Vezi, Vezi by West Philadelphia Orchestra

“Vezi, Vezi” is an energetic, poetic Macedonian pop hit reworked for WPO, featuring vocalist Petia Zamfirova, trumpeter and arranger Nizo Alimov, plus a beautiful flute solo by WPO’s Elliott Levin. The lyrics describe life as a sublime embroidery: the edges are the mystery and love the adornment; we yearn to know the love we’ll encounter, but the hand of destiny waits to weave the thread.

The recording was made in the summer of 2018, when the master Macedonian trumpeter Nizo Alimov of the Kočani Orkestar spent a week workshopping and collaborating with WPO. He chose to tailor a version of “Vezi, Vezi” specifically for West Philadelphia Orchestra, inspired by the vocal stylings of Petia and the band’s jazz roots. Nizo guided the song’s intricate melodic ornamentation, which you can hear in the trumpet and woodwind phrasing. WPO’s Chad Brown facilitated the collaboration and worked with Nizo to develop the beat and complex harmonies. The track was recorded live at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown, PA. During that week, Nizo also featured with WPO at the Philadelphia Folk Fest and recorded a killer trumpet solo on the WPO/Rumi Kitchen collab “Cosmic Freak.” He returned to Philly to play with the group several times afterwards, and now lives with his family in Toronto, where he is leading his own bands.

For WPO, “Vezi, Vezi'' emerged from a collaboration with one of their musical heroes, as the recordings of Kočani Orkestar were one of WPO’s main inspirations in their early days. Through “Vezi, Vezi,” they are woven back to their source as they celebrate connections, the threads linking all of us together, in love, friendship, and cultural exchange.

Tracklist

1.	Vezi, Vezi	4:55

Credits

released October 5, 2023
Song: “Vezi, Vezi”
Artist: West Philadelphia Orchestra + Nizo Alimov
Music: Nikola Micevski / Lyrics: Valentin Soklevski
Producer: Nizo Alimov, Chad Brown
Mixed/Mastered: Gregg Mervine
Release Date: 10/5/23
Label: Fly Bottle Records

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