Live at the 2011 Golden Festival: Ansambl Mastika
Ansambl Mastika
Ansambl Mastika bring the "New Balkan Uproar / Original Eastern European Music" to the Golden Festival's Grand Ballroom Stage at Grand Prospect Hall, January 15th 2011!
Nova ZemjaThe title means New Land in Macedonian. I began writing the song when I was on tour in with the Hungry March Band. I was killing time during a sound check at a club in Munich called Neuland. This is what eventually came of that. It's a Bulgarian dance called a rutchenitsa. Bulgarian playing is a very virtuosic and very flashy, not at all typical of my playing style, so as I was writing this I felt like I was exploring an entirely new realm of playing, musically a New Land.
Memede Zlatna PticaMemede is a kind of Macedonian dance. Zlatna ptica means golden bird in Macedonian. This tune is named for the golden bird that used to fly out of my saxophone on the band's old website. It was beautiful website, and totally impractical for me to use, especially since the designer/ lives in Skopje, Macedonia.
Pesna bez Zborovi/More Tri GodiniThis is a medley of an original tune called Pesna bez Zborovi (Song without Words in Macedonian) and a traditional Macedonian tune called More Tri Godini (My Dear, Three Years). The words of the traditional song say:
My dear, three years agoI strolled to Istanbulmy fragrant lamb, my dark birdAnd I earned myselfthree thousand (dollars, grosche, denars?)With the first thousandI bought myself a horseWith the second thousandI bought myself a houseWith the third thousandI will come for you
Franklin'in KarsilamasiThis is a Turkish/Romany dance called a karsilama. This one is named for Franklin Ave, the street in Brooklyn where I recently put down roots with my girlfriend.
Performers:Greg Squared - sax and vocalsBen Syversen - trumpetMatthew Fass - accordionJoey Weisenberg - guitarReuben Radding - bassMatt Moran - percussionRima Fand - vocals on More Tri Godini