirpauke – Fyssouni & Imala Maika
Finland’s legendary Piirpauke were among the first bands which could be termed as World Music.
[Music] Psarantonis – Prayers
Wonderfully heavy Greek music by Cretan singer Antonis Xylouris, who records under the name of Psarantonis.
[Music] Elvis Ajdinović i Orkestar Meke Ajdinovića – Elvisov cocek
The town of Guca, Serbia is home to one of the greatest gypsy brass festivals in the world. Here’s a sample from one of the new names exploding onto the gypsy brass scene, Elvis Ajdinović.
[Music] The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble – Chant for a Holy Book
No need to comment on this group. Just let the music envelop you.
[Music] Milcho Leviev – Dave Holland – Cavatina
Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev came to my attention about 20 years ago via the Los Angeles record label MA Recordings, a high-end label. I was floored by the quality of his playing, and wondered why he didn’t receive more attention in the US than he has. Bassist Dave Holland needs little introduction, as he has a flood of crucial records on labels like ECM Records.
[Music] Grupa Marina Škrgatića – Čežnja
Grupa Marina Škrgatića are one of a score of magnificent groups which came out of the former Yugoslavia who produced music of ridiculously high quality. As usual, there’s little information in English about the band, so it’s best to use Chrome or Firefox and see if you can translate this.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 