Čalgija | Vintage Recordings (1964–1966)
Introduction
Wouter Swets (1930–2016) was a well-known and notable Dutch ethnomusicologist, musician, composer, teacher and writer. Through lectures, workshops, radio programs, scholarly articles, polemics, CD reviews, and performances with his orchestras Čalgija and Al-Farabi, Swets inspired countless music lovers and musicians to share his passion for the musical traditions of the Balkans, Anatolia, Arabia and Central Asia, his understanding of which was rooted in the massive collection of beautiful melodies he collected over his life. Even though he would have argued that ‘world music’ does not actually exist as a genre, he has often been called its godfather in the Netherlands. 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.
The album is very charming, a typical product of the 1960s, that is, of young people exploring music they found infinitely more interesting and exciting than the rather dire music that was popular in the Netherlands at that time. But while the emerging Dutch pop scene took its inspiration from the west, Čalgija looked east. The EP is basically a compilation of rehearsal room recordings, taped between 1964 and 1966, with the same recorder Swets used for ethnomusicological fieldwork. At that time, Swets’ band members were still students. In 1967, they left Čalgija in order to be able to focus on their graduation and then have careers, to the great dismay of Swets, who founded a new Čalgija ensemble that existed from 1969 to 1995 and acquired international fame.”
Michiel van der Meulen
Bunnik, January 2017
Album information
Tracks / total playing time 12:26
- Kostursko Oro
- Maniátikos
- And’ áman pallikári – Tap’ nos
- Éhe yá kayméne kózme – Kalamatianós
- Fysoúni
- Partálos
Track notes
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]
Reissue
Michiel van der Meulen (digitisation, remastering, album notes)
Original production
Wouter Swets (arrangements, recording, mastering)
Original release
Terpsichoré, Amsterdam
TouMilou Records #4 / EAN 8714835122241
℗ 1966 W. Swets / Terpsichoré
© 2017 M.J. van der Meulen/TouMilou
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.
Review
- Jan Willem Broek, De Subjectivisten (September 22, 2017; in Dutch): “… six tracks adding up to just over 12 minutes, but so overwhelmingly beautiful that it is a good thing that they can be heard again.”
Get the album
- Vintage Recordings (1962-1964) is streamed on all major platforms
- A CD can be purchased online from the distributor Xango Music
- Use the contact form to order a CD directly from TouMilou (€ 6.00, shipping excluded)
Get the scores
Downloads
Album art (1000 x 1000 px jpg)
Scores (pdf)
Other albums by Čalgija
- Üçayak (TouMilou #5, 2021)
- Unforgotten (Pan Records – PAN 2056 / TouMilou #4, 2020)
- Mosaique Vivant (Mosaique Vivant – MV695, 1995): compilation album with three tracks featuring Čalgija
- Music from the Balkans and Anatolia #2 (Pan Records – PAN 2007CD, 1991)
- Music from the Balkans and Anatolia #1 (Sloof – MU 7425, 1978)