Vardari: Shared Balkan Melodies

Personnel

Ellie Falaris Ganelin, vocals, flute, arrangements (all), Moog synthesizer (track 8)
Christina Walton, violin (tracks 2-7), backup vocals (track 8)
J. Maddox, acoustic/electric guitar (all), trombone (track 6)
Joe Belson, upright/electric bass (tracks 1-7)
Sage Baggott, drumset & percussion (tracks 1-3, 5-7)
Ariel Wang, violin (tracks 1 & 7)
Briget Boyle, backup vocals (tracks 2, 6 & 8)

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jeff Kolhede at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, California. Additional engineering by Karishma Kumar. 

This album was made possible by grant awards from the Fleishhacker Foundation, InterMusic SF, and the Elios Charitable Foundation.

Copyright @ 2025 by Kombos Collective

Pronunciation Coaches

Cansu Bakar, Iva Kasumovic, Khatchadour Khatchadourian, Krin Kirijas, Dorina Nimigean, Grijda Spiri and Ivan Velev

Special Thanks

Briget Boyle, Laura Blumenthal, Eva Broman, Carol Freeman, Joe Graziosi, Jim Hoath, Sofia Hoxhalli, Nikos Ordoulidis, Brenna MacCrimmon, Djordje Popović, Antje Postema, Simone Salmon, Dragi Spasovski, and the East European Folklife Center community

By Ellie Falaris Ganelin, Kombos Collective director

Vardari is an exploration of shared Balkan melodies, celebrating the interconnected musical traditions of the Balkan region with a focus on the Hellenic world. I poured so much energy into this project: researching repertoire, arranging the scores, playing flute and singing in a number of languages. I collected song ideas from my own research and crowd-sourced repertoire and lyrics through the international network of the East European Folklife Center, a U.S.-based organization that offers education in folk music and dance traditions of the region. As a Greek speaker myself, I worked with native speakers of other languages to coach me on the pronunciation of the lyrics. In any one song, 2-5 languages are sung, including Albanian, Armenian, BCS (Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian), Bulgarian, Greek, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), N. Macedonian, Romanian and Turkish. 

I am of mixed Balkan heritage, having carried on the Greek language from my father and Balkan folk dances from my Croatian-American mother. My paternal great grandparents hailed from the former Ottoman city of Monastiri (modern-day Bitola, N. Macedonia) and spoke five languages. During the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria gained territory and independence from the Ottoman Empire and subsequently fought amongst themselves. Like many families, my ancestors ended up on different sides of the newly formed borders. 

The name Vardari comes from the Vardar or Vardaris River, which has inspired Balkan songs in different languages and is a source of both sustenance and inspiration. The river — like the music — transcends borders.

So much of my music career the last 14 years has been about celebrating my Hellenic heritage through music. I’ve learned over time that the folk and urban folk music traditions of Greece and more broadly, the former Ottoman lands of Southeastern Europe and Anatolia, don’t always neatly fit within national borders. Melodies end up being quite portable: at first, because of commerce and traveling musicians, and later on, because of the emergence of recorded music and of course, the Internet. The songs I’ve curated could be considered historical greatest hits, melodies that are so magnetic that people adapt and translate them into their respective languages. Vardari confirms what people of this region know in their hearts. The backbone of our collective musical traditions use the same underlying modes: an undercurrent that makes these musics more interconnected than different.

About the Songs

Kombos released a Greek-language version of Kâtibim (track 1) under the name “Apo Xeno Topo” (From a Foreign Land) on their previous album Uproot: Greek Refugee Songs from Asia Minor. This is a universal melody that actually exists in many languages, and was the catalyst for Vardari in the search for shared melodies. After all, cities in the Ottoman Empire were a melting pot of languages and cultures. 

The Vardar River (known as the Vardaris or Axios in Greek) is the source of inspiration for a number of Balkan songs. Vardar Hijaz (track 2) is a medley of songs in the hijaz makam: Vardar Ovası (Turkish), Jovano Jovanke (N. Macedonian) and Elenko, mome malenko (Bulgarian). 

To Milo (Njëzet E Pesë Gërsheta) on track 3 is a folk song from Epirus, encompassing northwestern Greece and Albania. It exists as a folk dance, but the Albanian and Greek versions are slightly different. 

