Garden Of Rila

... a triumph of sympathetic arrangement, gentle instrumentation and quiet confidence. John Ridpath, fRoots magazine album of the year Charlie Gilett's The Sound of the World sheer beguilingness Michael Church, The Scotsman a standout gem Derek Beres, Sing Out! an album worthy to be listened to forever Kornilios Diamantopoulos, Jazz&Tzaz magazine it deserves a place among the best albums of the last years Alexandros Gerasimou, Urban Style magazine This album is a crossroad of sounds from the Balkans. Martha Mavroidi has written songs that blend musics, images and stories from different parts of the Balkans. Balkan means mountain and Rila is the highest mountain of the peninsula. There stands a monastery with a hidden garden. In it's quiet yard the idea was born for these eleven songs. The album contains nine songs composed by Martha Mavroidi, one by Antonis Apergis and one by Pantelis Stoikos. Lyrics: Martha Mavroidi, Eleni Fotaki, Ivan Hristov, Antonis Apergis. Musicians: Martha Mavroidi (voice, lafta, electric lafta, saz), Alexandros Arkadopoulos (clarinet), Pantelis Stoikos (trumpet, kaval), Lefteris Havoutsas (guitar, rabab), Yiorgos Ventouris (contrabass, guitar), Kostas Meretakis (percussion), Antonis Apergis (fretless guitar), Saz Grubu (saz), Maria Melachroinou (saz), Giannis Zarias (violin), Manousos Klapakis (percussion), Kostas Theodorou (percussion).