Shira Kammen and I have crossed each other’s musical paths many times over the years. Knowing her love and passion for all kinds of traditional and folk genres, and her early music expertise, it felt very natural to ask her to join me on this project. I relied heavily on her music aesthetic and superb improvisational skills. To me, the lyrics of this song cleverly summarize the plight of women around the world and across all ages. Women were (and still are) often devalued, abused and disregarded. The song’s bouncy, dance-like melody is seemingly at odds with the subtext of the lyrics: we are still here, broken arms and all, and we keep on dancing in spite of our suffering. The melody and the text are traditional Macedonian, the masterfully woven accompaniment is Shira’s creation.
We recorded it at Q Division Studios in December 2024. It was engineered, mixed and mastered by Joel Edinberg. It's available for streaming on Amazon, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and all the other platforms.
Multi-instrumentalist and occasional vocalist Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. Raised by a violinist mom and a scientist dad who was a serious amateur singer, Kammen studied music at the University of California at Berkeley. Across her career she has performed and recorded with countless early-music ensembles and coached countless players in workshops around the country. She is particularly renowned for her skill as an improviser, something she first contemplated as a young player when she realized that not every recording of the same piece sounded the same. She gives credit to her mentor, vielle player Margriet Tindemans, for encouraging her to develop her improvisatory skills.
A Star in the Medieval Firmament
Igrale Babi po Mesečina
Igrale babi po mesečina
Igrale babi i se prašuvale
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, po mesečina.
Što ti e babo glava rascepena
Glava rascepena, ruka iskršena?
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, ruka iskršena?
Glava rascepena mnogu gledajki
Glava rascepena mnogu gledajki.
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, mnogu gledajki.
Ruka iskršena mnogu rabotejki
Ruka iskršena mnogu rabotejki
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, mnogu rabotejki!
Grannies danced in the moonlight
Grannies danced in the moonlight,
They danced and they asked one another:
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, in the moonlight
Hey granny, why is your head split open?
And why is your arm broken?
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, arm broken
My head is split open because I saw too much.
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, I saw too much
My arm is broken because I worked too hard.
Vangere biri, džangere džanum, I worked too hard.