WEDDING BANDS DON'T have an enviable reputation in many western countries. Most post-nuptial parties plump for discos and pre-recorded music. What wedding bands there are tend to be known more for their loud suits and lousy cover versions. So there's something unusual about a band that's built an international reputation and a 20-year career by playing at wedding parties.
Wedding bands command huge respect in Bulgaria - and none more so than Ivo Papasov and His Wedding Band, who are in town for two gigs starting tomorrow as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival.
Bulgarian wedding bands typically comprise professional musicians adept at melding modern influences such as jazz with folk music from across the Balkans. Bulgaria borders Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, so a band needs to be able to faithfully capture the folk music of each country. So beloved are the top bands that the party can run for days, and it's not unknown for uninvited guests to turn up.
'The music is difficult to categorise,' says Papasov, clarinettist and bandleader. 'Bulgarian music is very specific - uneven, fast rhythms and wonderful, extraordinary voices. Our music is mixed with jazz and rock elements. Modern musicians like Charlie Parker have had a great influence on my music.'
There's also got to be something special about a wedding band that's won praise from the likes of the late Frank Zappa. 'Played first thing in the morning,' he said, '[Papasov's music] provides thorough and long-lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive.'
Papasov's latest album, Fairground (2004) mixes his Bulgarian Gypsy roots with ambient jazz and features his vocalist wife Maria Karafizieva, who will be joining him in Hong Kong. The combination of his technique, a love of experimentation and his embrace of both jazz and folk has produced his most critically acclaimed work, and he plans to showcase the album when he performs here.