Aka Moon is a leading jazz band in Belgium. In the recent years the musicians have been working with four Bulgarian performers for the joint project Aka Balkan Moon, and have already released an album. The project will be premiered in Bulgaria tonight, at a concert in Studio No. 1 Hall of the Bulgarian National Radio. The event is on the playbill of the traditional Days of Belgium in Bulgaria held under the auspices of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Sofia.

What unites the musicians from Aka Moon is their focus on ancient cultures. They experiment with melody patterns borrowed from the Arabic traditions with performers from Egypt, Syria and other countries. Who are they: Fabrizio Cassol, alto saxophone, Fabian Fiorini, piano, Tcha Limberger, violin and vocals, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, double bass and Stéphane Galland, percussion. More about the project and the Bulgarian involvement from shepherd's flute player Nedyalko Nedyalkov.

„Our joint work with Aka Moon began in September 2012, in Paris, owing to the Royaumont Foundation that supported the Aka Balkan Moon project. The other Bulgarian musicians in the band are Stoyan Yankulov, percussions, Vladimir Karparov, soprano saxophone and folk singer Stoimenka Nedyalkova. All works are based on Bulgarian folklore themes. An album was released earlier this year and we presented it in Brussels in May at a big concert in the Royal Circus. Now we are presenting the project live at BNR Studio No. 1. I should like to point out that this project is a new proof that Bulgarian folklore is a source of universal human values. Once again Bulgarian traditional music has inspired artistes from other countries and nations and has successfully merged with various genres.”

Though it has been around for just three years, the Aka Balkan Moon project has already been presented in a few European countries.

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio file contains the following songs:

1. Aka - Steste

2. Aka Balkan - Izkusala Baba Devet Oki Leshta / Old Woman Ate Nine Kilos of Lentils/