Zig Zag Trio
When the Bees are Gathering Honey
Kuker Music (www.kuker-music.com)

Music store owners are going to have a field day with this one. The first clue is the "file under" instructions, which read: World Music, Bulgaria/Crazy Wedding, Jazz. One can only assume that the "Crazy" is added so as not confuse anyone looking for standard Bulgarian wedding music. Zig Zag Trio does use elements of that genre, however, in their complex meters and fast virtuoso playing, they take the genre way out of the box with fusion-inspired jams, funky guitar, and avant-garde arrangements.

"Leka-poleka"

Ateshghan Yuseinov's guitar work techniques are mind blowing, yet he is not all technique. On faster numbers, he has a seventies-era jazz-fusion buzz, while on "The fog is lifting" his tenderness is evident. Peter Ralchev's work on accordion is rippling and flashy without sacrificing musical depth. It would take a percussionist of consummate skill and inventiveness to keep up with these guys, and Stoyan Yankoulov is up to the task. Yankoulov handles tupan and trap set with equal finesse. A highlight of the disc is "Leka-poleka/Slow Down." It starts slow and moody, with drifting melodic interplay, and then almost imperceptibly, accelerates to a breathtaking pace. In between, there are some tricky little episodes to keep the listener's senses on alert. It is "crazy wedding" music, all right. If the wedding guests aren't in an altered state of consciousness before these guys start to play, just give them time. - Peggy Latkovich

You can find the recording at cdRoots

Song: "Leka-poleka/Slow Down"
©2000 Kuker Music, Germany (www.kuker-music.com)

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