Many years ago I received a number of albums from female polyphonic choirs. I wasn't sure what I was listening to, and other than the language used I couldn't really distinguish between the choirs from Greece, Bulgaria, Ukrainia and such. Turns out there's good reason for that: They're all related. Trendafilka is a New Orleans collective that sings these polyphonic songs that are traditional to the area ranging from the Balkans to the Caucausus and throughout much of Eastern Europe generally.

Trendafilka For the Olives (self-released)

And this satisfies my curiosity. These songs (sung in many different languages) sound quite similar, with many singers handling each of the three, four or five vocals lines that are part of each song. This is polyphony, not polyrhythmy (not sure that's a word, but I'm going with it), and so generally all of the lines are moving at the same time.

Which means these songs sound something like unison chants, except clearly they're in harmony. In any case, the chant part of this music is striking, and it's what keeps me mesmerized whenever I hear it. The power of the music is palpable, and the strength of the voices amplifies that.

Because these are Americans singing songs in languages that aren't (necessarily) their native tongues, I imagine cognoscenti from the origin countries of these songs might quibble with the presentation (and certainly accent) of these songs. I have no idea how “authentic” these renditiuons might be. But Trendafilka has done an amazing job of breathing life into these near-ancient songs, and it has put these songs within their proper geographic setting. This isn't the music of one nation, but that of women from an entire region. Otherworldly doesn't even begin to describe the wonders here.

Jon Worley