Last updated: 2 days ago
The ancient, polyphonic singing tradition of southern Albania, in which one voice rides above a vocal drone (the ISO), has been preserved through the playing of multi-instrumentalist Laver Bariu . The son of a singer and llaute (Albanian lute) player, Bariu was inspired by the music that he heard his father play each night. Although he initially wanted to play the gajde (bagpipe), his family's inability to afford an instrument led him to build one of his own. Seeing his determination, his father agreed to teach him to play the llaude. Bariu later built his own drum set. Bariu's progress as a musician was setback after Germany invaded Albania in 1939. His hometown was burnt four times -- once by the Italian Fascists and three times by the Nazis. The war, however, had a bright side as well. When a Greek clarinetist moved to Permet to escape the conflict between Italy and Greece, Bariu was recruited to play drums and daf (large tambourine) in a band that played nightly at a local club. His father agreed to play llaute with the group. The experience had a profound effect on Bariu as he became increasingly fascinated by the clarinet. Temporarily moving to Korce, he began playing with clarinetist Vangiel Leskoviku, who taught him many tunes. Returning to Permet, Bariu formed his first band. More than four decades later, he still remained active. Songs From the City of Roses was released in 1996. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi
Related Artists
Fitnete Rexha
Fitnete Reja
Tirana Radio Folk Ensemble
Jehona Laberise
Tirana Folk Ensemble
Grupi I Yugut
Shpresa Berisha
Narodni Orkestar Iz Đakovice
Nazif Celaj
Kuvendi i Zërave
Drini Maledhi
Kenge e vjeter
Ensemble Tirana
Jehona labe
Shpetim Levendi
Enkelejda Arifi
Groupe Arbereshe di Lungro
Zamir Lala
Nexhmije Pagarusha
Tomor Qelibari
Agron Pllumaj
2TELA
Kenge Came
Elisa Struga
kenge jugu
Nazmije Hoxha
Shaqir Hoti
Audiozone
Hajra Luan
Thoma Loli
