Hamiltono Mergaičių Choras

Remember the popularity of Le Mystere des Voix  Bulgares back in the early 90s, those Bulgarian women's choirs with all their lush harmonies and weird bleating noises? Well the Lithuanian Girls Choir of Hamilton Ontario AKA the Hamiltono Mergaičių Choras is absolutely nothing like that at all. This album has a Lithuanian version of Home on the Range, some kind of tango thing that sounds vaguely familiar (Pirsleliai), and the exasperatingly cheerful “Suk, suk rateli” with its swingin’ bass line that will have you high-stepping merrily over to decrease the volume control. 

I'm rather fond of the marginally ethnic garb the gals are sporting on the cover that still manages to look oh-so-seventies. I'm sure there was a seventies Simplicity pattern for Native Lithuanian peasant clothing, which was dutifully stitched by each girl in her Home Ec class. Fetching. ladies! 

And guess who turns up on flute on a few cuts on this album? Why, it's our old Canadian pal from a few weeks back, Moe Koffman, the Swinging Shepherd.  I’m guessing someone in the Indianapolis area was a major Moe groupie and owned both albums, and they were eventually donated together. After she died of mesothelioma after years of inhaling kitty litter dust from the dozens of cats she had around the house.

I'll bet THIS guy didn't have a lot of groupies though....he looks like a distant Barrymore cousin playing in a road company version of Rasputin, doesn't he though?He's the basso profundo soloist who is so important he doesn't even have a first name, just the initial "V". Take that, Bulgarian Ladies!!

Nerūpestinga dainelė – Hamiltono Mergaičių Choras:

Aidas

Manta Sound Company: Hamilton, Ontario Canada