The recurring melody in Hasapikohora (track 4) is originally a Romanian hora. This arrangement draws from George Enescu’s “Romanian Rhapsody No. 1” for orchestra and also a Greek hasapiko from Constantinople (“Karotseri Trava,” which means “Hurry, Coachman”). Klezmer king Naftule Brandwein recorded it in 1924 as part of a medley of tunes under the title “Das Teureste in Bukowina,” and the slower middle section on the track is an original transcription of that recording. With the exception of a few Greek verses at the beginning, it’s primarily a flute and violin feature meant to show off the players’ virtuosic range.

The earliest recordings of Misirlou (track 5) were done in the Greek rembetiko tradition. This song about an Egyptian woman has put listeners in a spell across the Balkans, the Middle East, and the United States. Lebanese-American guitarist Dick Dale (b. Richard Anthony Monsour) learned to play the tarabaki (drum) and the oud from his uncle. He was influential in molding the surf rock sound with Middle Eastern rhythms, scales, and the distinctive tremolo picking technique. Following Bosnian and Armenian verses, this arrangement finishes with a nod to Dale’s most famous cover while bringing it back to its earlier Greek-language version.  

Osman Aga (track 6) might as well be the anthem of the Balkans. This arrangement traverses through five different versions, picking up the instrumental nuances and the vocal styles of each along the way. Osman Aga is a common Turkish name and undoubtedly reflects the region’s Ottoman influences. This version features our guitarist J. Maddox on trombone. 

Kanarini Mou Glyko (track 7) is a reggae cover of a Roza Eskenazi song. Eskenazi was a Sephardic Jewish songstress who was born in Constantinople and later went onto become the rembetiko “Billie Holiday” of Greece. She has recorded the song both in Greek and her native Turkish, and it’s been covered in Ladino — another language she spoke and sang in — by Jack Mayesh in Los Angeles. 

Delta (track 8) is the result of one idea building on the next. It was initially inspired by Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs, an improvisational group singing experience that takes place weekly at a roots and world music institution called The Freight in Berkeley, California. A few weeks after attending my first Circlesong, I was on an airplane, and found myself quietly humming along to the engines’ complex drone. Before I knew it, I realized my jazzy improvisations were the backbone of “Kanarini Mou Glyko.” In the studio, we recorded the chorus first, then the vocal improvisations, and then layered in dreamy guitar and Moog synthesizer. 

The end of the Vardar River fans out into a delta before flowing into the Aegean Sea. Symbolically, this track takes a beloved old melody and reemerges into a bold new soundscape. 

—Ellie Falaris Ganelin, Kombos Collective director

1. Kâtibim

GREEK Aπό ξένο τόπο κι απ’ αλαργινό ήρθ’ ένα κορίτσι, φως μου, δεκαοχτώ χρονώ’	From a foreign and far away land There came a girl, 18 years of age
ROMANIAN D-ai şti, sufleţelul meu Cît de mult te iubesc eu, Împotrivă n-ai gîndi Şi nici nu m-ai osîndi.	If you knew my dearest one My endless longing for you, You wouldn’t think to run away And punish me this way.
BCS (Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian) Ruse kose curo imaš žališ li ih ti? Da ih žalim, ne bih tebi dala da ih mrsiš ti!	Girl, your hair is beautiful. Do you wish it was otherwise? If I did, I wouldn’t have let you get tangled up in it!
TURKISH Üsküdar’a gider iken aldı da bir yağmur. Kâtibimin setresi uzun, eteği çamur.	On the way to Üsküdar, it began to rain. My clerk’s frock coat is long, his coattail is muddy.

