"A rarely opened musical universe that becomes deeper and more soulful with every listen." - Joe Boyd A unique and masterful look at the amazing Folk Music of Albania compiled by the Grammy Award winning Chris King. There has never been a previous release like this. It is evocative and haunting music from the mountains with deep historical roots and will be a must buy for the growing number of people searching out the roots of World Music. Songbirds species have their own repertoire and each individual bird learns its song from its father, taking on his idiosyncrasies and then layering them with his own. Over time, this dialect will become richer and richer, the repertoire broader, the closer this bird stays to home. Within Albania are two main groups Ghegs in the north and the Tosks in the south. Gheg songs are characterized by monophony, well-defined rhythm and musical accompaniment. The Tosk tradition is defined by polyphony, imitative melodic lines and, prior to urbanization, a total absence of musical accompaniment. This sub-dialect is heavily represented here by the Asllani family of Leskovik, whose labels recorded in New York, Detroit, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Athens, and Istanbul.
