Čalgija | Music from the Balkans and Anatolia #1

Music from the Balkans and Anatolia #1 is Čalgija’s acclaimed debut album, originally released on LP by Münich Records in 1978 and as a digital album by Pan Records in 2013. The original liner notes are published on TouMilou.nl as supplementary material to the streamed album.

Straight to the liner notes ⇲
(info, music and downloads below)

Album information

Tracks / total playing time 41:24

Sulejmanovo oro
Kerimoğlu zeybeği
Jovino horo
Antice, džanam, dušice
Haj, otkako je Banja Luka postala
Papadhia
Lukovitski momi horo
Kostantis
Liljano mome ubavo
Kars yerli barı
Osman Paşa
Valle nr. 1 e Tiranës

30-sec. track samples on Soundcloud.

Genre

Folk music from the Balkans (Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria) and Anatolia.

Liner notes

Read Wouter Swets’ original annotations.

Credits

Musicians

Wouter Swets (musical director) – accordion, kanun, tapan
Roel Sluis – vocals, kaval
Jan Hofmeijer – vocals, clarinet, gajda, santur
Crispijn Oomes – violin, gădulka, cura saz

Tjarko ten Have – gajda, kaval, bağlama, def, tapan
Remco Busink – oud, laouto, bağlama, tambura
Thijs de Melker – bağlama, laouto, tambura, guitar
Roelof Rosendal – gaida, darbuka, tapan

Place and time of recording: Nieuwe Gracht 32, Utrecht; 1977–1978.
All recordings are arrangements of original folktunes.

Liner notes: Wouter Swets
Design: Fotoset Meijer B.V.
Painting (front cover art): Tjarko ten Have
Photography: Eelco Brinkman
Producer: Job Zomer
Executive production: Munich Records B.V.

Stoof MU 7425 / PAN 7425
© 1978/2013 Pan Records

Review

Kunstredactie, De Volkskrant (1 December 1978; in Dutch): “A coherent set of dance melodies and songs”

Get the album

Music from the Balkans and Anatolia #1 is streamed on all major platforms
The physical album is out of stock

Downloads

Album art / 945 x 945 px jpg

About the album artwork
Besides member of Čalgija, Tjarko ten Have (‘s-Heer Arendskerke, 1947 – Vlissingen, 2003) was an accomplished painter, who was best known for his portraits of athletes and jazz masters. His painting of two Turkish men drinking tea for the cover of Čalgija’s debut album is actually a double self-portrait (1978, oil on canvas, approx 75 x 65 cm, in private collection). A full image is included in the liner notes.

Other releases by Čalgija

Üçayak / TouMilou #5, 2021 / album
Unforgotten / PAN 2056 / TouMilou #4, 2020 / album
Vintage Recordings (1964–1966) / TouMilou #2, 2017 / EP
Mosaique Vivant / MV695, 1995 / compilation album with three tracks by Čalgija
Music from the Balkans and Anatolia #2 / PAN 2007CD, 1991 / album