Šutka a body and soul experience

 

Today we move a little further in, to a place where I learned a lot of music from Romany people, and bought even more crazy outfits and gadgets: Šuto Orizari, in short Šutka is just outside Skopje, the biggest Romani settlement of Europe. When approaching the place, specially in Summer months, this is what you very likely will encounter: a wedding procession or party in the streets: 

I went many times to Šuto Orizari and guess how I mostly spend my time there: Learning music and jamming with Romany Musicians. This is a little video I took during a rehearsal with the Čerkezi Orchestar, a Brass group led by Trumpeter Asan. Those rehearsals are very special, and a little bit like a Music Market place. Every 15 min or so another musician from the family or the neighbourhood comes in, joins for a a bit, drinks some coke or bright-orange fizzy drink, and then leaves again…

 

Let me take you around Šuto Orizari, especially the market. You find many famous brands there, looking better and shinier than the same brands in our high street stores:

  

Spending time in Šuto Orizari, or in short called Šutka, we should know a little more about Roma culture. This is an article about female Romani musicians from Šutka, which I wrote a few years ago:

FEMALE ROMANY MUSICIANS IN ŠUTO ORIZARI

Whilst reading, you may want to listen to some gentle background music, here a typical female Romany song: 

The great thing of cyber travel is, time and space is not issue, so lets dive today into the World Romany Day Celebrations in Šutka, after all, you can celebrate Romani Culture on any day in the Year, and I certainly think today is a day where we need some music and dance:

Before we travel on, let me share you one typical Šutka song I learned from Romany musician, Bajsa Arifovska, probably the only well-known professional Romany instrumentalist in the Balkans, in Europa, maybe in the whole world?

Grey Doves flying to Macedonia, North Macedonia that is...

2021 is just starting, and we are still locked down – but only on the outside by the politicians. In our hearts and minds we have all freedom to travel to wherever our imagination brings us. In that in mind, lets hop back on the Balkan Express and I shall take you to Macedonia - stop, lets be precise, I shall take you to North Macedonia.

Tu tune into our new voyage, let me play you a song I really love, and which I’m currently learning myself:

Dejgidi ludi mladi godini 

Hey you crazy young years, you flew away like grey doves

Lets start our North Macedonia right in the centre, in the capital Skopje. For our arrival, we chose a a very environmentally friendly way of travelling:

I will now take you onto a 3-in-1 City Tour:

1st: Here a good article about the place: 

https://www.britannica.com/place/Skopje

2nd: Whilst reading, you could listen to some music:

3rd: Look at Skopje images: I took those on my travels from 2016 to 2019:

Let me show you the arches next to the National Museum. I ‘beamed’ Tatcho Drom, there for the finale of a solstice performance in lockdown: Here we are playing Kukja Imam Na Pelister: 

I would like you to finish the day in nice and fulfilling way, by teaching you a song. This is based on the Vardar, the river which flows right through the centre of Skopje and gives it a lot of its charm: Jovano Jovanke: