Bulgarian cab driver has a special gadulka song for you

Sam Morris

When he’s not driving a taxi, Angel Gadzhev plays Bulgarian folk music on the gadulka. Those riding in his cab get a free sample of his stylings.

By Kristen Peterson (contact)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Name: Angel Gadzhev, musician

Age: 42

Education: Shiroka Luka Folk Music School, Bulgaria

Instruments: Gadulka, clarinet, accordion, tupan, tamboura, bagpipe

On being discovered: Gadzhev was “discovered” in Las Vegas while delivering pizza to a home where a band was rehearsing. He watched them play for a minute, then went to his car to get his gadulka. He picked the right home for this. The guys rehearsing were from Clark County’s Parks and Recreation Department. They booked him at Winchester Cultural Center immediately and he’s been playing there since. His ensemble will perform there at 2 p.m. Sunday with Bulgarian dancers.

On the gadulka: The gadulka has a warm, full sound. It’s a wooden instrument with 14 strings — three large strings and 11 small ones used for resonances — and a short fingerboard. Played with a bow, but held vertically, it is sometimes propped on the musician with a special belt.

Music career: Bulgarian folk music was on the radio and in the streets from morning to night when Gadzhev was growing up in Rakovski, a small town near Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria. His mother and father were folk dancers, his father sang and his grandfather played the kaval, a Bulgarian flute. He started studying the gadulka at age 7. Five years later he was playing in a youth ensemble. After graduating, he joined Filip Kutev’s Bulgarian National Ensemble and Choir, touring Europe, Japan and Korea. It was his father’s dream to have him play in that ensemble.

Under communism: Bulgarian folk music was celebrated and supported by the government. When the Berlin Wall came down and the communist bloc collapsed, so did the momentum for folk music, Gadzhev says. “During communist era, it was approachable. If you’re good, you’re in.” But he had an opportunity to leave. He’d wanted to move to the United States after the wall came down. “That was my dream, the freedom of the United States. The possibilities.”

Getting to Vegas: He moved to Charleston, S.C., in 2001, and performed in Greek bands and worked in Greek restaurants. Four years later he moved to Las Vegas after a friend, who plays Bulgarian flute, invited him.

His mother and a brother still live in Bulgaria. He just returned from a visit there. “Vegas is all over Europe. It’s fun and famous to show on TV. For those who can’t come, it’s like a dream. All those lights and celebrities. When I went home they treated me like a president.”

On driving a cab: “I like it. I meet different people. I play CD and they ask, ‘Who is this?’ I say, ‘This is your cabdriver. Special songs for you.’ ”

Jokingly he says, “I’ll drive a cab for a while. Maybe after that I’ll buy a casino like Steve Wynn.”

Living in Las Vegas: Gadzhev’s search for other local Bulgarian musicians was successful enough for him to form an ensemble that he conducts and performs in. They’ve played weddings, festivals and concerts at the Winchester Cultural Center. The highlight was performing at a Bulgarian wedding at the Grand Canyon. He and his ensemble were flown in by helicopter.

“When you have the desire, you always find ways,” he says.

His dream: Would you like to someday play in a showroom with a Bulgarian ensemble?

“Bulgarian folk is so rich and so interesting. The only way to experience is to watch and listen.”

Other interests: Fishing, going to Lake Mead and Mount Charleston with friends

Sticking around? “Yeah. When you plant a tree, it’s not a good idea to move it around.”