Prepared by: Nashi Brooker
"If you’ve never experienced polyphonic singing before, here’s your chance. The music of southern Albania, “saze”, is a remarkable thing, once heard, never forgotten. I’m glad to discover that Joe Boyd thinks it’s pretty remarkable too. Southern Albanian music has none of the bouncy catchiness of music of the north as far as Kosovo; it’s plaintive. A Balkan blues. The songs mournful & ethereal, you can imagine them echoing across the country’s mountain landscape. And they have, echoed that is, for centuries. Some of the songs date back that long.
Not sure how I missed this at the time, but a couple of years ago Boyd raised enough money via Kickstarter to fund an album of contemporary versions of southern Albanian “saze” music: it’s called, “At Least Wave Your Handerchief At Me”. The only other album of traditional Albanian music I have owned, produced by another great fan of the music, Christopher King of Long Gone Sound Productions, was based on ancient 78”s found in Turkey and went by the equally arresting title, “Don’t Trust Your Neighbours: Early Albanian Traditional Songs & Improvisations, 1920s-1930s”. So good in fact was that album that I lent it to someone who liked it so much they never gave it back. A pity, as it’s now out-of-print & valuable. I can sound quite plaintive & mournful about that too.
This short (eight minute) documentary might help you understand the appeal".
Source: BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p043kqk1
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