Not your average wedding band
Orkestar Balkan will turn your notion of a wedding band on its head! Led by master gaida player Ivan Varimezov, they are a Bulgarian Wedding band based in Los Angeles. Their unique music is the result of the convergence of traditional Bulgarian melodies and asymmetrical time signatures, Roma/Gypsy influences and ornamentation, and jazz sensibilities. It is an unusual treat to hear the traditional bagpipe called the gaida played in a band accompanied by Western jazz woodwinds and electric instruments. It lends a uniquely contrasting tone that Ivan uses to great effect, playing his high-flying melodies and solos at finger-blurring speeds. The final result is exciting and complex -- with dense rhythms and layered harmonies driven and coaxed by melodies that at times seem comfortingly familiar, and at other times paints mysterious landscapes of the unknown. On top of this, it is just extremely fun dance music.
Orkestar Balkan was formed and plays under the auspices of the Ethnomusicology Department at UCLA and is an active part of the Balkan music scene in L.A. and beyond. It is comprised not only of master Bulgarian musicians, but also a noted ethnomusicologist and talented musicians from UCLA and the community at large. While they can frequently be found performing for local dances and concerts, the summer of 2005 greatly extended Orkestar Balkan's terrain when they performed at the International Folklore Festival in Burgas, Bulgaria. In summer of 2008 the band, along with the UCLA Bulgarian Women's Choir, returned to Bulgaria for several performances, one of which included a recorded for television performance at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. These days, they are always interested in performing for projects, parties, dances, and yes even weddings!
To hear a few songs from a live performance click here .