Ateshkhan Yuseinovis a virtuoso guitarist, a musician with off-the-wall ideas and a leader of a few projects. He is currently working on a world music album. One of the tracks in it is called "Imalo Edno Vreme" (Once upon a time).

Ateshkhan or simply Atesh as everybody calls him was born in the town of Lovech. He is one among a generation of instrumentalists and singers who have graduated from the Panayot Pipkov High School of Music in Pleven, Central Bulgaria, and have been engaged in successful folklore and world music projects. At the start of his career Atesh teamed up with various bands playing music at weddings and other private occasions. He contends that wedding music is a very good way to explore the folklore traditions in various regions of Bulgaria. In addition, wedding bands are known for that they strongly involve in improvisation and mix plenty of genres. Ateshkhan’s name has become famous on the occasion of his joint work with some of the stars of folklore and world music in this country, shepherd flute player Theodosii Spassov and clarinetist Ivo Papazov Ibryama. In the recent years he has been working with Venera Todorova, his singer wife.

“I have for quite some time been experimenting, mixing Bulgarian folklore with classical patterns, jazz, flamenco, Russian Gypsy romances”, Atesh says. “Of course, I always add Balkan melody patterns and beats. I present my music ideas in nightclubs in Sofia, as well as at festivals in this country and abroad. The latest project that lies at the basis of the current album features also Evelin Asenov, percussions, Dimitar Karamfilov, double bass and Sando Sandov, accordion and trumpet. My quests in music have been diverse, and the musicians I have worked with have grossly influenced my professional views. For a while I worked with Zone C. Vasil Parmakov (piano), Stoyan Yankoulov (percussions) and Veselin Veselinov-Eko (double bass) are incredible musicians. I am lucky to have started my music training with piano; then I continued with the mandolin and only later with the guitar. Now I can play the saz, oud and bouzouki. My latest passion is the fretless guitar.”

Ateshkhan and Venera have been nominated to represent Bulgaria at the folklore festival of Euroradio. The 35^thedition of the international event will be held in June in Sweden. Until then, they hope to release their new album.

“We have worked on it for quite some time”, Venera adds. “Some of the ideas have changed in the process. The album’s producer is Dimitar Panev. To the guest-performers that Ateshkhan already mentioned I would add Stoyan Yankoulov and Radi Dankov, bass. They are all very original adding valuable creative inputs in the album featuring their style and ideas. The result is a colorful tapestry, just the way we imagine the present-day pattern of ethno music.”

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio to this file features the following tracks in the rendition of guitarist Ateshkhan Yuseinov:

1 – Once upon a time

2 – Zig-zag

3 – Bouzouki