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Čalgija | Vintage Recordings (1964–1966)

These are the only recordings of Čalgija’s first line-up, originally issued on EP (7″ 33⅓ RPM vinyl). As far as we know, they might be the first Dutch world music recordings altogether, at least in this particular genre.

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

Album information

Tracks / total playing time 12:26

  1. Kostursko Oro
  2. Maniátikos
  3. And’ άman pallikári – Tap’ nos
  4. Éhe yá kayméne kózme – Kalamatianós
  5. Fysoúni
  6. Partálos

Genre

Folk music from Greece (Epirus, Aegean Macedonia, Western ThracePeloponnese) and North Macedonia.

Liner notes

Read about this first Dutch production of its kind.

Credits

Musicians
Wouter Swets (musical director) – accordion
Albert van der Meulen – accordion

Rob van Altena – clarinet
Pedro van Meurs – darabuka
Terpsichoré Choir – vocals on track [1]

Original production
Wouter Swets (arrangements, recording, mastering)

Original release
Terpsichoré, Amsterdam

Reissue
Michiel van der Meulen (digitisation, remastering, artwork, liner notes)

TouMilou #4 / EAN 8714835122241
℗ 1966 W. Swets / Terpsichoré
© 2017 M.J. van der Meulen/TouMilou

Get the album

  • Vintage Recordings (1962–1964) is streamed on Soundcloud
  • The digital album can be downloaded via the link below; consider making a donation if you do.
  • Use the contact form below to order a CD directly from TouMilou: € 5.00
  • A CD can be purchased online from the distributor Xango Music

Čalgija CD sales revenues are transferred to the estate of Wouter Swets and used to cover the expenses of a continued effort to safeguard his musical legacy. TouMilou Music contributes to this effort on a pro bono basis.

Downloads / Terms of use in the footer

Vintage Recordings album art (1000 x 1000 px jpg)

Digital album / 44.1 kHz wavs, scores and icon in zip file

Vintage Recordings album art (1000 x 1000 px jpg)

Album art / 1000 x 1000 px jpg

Vintage Recordings, scores (Michiel van der Meulen, 2019)

Scores / pdf

About the album artwork
This image was retrieved from an undeveloped film roll, which was inside a camera found among Wouter Swets’ possessions after his death by his friend Roland van Abel. Developed some 55 years after it was used, the degraded roll yielded two photos. The first one – beautiful, serene, of excellent quality – showed Wouter with his black accordion, playing with a young man whom Roland could’t identify. He posted the picture on Facebook, asking who knew that man. I recognised my father Albert van der Meulen, without a beard, which puts him in his student years. I got in contact with Roland and heard the extraordinary tale of the picture’s provenance.

Albert van der Meulen & Wouter Swets, 1962

Other releases by Čalgija

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