Ivo Papazov (or Papasov; bg, Иво Папазов; born 16 February 1952), nicknamed Ibryama (), is a
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...
ist. He leads the "Ivo Papazov Wedding Band" in performances of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
-infused Stambolovo music, and is one of the premier creators of the genre known as "wedding band" music in Bulgaria, along with the violinist Georgi Yanev, saxophonist Yuri Yunakov, clarinetist Neshko Neshev and accordionists Ivan Milev and Peter Ralchev. Together with
Emilia they are known as Mames 2001. An orchestra that had great success in the TV show ''Познай кой е под масата'' ("Guess who is under the table").
According to Garth Cartwright, he was "the first Balkan Gypsy musician to win a wide international following with his two Joe Boyd-produced albums for
Hannibal Records
Hannibal Records was a British record label and one of the first to work with the World music genre.
Hannibal was started by Joe Boyd in 1980. Boyd had produced records by artists such as Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band and Fairport ...
in the early 1990s." Papazov and his Wedding Band have toured the United States several times.
In 2005, Papazov won the Audience Award from the
BBC's Radio3 World Music Awards.
Papazov and
Yuri Yunakov
Yuri Yunakov is a Turkish- Bulgarian Roma musician, who is famous for participating in the development of Bulgarian wedding music, and introducing it to the United States. He grew up in a Muslim family in Thrace, and started playing music as a ...
are briefly profiled and the recording of "Kurdzhaliiska Ruchenica" from their 2005 album ''Together Again'' is analyzed in the popular textbook, ''Worlds of Music'', 5th Edition.
Ivo Papazov is a Bulgarian
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
* Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and his original name is Ibrahim (Turkish name). Papazov has stated: "I am one of the few light skinned people in my family but I know I am Romani."
[Carol Silverman (2012) ''Romani Routes: Cultural Politics and Balkan Music in Diaspora'' p.141, Oxford University Press, USA ] As a result of the extensive programme of forced nationalisation of ethnic minority groups during Bulgaria's socialist rule, Papazov changed his first name to Ivo (adapted from Ibo, short for Ibrahim). He speaks Turkish and comes from
Kardzhali
Kardzhali ( bg, Кърджали , ''Kărdžali''; tr, Kırcaali; gr, Κάρτζαλι, ''Kártzali''), sometimes spelt Kardžali or Kurdzhali, is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Pro ...
, a city close to Bulgaria’s Turkish and Greek borders. He grew up in a musical family and followed the Balkan Gypsy tradition of leaving school at a young age, in his case to focus on playing music for a living.
Selected discography
* Ivo Papasov and His Bulgarian Wedding Band - ''Orpheus Ascending'' (
Hannibal
Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...
, 1989)
Contributing artist
*''
The Rough Guide to the Music of Eastern Europe
''The Rough Guide to the Music of Eastern Europe'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1998. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album gives broad coverage to the music of Central Europe and the music ...
'' (
World Music Network
World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music.
The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...
, 1999)
References
External links
Ivo Papazov's Internet PageIvo Papazov's MySpace pageArticle on BBC's Radio3 World Music Awards
1952 births
Living people
Bulgarian people of Romani descent
Bulgarian clarinetists
People from Kardzhali
Bulgarian folk musicians
21st-century clarinetists
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