2. Vardar Hijaz

TURKISH Mayadağ’dan kalkan kazlar Al topuklu beyaz kızlar Yarimin yüreği sızlar Eylenemem aldanamam Ben bu yerlerde duramam Vardar ovası Vardar ovası Kazanamadım sıla parası	The geese that departed from Mount Maya Like white girls with red heels The heart of my darling aches I cannot rejoice, I cannot be deceived I cannot stay in these lands Vardar plain, Vardar plain I could not earn money for my homeland
N. MACEDONIAN Jovano, Jovanke Kraj Vardara sediš, mori, Belo platno beliš, Se na gore gledaš, dušo, Srce moje, Jovano. Jovano, Jovanke, Tvojata majka, mori, Tebe ne te dava Kaj mene da dojdeš, dušo, Srce moje, Jovano.	Jovana, little Jovana You sit by the Vardar River Bleaching your white cloth Looking upward, O my dearest Jovana Jovana, little Jovana Your mother Won’t let you Come to me,  O my dearest Jovana
BULGARIAN Elenko mome malenkoNe odi rano za voda Vodata ni e dalekoBunaro preko Vardaro	Elenka, little girl,Don’t go out early to fetch water. Our water source is far away,The well is across the Vardar river.

3. To Milo (Njëzet E Pesë Gërsheta)

GREEK Όταν το μήλο πέσει στο χώμα δεν το βάζουνε στο στόμα το πετάν’ όπου βρεθεί σα ψυχή να μαραθεί Οϊ λαϊλέ οϊ λουλέ είμ’ εγώ για σένα, κι εσύ για με Όταν η αγάπη πάρει αέρα φεύγει όλο παραπέρα πουθενά δε σταματά σε βουνό ή σε καρδιά	When the apple falls to the ground We do not put it in our mouth It gets thrown from wherever it was found So it may wither like a spirit Oy Laile, oy lule (Albanian for flower)I am here for you, and you for me When love takes flight It goes further and further afield It does not stop anywhere Whether on mountaintop or in the heart
ALBANIAN O njëzet e pesë gërsheta T’i numurova pa fjeta. Ti s’m’i numërove dot More djal-o borzilok. Moj lajle, moj lule E sa e bukur që më je! O ti numërova kur bie Buzëkuqe, karajfile.	Oh, twenty five braids I counted them before I slept. But you didn’t count a single one Oh, my boy, my basil. Dear Laile, my flower How beautiful you are! I counted them while you slept Lips as red as a carnation.

4. Hasapikohora

GREEK Καροτσέρη τράβα Να πάμε στα Ταταύλα Πόσα τάλιρα γυρεύεις Να μας πας και να μας φέρεις  Ααα αχ, καροτσέρη, γρήγορα να πάμε Τράβα, τράβα,  γρήγορα να πάμε  Καροτσέρη τράβα ίσια Να μας πας για τα Πατήσια

Hurry, coachmanLet’s go to Tatavla How many fivers are you asking To get us there and back Ah, coachman, let’s go quickly Get a move on, let’s go quickly Hurry, coachman straight ahead Take us to Patisia

5. Misirlou

GREEK Μισιρλού μου, η γλυκιά σου η ματιάφλόγα μου ‘χει ανάψει μες στην καρδιά,αχ γιαχαμπίμπι, αχ γιαλελέλι, αχτα δυο σου χείλι στάζουνε μέλι, οϊμέ. Αχ, Μισιρλού, μαγική ξωτική ομορφιά,τρέλα θα μου ‘ρθει, δεν υποφέρω πια,αχ, θα σε κλέψω μέσ’ απ’ την Αραπιά. Μαυρομάτα Μισιρλού μου τρελήη ζωή μου αλλάζει μ’ ένα φιλί,αχ γιαχαμπίμπι, μ’ ένα φιλάκι, αχαπ’ το δικό σου το στοματάκι, οϊμέ.	My dear Misirlou, your sweet eyes Have burned a flame in my heart Ah ya habibi, ah ya leleli, ah Honey drips from your lips.  Ah Misirlou, (your) magical fairy beauty Will drive me crazy, I can’t stand it anymore Ah I will steal you from Arabia. My black-eyed crazy Misirlou My life changes with a kiss Ah ya habibi, with a little kiss, ah From the little mouth of yours.
BCS Aj Akšam uči gasni sunca trag A mahalu zali gusti mraktopla je ljetna puna sevdaha noćna česmu s ibrikom ona će sada doć. O (misirlu), o raju moj zato domilim ja Đavurko lepa zašto me mučiš sadsevdah me mori ubi me teški jad.	Oh, it’s time for the evening prayer, the sun’s last trace is going out A thick darkness blankets the neighborhood The summer night is warm and full of yearning She’s about to appear at the fountain with her pitcher Oh (my Egyptian girl), oh paradise of mine, I draw near Beautiful infidel girl, why do you now torment me? Longing exhausts me, heavy sorrow kills me. Translation by Antje Postema & Djordje Popović
ARMENIAN Ayn oren vor toun zis timavoretsir,Anoush khoskerov zis hamozetsir,Gə sirem əsir serət haydnetsir,Serəs arnelov toun zis shad latsoutsir. A, a, a, anoush yar, Uzetsi mornal payts angareli e, Serət gə shadna, na andaneli e.	From the day you greeted me, With sweet words you persuaded me, You said you loved me, you declared your love, Taking my love, you made me cry a lot. Ah, ah, ah, my sweet love, I tried to forget but it is impossible, My love grows, which is unbearable.

