Vitsa

Takimi means a bunch of friends and these four musicians relish the Zagorian sound because, among other qualities, it exploits their familiarity in providing space for improvisation and embellishment. The tracks here are arranged as in a village feast and several contain notoriously difficult instrumentals. The material dates from several eras - among laments and reminders of home are songs celebrating bandits and the War of Independence. Takimi's home base, Samarina is probably the highest village in the country, at an elevation of 4800ft - a remoteness that may explain the purity of the music. In these last decades where culture is becoming ever more homogenous it is good to have access to potent musical traditions such as this. It's good too, that inquisitive and committed researchers like Chris King are prepared to venture into remote areas to capture sounds that would otherwise be lost.