Black Sea Songs

Photo by LYS photography

Sanem Kalfa, Joachim Badenhorst, George Dumitriu

The creative Belgian clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst joins the Amsterdam-based duo Sanem Kalfa & George Dumitriu for an intense exploration of traditional songs from the Black Sea geographic region. The flavours of old ottoman melodies are presented with an original contemporary language and fresh nuances of electronics and open improvisations.

“Kalfa, Dumitriu and Badenhorst form a complementary trinity of a special kind. Kalfa, the dedicated ‘she, who sings’, is the extravert, outgoing part. By snake-like introduction of her enlivening impulses, she initiates and imbues wild, soft and whispering wanderings. Dumitriu, with his atmospheric sensitivity, his vigilant awareness of form and shape, sets prudent accents as well as slightly puckish vectors at surprising moments. Badenhorst, then, is the wild card: attentively present, he is all ears and serves as a grounding force enshrouding the rising florescence and merge of the frequencies. May it open and enjoy listeners’ ears, connect to their inner melody and enrich it beyond the known and beaten track.”


Henning Bolte

Black Sea songs is amongst the 3 best albums of the year in one of Netherland’s most important news papers, Trouw