Ivo Papasov
Bulgary
Legendary virtuoso clarinetist!
As a creator of contemporary Balkan music, he long ago became part of global culture.
Thirty years ago, in 1974, long before Balkan music was discovered on
the major music scene, Papazov started his revolution with his Trakija
Band. At the time he could hardly have known that he was creating a new
movement, later known as wedding band music, a mix of Bulgarian and
Balkan folk with contemporary elements. His work changed the face of
Bulgarian and world music and developed it in new directions. No wonder
his fans around the world call him the King of Wedding Band Music. In
deference to his amazing talent, Bulgarians call him the Aga (the
Master). And Papazov really is part of the best moments of their lives.
His music resounds not only at major concert venues, but also at the
important days of their lives, their weddings and family celebrations.
Ivo Papazov is now 52 with a brilliant musical career behind his back.
He appears on innumerable productions and albums. Two of his albums
were produced by Joe Boyd (who produced Pink Floyd, REM and others).
Global media of the calibre of The Guardian, the The Washington Post
and The New York Times write about him in superlative terms. Flattery
for Ivo Papazov has come from world-famous musicians like David Sanborn
and Frank Zappa and famous and respected experts and connoisseurs like
Simon Broughton and Timothy Rice.
Ivo Papazov works with world-renowned musicians like Milcho Leviev,
Peter Ralchev, Teodosii Spasov, Antoni Donchev, Johnny Griffin, Hector
Zazou, Okay Temiz, Glen Velez, Kepa Junkera, Arild Andersen, Kalman
Balogh, Iva Bitova, Sergei Starostin; he plays at festivals in Paris,
Salzburg, Tilburg, Krakow, Budapest, the Södra Teatern in Stockholm,
the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the Moers Festival, TFF
Rudolstadt, Schloss Elmau, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels,
Ronnie Scott’s in London, etc., etc.
His new album Fairground is a source of what we all love so much: a
tender, lyrical and crazily exuberant mix of bright sounds, beautiful
melodies improvisations in half-tones and rhythms, so lovingly created
that it draws from our hearts what we cherish most.
Here Ivo plays with his wife – the singer Maria Karafizieva - and his
old friends from the Trakija Band: Nesho Neshev on accordion, Vasil
Denev on keyboards and Salif Ali on drums. But shades of modern
Bulgarian music also appear in the form of master musicians like Stoyan
Yankulov on tupan drum and percussion, Ateshhan Husseinov on guitar,
Vasil Parmakov on piano, Ivo Zvezdomirov and Stefan Marinov on bass.
The album layout is in style with Ibryama’s music. Along with the disc
itself, wonderfully and poetically annotated by musicologist Gencho
Gaytandzhiev, the special box contains special gifts for friends of Ivo
Papazov’s music, like a big poster of the Aga himself and his
musicians. Everything apart from the disc is refreshingly devoid of
plastic. There can hardly be such a stylishly presented product on the
Bulgarian music market.
The beauty of his melodies gives him the force to change us.
Enjoy it!
Line up : Ivo Papasov, 1 singer, 5 musicians & 2 technicians
Availability 2006/2007 : all year long
Exclusivity for France only
