WOMAD

Ivo Papasov & his Wedding Band

From Bulgaria

There are very few artists appearing at Rivermead this year who can boast a glowing reference from one Frank Zappa. Ivo Papasov can. There it is, writ large on his CV – “Ivo’s album of wedding music, played first thing in the morning, provides thorough and long-lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive”. Whether or not many commuters caught in rush-hour traffic do actually de-stress to Ivo’s exuberant music-making is unclear, but what’s more certain is that it’s definitely their loss. Ivo first came to the attention of the western half of Europe in the late 1980s when Joe Boyd’s Hannibal label turned the spotlight in an easterly direction. Along with Hungary’s Marta Sebestyen & Muzsikas and fellow Bulgarians Trio Bulgarka, Ivo and band exposed the region’s musical riches, revealing sounds curiously freer and less restricted than the west’s perception of the Eastern Bloc might have guessed. With Balkan beats now very much in vogue again (even Basement Jaxx have released a volume of the region’s bouncier moments), Ivo has returned, with both clarinet and a BBC Award For World Music under his arm, to remind us of the unrelentingly joyful noise his band creates. Book them for your nuptials now.Catch This If You Like… Taraf De Haidouks or Boban Markovic Orkestar