BALKAN JAZZ AFFAIR
Balkan Jazz Affair is a love letter to the fire, rhythm, and soul of Southeastern Europe. In this genre-bending collection, Zhaina Blair blends the freedom of jazz with the raw pulse of Balkan folk: zurnas cry, saxophones seduce, trumpets riot, and drums refuse to let you sit still.
Each track tells its own story: a midnight wedding in Sarajevo, a misty river waltz in Belgrade, the defiant heartbeat of Taksim Square, or a dancefloor that erupts under the weight of memory and music. From stormy violin solos to playful clarinet duels, this album lives in the tension between tradition and improvisation.
It’s sweaty. It’s soulful.
It’s for the rebels, the romantics, and the ones who feel most alive when the music doesn’t behave.
This isn’t background jazz.
It’s a Balkan brass riot in velvet gloves: and you’re invited to the affair.
the songs in my album
KARADENIZ (BLACK SEA) BLUES
“Some seas don’t just crash — they sing.”
Karadeniz Blues is a storm caught on vinyl. A hypnotic fusion of Black Sea energy and smoky jazz defiance, where every note crashes like a wave, and every rhythm pulls you into the dance — whether you’re ready or not.
The kemençe weaves fire, the saxophone exhales smoke, and the drums mimic the heart of a people who have always danced — in rain, in grief, in joy. This song doesn’t ask for permission. It grabs your hand and spins you into the wind.
It’s about surrendering to the moment. To motion. To the sea that sings: in horon steps and blues scales.
DANCE OF THE BLACK SEA
“The sea doesn’t just crash — it dances.”
Dance of the Black Sea is not a song. It’s a spell.
A swirling storm of rhythm, tradition, and freedom — where the kaval whispers, the zurna commands, and your feet can’t help but follow.
This song fuses the mysticism of coastal legends with the explosive joy of communal dance.
It’s sweaty. It’s sacred. It’s alive. The sea rises. The chain never breaks. And in this rhythm, no one dances alone.
TAKSIM HALAY
“In Istanbul, even the pavement dances.”
Taksim Halay is the sound of a city alive. A street anthem fueled by tradition and adrenaline. The 9/8 rhythm kicks up dust as the zurna leads a wild parade, while electric guitar and clarinet twist the melody through alleyways and rooftop echoes.
It’s late. The lights flicker. Someone claps. And suddenly, the sidewalk becomes a stage.
This track isn’t about watching, it’s about joining in.
Feet like fire. Hands like wind. This is not just a dance. It’s Istanbul breathing.
SARAJEVO WEDDING
“Tonight, the world belongs to joy.”
Sarajevo Wedding is a dance you don’t walk into: it pulls you in with laughter, laced rakija, and the call of trumpets echoing off old stone walls.
Balkan brass meets smoky jazz, accordion duets with violin, and every solo invites one more round, one more toast, one more night.
This isn’t just a party. It’s a promise, that love, friendship, and rhythm always find their way back.
Raise your glass. Grab a hand. And don’t let the song end.
Zurna & Sax
Zurna & Sax is a musical duel disguised as a party. It’s where smoky jazz meets fiery folk, and every phrase is a dare. Fast, loud, and electric.
From the opening blast, the track spins into a wild Balkan–jazz face-off, where the zurna screams, the saxophone seduces, and neither gives an inch.
This is not harmony. It’s heat.
A clash of tongues, tones, and tempos, proving that sometimes, the best conversations start with a challenge.
Skopje Blues
“The city moved on — but I stayed with the song.”
Skopje Blues is a slow walk through memory. Beneath the glow of neon signs and flickering streetlamps, this track weaves together the ache of blues with the ghostly soul of the Balkans.
With accordion sighs, saxophone cries, and piano chords full of regret, every note feels like a name never spoken again. This isn’t just heartbreak. It’s holding on to a love that the city forgot, but your heart never did.
You walk alone. But the echoes know your story. And tonight, so does Skopje.
MISTY DANUBE
Misty Danube is a jazz elegy soaked in memory. With clarinet and violin tracing the shoreline of sorrow, this track drifts like fog over the water — gentle, ghostly, and devastatingly honest.
It’s a song for whispered goodbyes and the kind of longing that doesn’t raise its voice. The saxophone doesn’t just play, it aches. The river doesn’t just move, it holds everything you can’t say.
This is love after it’s gone. And the hope that maybe… the water remembers what we had.
GYPSY SWING
“Play it loud, play it deep — the fire doesn’t wait.”
Gypsy Swing is a burst of color, chaos, and celebration — where Balkan rhythm meets Manouche jazz in a whirlwind of violin trills, trumpet calls, and stomping feet.
It’s music you don’t just hear. You chase.
Every beat flirts with the next, every instrument dares the others to go faster, louder, wilder. The guitars are hot, the clarinet soars, and the drums don’t ask if you’re ready.
This is no slow dance. It’s freedom, sweat, and speed. A love song to movement itself.
Trumpets at Midnight
“When the trumpets call, sleep doesn’t stand a chance.”
Trumpets at Midnight is a celebration lit by fire and sound: a Balkan jazz anthem that turns old stone streets into a festival of brass, rhythm, and defiant joy.
With trumpets wailing above stomping feet, and saxophones snapping like sparks, this track dares you to sit still — and guarantees you won’t. It’s loud, it’s wild, and it lives for the moment the music takes over.
This isn’t background music. It’s a command:
Get up. Get loud. Give in.
SAVA Serenade
“Some rivers don’t carry you away — they hold you still.”
Sava Serenade is a slow-burning jazz ballad set against the quiet current of a Belgrade night. It’s not a love song in a rush: it drifts, softly, letting memory do the talking.
The saxophone whispers. The strings sigh.
And somewhere between streetlamps and the riverbank, the story unfolds. A romance remembered, or maybe just dreamed.
There’s no need for grand gestures here. Just one melody, sung slow enough for the water to carry.