Recorded in Macedonia and featuring Bajsa Arifovska with three master musicians (Hustref Said, Raim Baki, and Naser Mustafa), Macedonian Čalgija features 9 tracks of the urban Macedonian folk music known as čalgija. Bajsa is a talented multi-instrumentalist, one of the few Macedonian Romani women to take on this role, and she leads an ensemble, itself all too rare these days, of violin/clarinet, ut, kanun, and tarabuka in over 50 minutes of instrumentals.

Stefče Stojkovski will be holding a music and dance seminar from July 5 to July 15 in Struga, right by beautiful Lake Ohrid. Invited teachers include Branko Zevzovski, teaching Macedonian dances, and Edin Azizi, teaching Albanian dances. In addition to Stefče and the musicians of his ensemble, the famous zurla player Muzafer Mahmut will also be on staff.

Branko Zevzovski is a dancer and choreographer from Bitola. He was born in the village of Smilevo. He danced since he was a child and at a very early age he joined the folk dancing groups Ilinden, Dame Gruev and later on, Tanec. He founded the folk dancing ensemble Goce Delčev in Bitola. He works as a choreographer, but he explores the traditional dances in many rural regions in Vardar, Pirin and Aegean Macedonia. He put on stage a number of dance medleys from different regions. He is a holder of national and international recognitions and awards for his work.

Edin Aziz is from Kunaovo. He danced with the amateur folk dance group Emin Duraku from Skopje, Panče Pešrev from Kumanovo, and later on with Tanec. He founded the folk dance group Toska, which works within the Center of Culture of the city of Kumanovo. He has been engaged as a dance choreographer in most of the folk dancing groups in Kumanovo. In addition to Macedonian and Albanian dances, he also teaches the dances of the different minorities in Macedonia.

For more information, see Stefče's website.

Dragi Spasovski is featured in Seattle's The Stranger in an interview by Sean Jewell. The interview captures a lot of the wonderful qualities that make Dragi the musician and performer that he is. The interview is part of the lead up to the Balkan Night Northwest Festival taking place here next month.

Dragi Spasovski will head a group of several American musicians in a 45-minute set of Macedonian songs and dances at this year's Balkan Night Northwest festival in Seattle at the Russian Community Center. Last year's festival was a big success, and this year's will be held on two evenings, March 15th and 16th. Dragi will sing at 7:15 pm on Saturday the 16th. Also appearing that night will be the well-known Albanian singer from New York, Merita Halili, with her husband, Raif Hyseni on accordion. It should be a great evening, so get your tickets early via the event's website.

I regularly receive inquiries asking where someone can find a two-course Macedonian tambura. I have referred people to the Gievski shop in Skopje, and to Stefče Stojkovski and Bajsa Arifovska, both of whom can locate instruments for purchase. I am happy to let you know of another direct source, the luthier Risto Ivanovski, also based in Skopje.

Risto wrote me about what distinguishes his instruments from other makers':

"My tamburas are high-end instruments and are different from Gievski's or any other luthier's in Macedonia. The difference is first of all in the neck. I use rosewood or ebony for the fingerboard and first class Dunlop frets; this is not the case with any other tambura maker...There is also a difference in the head: mine is slotted, which takes more work to make, but which is much stronger. I also use proper tuning machines...My tamburas tune perfectly even at the highest frets. I also use bone for the nut and saddle...As for the body, I always use ¼ of the walnut and my body is deeper and lighter, which makes it louder...I simply want to bring this instrument to a higher level."

One of my correspondents ordered an Ivanovski tambura recently. He said, "It is an excellent instrument, very easy to play, and has a rich warmth on top of the bell-like tones more usual in a tambura. It also has a very good dynamic range, it can stand up to a gajda when played with energy, but is also able to play softly for accompanying a voice – just what I was after."

The price for the tambura includes a hard case and shipping. If you order from Risto, please let him know you were referred by Izvor Music. And please let me know what you think of the instrument.

Jody Rush, Ramona Wijayratne, Mary Sherhart, and Heidi Bodding will present "Balkan Luminosity", a dinner show of Macedonian and Bulgarian folk songs, at Café Paloma on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 7:30pm. They will be accompanied by David Bilides on kavals, tambura, and piano.

This evening will present a selection of Macedonian and Bulgarian folk songs in traditional and more modern arrangements. The four singers featured have been devotees of the music for many years, and this venue provides them an opportunity to showcase some of their favorite songs.

There will be solos, duets, trios and quartets, and diaphonic pairings to chordal arrangements. The accompaniment will include traditional wooden flutes (kavals) and a long-necked mandolin-type instrument (tambura). Throughout the evening, the performers will intersperse personal stories about their relationships with the music, the area, and the individual songs.

