Confluence

Featuring

Zachary Carrettín
Mina Gajić
Ray Granlund
Marko Tajcevic

Did you know?

1/7

Recording & Production

This album was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of bringing some of the live concert experience to listeners who were often separated by computer screens.

Performer Biography

Mina Gajić, one of the performers, has a personal connection to the Balkan Dances, as they reflect the cultural influences of her childhood in Yugoslavia and her mother's extensive performances of Balkan folk music.

Interpretation

The performers aimed to recreate a live concert feeling by carefully considering track order, tempos, pacing, improvisatory phrasing, dynamics, articulations, and embellishments.

Album & Artwork

The album title, "Confluence," reflects the performers' intention to interweave Balkan dances and tango nuevo, rather than presenting them as separate sets.

Performer Biography

Zachary Carrettin, one of the performers, collaborated internationally with aerial-vertical dance troupe Project Bandaloop, composing, arranging, and performing in diverse musical capacities.

Compositional Technique

Marko Tajčević's 'Seven Balkan Dances' are described as miniatures that capture the essence of emotions, with elements like the sound of a cymbalom, rustic dance gestures, and irregular meters.

Composer Biography

Marko Tajčević (1900-1984), composer of the 'Seven Balkan Dances,' was born in Osijek, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and studied in Zagreb, Prague, and Vienna.