I chose to travel to Poland because it represented a strong contrast to Tunisia and Portugal. After doing some research about Polands traditional music, I finally learned about Gorale Music in the south of Poland and decided to visit Zakopane in the Podhale Region.

In the run-up of traveling there, I called Zakopane’s tourist Office in order to find out about where to go to find someone that is really into the music from that region. After some language barriers and after trying to get my ideas across to the very numerous nice people that I was talking to on the phone with my hand and feet, I was finally transferred to Kryzstof Trebunie.

The Trebunie family is a big, famous family and Poland’s oldest folk group that has been living in the Podhale region for generations.

The Trebunie-Tutki band started to be popular in 1991 after collaborating with the Twinkle Brothers from Jamaica playing »roots reggae«. The 2nd Album that they recorded together – »Come Back Twinkle to Trebunia Family« – became number six in the World Music Charts Europe! They were nominated for the Fryderyk Music Award (Polish equivalent to the Grammy) in 1995 and 1996. Up until today they recorded 23 albums.

Meeting Krysztof Trebunie was very inspiring. Besides learning about numerous instruments that were developed in the Podhale region, I found someone who is anxious about keeping the Highlander traditions alive while collaborating with people from all over the world at the same time.

He was the one inviting me to a very important Gorale competition near Zakopane where I got a first impression of the Highlander music. Absolutely stunning! I met one of the bands and talked to the girls, explained them my project and recorded them singing! The choruses sung by severeal voices in groups of up to 6 people, either groups of men or of women, are very strong and powerful, incredibly melodious and touching. Thousands of passed on lyrics can be sung in over 150 melodies and are extemporized every time. (When asking what these songs generally are about, I was told that they are about »love and sheep «).

The recordings that I brought from Poland were the most difficult ones to work
with. Together with S. Maier I approached to the the samples in four other versions before the final song was recorded.

Working on »Love and Sheep « was an enormous challenge. After all it ended up being one of my favorite songs though!

www.trebunie.pl