Bulgarian violinist, singer, and actress Emanuela Kalcheva-Djaima presented a rendition of the Bulgarian folk dance Gankino Horo at the International Jazz Day concert on April 30, organized by the Jazz Society of Egypt. Djaima described her approach to jazz as a fusion genre, blending traditional music elements, including Bulgarian and Romani influences. She stated her desire to continually evolve her artistry by incorporating varied styles.
Djaima shared that performing Gankino Horo was a long-held ambition due to the dance’s complex rhythm. Reflecting on her journey, she recalled her father’s advice to study Bulgarian music for global recognition, an advice she initially disagreed with. Performing the piece years later, she felt a sense of validation regarding her father’s foresight.
During the performance, Djaima collaborated with Amro Salah, the founder of the Jazz Society of Egypt and the Cairo Jazz Festival, who has ties to Bulgaria, alongside Andre Segone on bass guitar and Fady Tawab Louis on drums. She noted that the collaboration was enjoyable for the Egyptian musicians. The audience at Arkan Teatre in Cairo responded with enthusiastic applause to the Gankino Horo.
The Bulgarian musician explained that her focus during performance is on maintaining openness to react to musical developments in the moment. She detailed that the performance balanced mathematical precision—necessary for the challenging 11/8 rhythm—with improvisation, a hallmark of jazz. After graduating from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia and spending nearly three decades in Paris, Djaima moved to Cairo during the pandemic to teach music.
She is currently involved with the trio Sacree Femmes, featuring American cellist Kira Weiss and Egyptian musician Safa El-Helaly, who plays the rababa.
Topics: #jazz #bulgarian #djaima
