Yasko is the first recording commercially available by the Bulgarian clarinet master Yasko Argirov accompanied by his band. Produced by Nikola Parov (Zsaratnok, Marta Sebestyen, Muszikas) who also plays in the recording along with his Zsaratnok associated Ivan Barvich, Yasko fully explains why Argirov has such high consideration in his homeland.
Nobody better that his long-time friend Nikola Parov can speak about Yasko Argirov. Writes Parov in the linear notes of the CD:"For nearly a decade a living legend has been in the making in a remote region, practically unknown to us in the West: Yasko Argirov, poet of the clarinet. Born and based in the village of Brestovitza - Central Bulgaria - for more than 25 years he has been working to satisfy that most essential need of hard working country people: Entertainment.
Hailing from a musical family, since the age of ten Yasko has provided music for countless weddings, christenings, funerals and other events. At the age of twenty he was already the best known player in the region. Of gypsy origin he has managed, even during the hard times of the communist era when racial discrimination was rife, to hold on to his dignity thanks to a combination of great natural intelligence and incredible charisma. It is no exaggeration to say that Yasko holds the key to one of the most important secrets in life: how to cheer people up or bring tears to their eyes. His playing draws on a wealth of different traditions, not only those of his people, the gypsies, but of every ethnic subgroup of his country whether it be Greek, Macedonian, Turkish. Rumanian, Serb or Bulgarian.
Just mentioning the word Yasko anywhere in Bulgaria, is enough to bring a smile to people's faces and evoke pleasant memories in their eyes.
Yasko has never been a high-flyer or big money-maker, not has he striven to catch the attention of sensation-hungry producers for whom importing culture for Western consumers is simply a question of business. He has simply gone and done his own thing and put heart and soul into it: MUSIC. But talent, wisdom and modesty such as those possessed by Yasko are surely the recipe to have people queuing at your door. This album contains only a small fraction of his repertory. Listen to it and dream".
Nothing more need to be added, now let the music speaks by itself.