We hang a maestro of Bulgarian music, Lubomir Smilenov, and hear his incredible performance from Ragas Live Festival 2020 with Matt Moran.

Both performers will be featured at this weekend's Zlatne Ustne Golden Festival January 17-18 in Astoria, Queens. Lubomir Smilenov, born in Bulgaria and raised in New York City, found a unique expression of his heritage through the Kaba Gaida, the traditional Bulgarian bagpipe. He learned the intricate skills of this ancient instrument in Midtown Manhattan, where Kiril Ketev of Smolyan, Bulgaria, led a weekly Gaida workshop.

Today, Lubomir teaches at 101 Kaba Gaidi NYC, where he shares his expertise with students eager to learn the traditional music. He has performed at venues such as the MET Museum, Golden Fest, Hungarian House, and the International Bagpipe Conference, specializing in music from the Rhodope region of Southern Bulgaria. Lubomir strives to immerse his audiences and students in the vibrant musical heritage of the Gaida.

Vibraphonist and tunesmith Matt Moran "plays the vibraphone like a speed-chess master, always darting off into flurries of ingenious, unexpected activity" (Village Voice). Although he was named "Rising Star" on vibraphone by the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll, Moran is just as often known for his work as the drummer and bandleader for brass band Slavic Soul Party! His career exists in diverse musical environments, from chamber music to jazz to Balkan folk music, and evinces a dedication to music education for incarcerated people.

Moran has released 10 albums as a leader, and performed on nearly 100 albums by other artists, including Sufjan Stevens, Theo Bleckmann, William Parker, Ellery Eskelin, and Luciana Souza. His longtime collaboration with percussionist/composer John Hollenbeck has been documented on 8 recordings by Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet as well as recordings of his Large Ensemble and chamber music. Lengthy relationships are a hallmark of Moran's style: in addition to Slavic Soul Party!'s 20 years of music making, he has worked for many years with the artists Nate Wooley, Curtis Hasselbring, Daniel Levin, Brian Shankar Adler, Peter Hess, Raif Hyseni, Bojan Vuletic, and Mat Maneri.

For the past decade, Moran has been an educator and performer for Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, with a special focus on education, creation, and performance for New Yorkers in many different parts of the judicial system. Currently, he co-leads Carnegie Hall's music education program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.

Moran has a Master's degree in jazz composition from New England Conservatory where he studied with composer and improviser Joseph Maneri, and a Bachelor's degree in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music where he studied with Ed Saindon and Gary Burton.

New York's greatest music bash, the Zlatne Uste Golden Festival is returning to Astoria Queens, January 17-18, 2025. Over 50 ensembles particiapte on several stages and dancefloors, brass bands, polyphonic choirs...Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romani, Turkish, Serbian, Greek, Persian, Klezmer, you name it... after 39 years of this festival it has evolved to become one incredible party.

In this episode Jerry Kisslinger a founding member of Zlatne Uste and Pontic Firebird, shares some burning tracks and we dig in to the roots of this music this wild event.

The most mind-blowing message I ever received was from the multi Grammy winning, ground-breaking kora master, Toumani Diabate, in 2020. Recorded hours earlier in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa it was a live performance he made with his sons Ahmed Diabate and Balla Diabate to contribute to that year's virtual Ragas Live Festival. "Was it ok?" He asked.

OK? It was astounding!

In this special episode we celebrate the life of Toumani Diabate by sharing the behind the scenes messages behind this miraculous recording that almost never happened. Toumani Diabate's ancestors became musicians in the 13th century and stayed in an unbroken line of griots, or djeles of the Manding empire. He was a 71st generation musician. More than any other Kora player he brought his instrument to the world and touched millions of hearts.

Here are some essential recordings to get you started: Kaira New Ancient Strings with Ballaké Sissoko Ali and Toumani (with Ali Farka Toure) Kulanjan (with Taj Mahal)