Yasko Argirov
Hot Blood
$17.99

More hot music from the Bulgarian clarinetist and his phenomenal band. Big bonus is that the CD includes 15 minutes of informal and concert performance footage (including a wonderful if brief duet with accordionist Slavko Lambrov) and some chat with the artists.

Musicians:
Yasko Argirov, clarinet
Iliya Argirov, drums
Slavtcho Lambov, accordeon
Angel Lambov, alto sax
Danko Kristef, keyboard
Maksim Nicolu, voice (track #8)

Press release from the record label:
YASKO ARGISOV, the Bulgarian clarinet virtuoso who first came to the public's attention in Western Europe with his 1999 debut "Yasko" (Dunya 8021), is now back in splendid form with a new album recorded in the studio during the Turin date of his Italian tour last summer. Hot Blood is sure to enthuse listeners who have warmed to Yasko's musicianship and humanity. Gradually Yasko's legend is now spreading beyond the bounds of his native land where he is renowned as one of the leading musicians of the Gypsy tradition, the core of much of the music of the Balkans. "Hot Blood" is a collection of traditional tunes given an imaginative overhaul by ARGIROV himself. Famous Bulgarian rhythms and melodies (from both the capital and outlying areas), gypsy dances and Thracian dance music are interwoven with pieces of Turkish or Serbian origin, creating a powerful mélange where instrumental improvisation plays a key role in reshuffling the cards and injecting the music with a dose of the modern that rescues it from the dusty corridors of the folklore museum. Joyously lyrical, contemplative and spontaneous in the same moment, the sounds that erupt from ARGIROV's clarinet are the fruit of a passionate exploration of Bulgarian tradition begun when he was still a child born into a family for whom music was as important as breathing. ARGIROV learned his trade playing at wedding parties and other local festivals; a school of life and art that has led directly to the ears of the "educated" listener without having to hitch a ride on some dubious marketing bandwagon. ARGIROV has always said that his main inspiration is a desire to delight and entertain, but the resulting music is much more than mere entertainment and stands as a testimony to the clarinettist's ability to bring past and present into perfect harmony. Hot Blood includes 15 minutes of live video concert footage in which ARGIROV, among other things, tells of his friendship and artistic partnership with the accordionist Slavko Lambrov, who plays alter-ego to him on this top quality recording.

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