Balkanology

Ivo Papasov and His Orchestra

album cover

Like No Wedding Band Anywhere

The clarinet player is charging along at breakneck speed, like he's climbing stairs three at a time. The accordion is scampering right behind. The pace is so fast you can't imagine anyone actually dancing to this clattering giddiness. But at weddings and other gatherings in Bulgaria, that's what happens when clarinetist and bandleader Ivo Papasov shows up.

A strange cross between Lawrence Welk and Johnny Rotten, Papasov is beloved across generations in his homeland, in part for his rashness on the bandstand, not just at weddings but all sorts of communal gatherings. He selects tempos that most mortals can't handle, and then dishes twirling, head-spinning phrases that are so demanding it's a wonder the band stays together. And yet never is his music just flash for its own sake: Papasov and his polished ensemble treat traditional tunes of Turkey and Greece (as well as their homeland) first with reverence. Then, as the pieces go along, they shift into instrumental adventures that move with the madcap intensity of a high-speed chase. (One could argue this is a good way to prepare young lovers for the turbulence of marriage.)

Balkanology shows a wide range of material, including a few pretzel-twist ballads ("Istoria na edna lyubov," with pitch-bending vocals from Maria Karafezieva) and a reggae-tinged "Mladeshki Dance." The zesty up-tempo songs, though, are the primary lure—showcases for Papasov's delightfully fleet solos, and ensemble passages that keep those on the dance floor in perpetual motion.

Genre: World, Bulgaria
Released: 1991, Hannibal
Key Tracks: "Istoria na edna lyubov," "Mominsko horo," "Ivo's ruchenitsa"
Catalog Choice: Orpheus Ascending
Next Stop: Márta Sebestyén and Muzsikás: Márta Sebestyén and Muzsikás
After That: Matisyahu: Live at Stubb's
Book Page: 576