Lele Lele

Lele Lele (meaning ”Oh my!” in Bulgarian) is one of the most original and innovative live groups on the Swedish world music scene. With their unique and brilliant blend of Bulgarian folk music, Indian music and gypsy grooves they have been touring Europe since 2004. The band released their first studio album in 2009 (DartBird Music) and is currently working on their second one while refining the material with live gigs around Sweden.

Odd meters, wild improvisations, daring  arrangements, lyrical preludiums, dance performances and a feeling of pop are few of the elements that are boiling together in Lele Leles hot Bulgarian-Indian dish. The solid base is the Bulgarian folk music that the band delicately arranges for Bulgarian tamboura, Indian sitar and tablas, clarinet (and trumpet), tuba and voice.

Lele Lele was formed in 2003 in Stockholm. Mihail Dinchev (tamboura, vocals & dance) is the Bulgarian folk musician and dancer in the group who provides the traditional material from his country. Moa Danielson (tablas & davul) and Stian Grimstad (sitar & tuba) have been studying for fifteen years with respected masters the Northern Indian classical music in Varanasi, India and are still visiting the country every year. Josef Danielson (vocals & guitar) provides the rock-solid part of the band and Björn Dahlberg (saxophones & clarinet) is an experienced and well established improviser on the Swedish jazz and improvisation scene but is currently replaced by Lachezar Karadzhov (trumpet). He comes from Bulgaria and is classicaly trained but has grown up with the Bulgarian folkmusic and is also an experienced jazz musician.

Through the years Lele Lele has developed a multi dimensional live performance where the band establishes a close contact with its audience by playing among it and interacting with it through both ring dancing and singing. Thus the group suits both a listening audience and a wild-Balkan-party mob.

The band has done two tours in Bulgaria (2004 & 2006) where they drew a widespread attention performing at several of the countries jazz and folk festivals such as Bansko International Jazz Festival, Koprivshtitsa National Folk Festival and Radnevo International Folklore Festival. The group has worked and performed with several music & dance artists and instrumentalists among which is the Bulgarian kaval player Theodosii Spassov.

Lele Lele has done two tours in Finland (2010 & 2011) and has played at most major world music venues and festivals in Sweden such as UmeFolk, Fasching Jazz Club, Stallet, Kulturhuset and Södra Teatern. The band performed also in Serbia, Slovenia and Austria in 2006.