Musical evenings at the intimate Café Paloma usually sell out quickly. An early reservation will secure you a seat for your delicious dinner and an evening of uncommon folk music from a culturally diverse and rich part of the Balkans.

"Balkan Luminosity" Dinner Show
Saturday, May 5, 2012
7:30 to 10:00 pm
Café Paloma 93 Yesler Way (at 1st) in Seattle
Sponsored by Izvor Music
Very Limited Seating! Reservations (a must): 206-405-1920
$12 cover plus fabulous dinner and drink from the Café Paloma menu

Dragi Spasovski, accompanied by David Bilides, Erik Butterworth, and Tom Deering, will perform for the Northwest Language Academy's "Meet Macedonia" evening on April 14th. There will be a Macedonian dinner cooked by Ljupka Kolarovska, followed by a performance by Dragi, plus a litle bit of dancing.

Dragi Spasovski, accompanied by musicians organized by Jesenko Lalić, sang to an enthusiastic crowd at the first annual, and very successful Northwest Balkan Music Night on March 10th. Over 750 people attended, many newcomers to the scene, young and old. There was a kafana venue for smaller, non-dance acts, as well as the main stage. It seems as though this will be the start of an ongoing yearly festival of Balkan music in Seattle.

Goran Alachki will be running a folk seminar this spring, in addition to his usual Pearl summer seminar. The new seminar will run from April 22 to May 4, and include stops in Skopje, Ohrid, and Berovo. There will be dancing and singing classes each day, and evening parties with local musicians. Details can be found on Goran's revamped website.

The Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe has curated an incredible exhibit of Macedonian bridal costumes, largely based on the extraordinary collections of Ron Wixman, Steve Glaser and Bernard Ziobo. It runs Oct 1, 2011- January 6, 2013. There will be a lecture and music series on Macedonian cultures. For details, as well as a selection of photos, see the Museum of International Folk Art

It didn't matter that it rained—poured—most of the week: Stefče and Dragi made a big, positive impact on the EEFC Iroquois Springs Balkan Music and Dance Workshop. They played two evening sets at the dance parties with enthusiastic musicians, and an energetic dance crowd kept the momentum going. They also played a late-night kafana set, with David Bilides and Henry Goldberg providing back-up. This was on the 17th, which just happened to be a birthday for both! People sent food and drink over to their table afterwards, and sang them a tribute.

Stefče's first camp was a pleasant surprise for him, as he met many new musicians of all levels of expertise. He had a chance to talk with them and play with them.

Photo by Ann Mosconi

His openness was infectious and led to many collaborative musical moments, such as him playing along with the Rodop gajda ensemble. He also played at the student demonstration with the 100+ member Albanian ensemble.

Although everyone was sad that Goran, Adrijana, and Bajsa were not able to make it to the camp, there were many comments that this was one of the best representations of Macedonian music in memory. Dragi was in great voice, his singing class joined forces with David's Macedonian village ensemble at the student demonstration, and he and Stefče were much in demand during the week. Everyone is hoping that this is just the first of many EEFC camp experiences for Stefče, and that his rich collaboration with Dragi will continue in the years to come.

Here are the details for the two performances in Seattle in early August.

Macedonian Live Music and Dance Party
with Stefče Stojkovski (Skopje, Republic of Macedonia) and Dragi Spasovski (Seattle, WA)
Friday, August 5, 2011
8:00 to 11:00 pm
The Russian Community Center On Capitol Hill In Seattle 704 19th Ave E.
Sponsored by Izvor Music
Hosted by the Seattle Balkan Dancers
(Please bring party food to share with everyone)
Donations Requested for this evening of dancing to live Macedonian music:
$15 for adults
$8 for students 14-20
$25 for families of 3 or more
Free for children 13 and under

"Echo of My Soul" Dinner Show
with Stefče Stojkovski (Skopje, Republic of Macedonia) and Dragi Spasovski (Seattle, WA)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
7:30 to 11:00 pm
Café Paloma 93 Yesler Way (at 1st) in Seattle
Sponsored by Izvor Music
Very Limited Seating! Reservations (a must): 206-405-1920
$10 cover plus fabulous dinner and drink from the Café Paloma menu

Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, has written Anything You Want, an e-book, sharing what he learned during starting, building, and selling CD Baby. It comes with a free gift: a code to download 241 hand-picked MP3s from his "top CD Baby artists." I'm happy to say that Dragi Spasovski made Derek's cut, out of thousands of other artists. I chose the song, Stani, Bre Sine Stojane from his Beyond the Mountain—Zad Planinata CD. Congratulations, Dragi!