6. Osman Aga

LADINO Con la cuva y la furchava pegonando encalandor. Salió una madám: -Encalador, ¿me quiereṡ encalarme,Antes que venga el balabayY nos tope en este ẖal?	With the bucket and the brush Comes the whitewasher hawking A lady came out to the door: “Whitewasher, won’t you come and whitewash,Now before the man of the house arrives And finds us in this mess?” Lyrics and translation credit: Savina Yannatou, Primavera En Salonico CD 1995
GREEK Ήθελα να `ρθω να σ’ εύρω,μ’ έπιασε ψιλή βροχή, Οσμάν Αγά Ας ερχόσουν να μ’ εύρεις,κι ας γινόσουνα παπί, Οσμάν Αγά	I wanted to come find youI got caught in a light rain, Osman Aga If only you would come and find me, Even if you got soaking wet, Osman Aga
TURKISH Ne de güzel kaşların var Rastık sürmek ister Osman Aga  Sabah olsun, çarşıya giderim Sabahlara dayanamam Osman aga Yalancısın inanamam Osman aga	How beautiful your eyebrows are He wants to put kohl on them, Osman Aga  When the morning comes, I will go to the bazaarI can’t bear the mornings, Osman Aga You’re a liar, I can’t believe you, Osman Aga
BCS U toj krćmi sedili smo često, Veceras je prazno tvoje mesto. Našu pesmu pevaju a ti nisi tu. Osman – Agu pevaju a ti nisi tu. Ja živim, ja živim od sjećanja Osmana, Osmana, Osman Aga	In that tavern we sat often, But tonight, your seat is empty. They are singing your song, but you are not here. They’re singing Osman Aga, but you are not here. I’m living, I’m living from memories Osman Aga
ALBANIAN Pi rakin e mos u de Osman aga Çoje mendjen gjith andej Osman aga Osman aga djali rri Osman aga Nat e dit tuj pi raki Osman aga	Drink the rakia but don’t get drunk Osman Αga Put your mind wherever you turn Osman Aga Osman Aga, handsome son Osman aga Day and night always drunk Osman aga

7. Kanarini Mou Glyko and 8. Delta

GREEK Καναρίνι μου γλυκό συ μου πήρες το μυαλότο πρωί που με ξυπνάςόταν γλυκοκελαηδάς Έλα κοντά μου στην κάμαρά μουαχ ένα βράδυ στη αγκαλιά μου	My sweet canary You captured my imagination When you wake me in the morning With your sweet birdsong Come close to me in my chamber Oh, if I could have just one night in your embrace
LADINO Pasharos de mil y un colorPor las vayes van bolandoDulces cantes de amorTodo el dia van cantando Y la boz mas melodiozaQue me aze despertarEs la tuya canarioQue me aze encantar Ven canario ven a mi ladoPorque de ti sto inamorado	Birds of a thousand and one colors Through the valleys they go flying Sweet songs of loveAll day they go singing And the most melodious voice That wakes meIs that you, canary That fascinates me? Come canary, come by my side Because I’m in love with you Translation by Simone Salmon
TURKISH Ah sevgili bülbülüm sen aklımı aldınBeni dala saldın ah çöllere attın Ötme bülbül gel yanımaAh bir gececik gir koynuma	Oh, my darling nightingale, you turned my head You shook the branch, you threw me into the desert Don’t sing, nightingale, come to my side Oh, come into my bosom just for one night Translation by Laura Blumenthal