Balkan Concerts In London

Remarkably like the proverbial buses, you wait ages for Balkan concerts in London and then four turn up at once. So far Ivo Papasov with Stoyan Yankoulov and Elitsa Todorova are at the Carling Academy Islington on 5 May; Neda Ukraden and Preslava at Agenda on 12 May; Tijana Dapčević at the Mean Fiddler on 23 May; and Bajaga at the Mean Fiddler on 10 June.

Any more we ought to know about?

News from the Back Garden

Via East Ethnia, some exciting news from the Gazette's own back garden: a London sevdah group, joining the Bulgarian/Romanian/Macedonian/Greek/etc folk ensembles already active in the capital.

London Sevdah formed in May 2004, and aims 'to promote Bosnian music heritage (sevdah music) throughout London, United Kingdom and globally.' Unfortunately, I've just missed their performances at the Museum of London, but here's looking forward to their next...

Turning to a rather larger interpretation of back garden, Diamond Geezer questions how Britain ended up with two Remembrance Day silences and how the day ought to be commemorated full stop. (Conclusion: certainly not with a live classical-crossover performance from All Angels and a GMTV host...)