Macedonian Early Music Band

The Macedonian Early Music Band played traditional instruments from the Yugoslav part of Macedonia. On this album LP GB1978 they are featured playing together as a folk band: Macedonian bagpipes (Gaida), Shepherds flute (Kaval), Long necked lute (Tambura), Double headed drum (Tapan). The musicians were keen to do something to stop these traditional instruments from dying out to more modern musical instruments. They played for and danced in the Zivko Firfov folk dance group based in London UK and altogether appeared at the Ilinden Festival in Bitola, Macedonia, Yugoslavia 1978. Playing the even and amazing odd time rhythms still surviving in the Balkans, this album was released in November 1979 reaching No. 8 in the Melody Maker Folk Albums Charts. The lively playing and the fascinating rhythms was a breakthrough album, as the only other bagpipes known then were Scottish and the highly popular Irish that dominated the UK folk album charts.