Here's our version of a Japanese pop song from the 1960s 恋のバカンス (Koi No Bakansu). This song was a big hit for the Japanese band "The Peanuts."

Recording credits:
Olenka Burgess - Lead vocal and shaker
Darka Dusty - 2nd vocal, harmony and drums
Miri Stebivka - Electric guitar
Martine Mares - Rhythm guitar
Natalia Burgess - Mandolin
Jason Montgomery - Upright bass

Koi No Bakansu 恋のバカンス

A little snippet from a recent Borscht Beatniks rehearsal. Here's "Verkhovyno" an old Ukrainian Hutzul melody.   Miri Stebivka on guitar, Andrew Alikhanov on clarinet, Bernardo Gomez on bass, Natalia Burgess on mandolin, and Darka Dusty on accordion.

Rehearsal Recording of old Hutzul tune "Verkhovyno"

Here is a live version of "Summertime", performed at the Portland Expo Center Drive In Spectacular on August 13, 2015. You can hear children playing in the background... which is eerily sweet.

Musical back up provided by Miri Stebivka on guitar, Bernardo Gomez on bass, Natalia Burgess on mandolin, and Lisa Marsicek on violin. Darka Dusty is singing and playing piano.

"Summertime" bears a striking similarity to "Oy Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon" is a Ukrainian lullaby. The title is usually translated into English as "The Dream Passes by the Windows". It is said composer George Gershwin heard it sung by the Koshetz Ukrainian National Choir at Carnegie Hall in 1929 and was deeply affected by this minor key Ukrainian lullaby. Just a few years later, he wrote Summertime in 1935 for Porgy & Bess, and the musical similarities are very clear.

Here are the lyrics translated from the Ukrainian lullaby.

The Dream passes by the window,
And Sleep passes by the fence.
The Dream asks Sleep:
"Where should we rest tonight?"
Where the house is warm,
Where the child is small,
There we will go,
And rock the child to sleep.
There we will sleep,
and will rock the child:
Sleep, sleep, my little falcon,
Sleep, sleep, my little dove.

Summertime

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk), performing Darka Dusty's original "Bat Wing" live at Miz Kitty's Parlour, featuring Darka Dusty (lead vocals, accordion), Miri Stebivka (guitar), Natalia Burgess (back up vocals, mando), Olenka Burgess (back up vocals bari uke) and Bernardo Gomez (upright bass)

Batwing (live)

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk), performing Darka Dusty's original "Cheeky Bird" live at Miz Kitty's Parlour, featuring Darka Dusty (lead vocals, shaker), Miri Stebivka (guitar), Natalia Burgess (mando), Olenka Burgess (back up vocals bari sax) and Bernardo Gomez (upright bass)

Cheeky Bird (live)

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk), performing a traditional Ukrainian song "Byla Mene Maty" at Miz Kitty's Parlour, featuring Darka Dusty (vocals, accordion), Miri Stebivka (banjo), Natalia Burgess (vocals, mando), Olenka Burgess (vocals bari uke) and Bernardo Gomez (upright bass)

Byla Mene Maty (live)

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk), performing a traditional Ukrainian Song a-capella: live at Miz Kitty's Parlour, featuring Darka Dusty, Natalia Burgess, Olenka Burgess

Zeleneye Zhyto (live)

The Borscht Beatniks (formerly Kafe Metelyk), performing an encore, a traditional Ukrainian song, live at Miz Kitty's Parlour, featuring Darka Dusty (accordion), Miri Stebivka (mando), Natalia Burgess (mando), Olenka Burgess (bari uke) and Bernardo Gomez (upright bass), Miz Kitty (Lisa Marsicek) on fiddle!

Verchovyno  (live - encore!)

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk) A full LIVE set from Miz Kitty's Parlour, February 9, 2013.
Darka Dusty Stebivka: Accordion, Snare Drum, Vocals
Olenka Burgess: Bari Sax, Vocals, Shaker
Natalia Burgess: Mandolin, Vocals
Miri Stebivka: Acoustic and Lead Electric Guitars
Martine Mares: Acoustic Rhythm Guitar
Jason Montgomery: Acoustic Upright Bass

SONGS:
1. @ 00:30  "Verbovaya Doshchechka - Willow Board: Traditional Ukrainian Song, sung by Darka, Olenka, Natalia and Miri.    

2. @ 03:40  "Hylia Hylia" - traditional Ukrainian Song: First verse, Darka 2nd verse Olenka, 3rd verse Natalia.  4th verse - All.   (Darka-accordion, Miri-guitar, Jason- Bass)

3. @ 07:40 "Sontze Zhaslo" - Ukrainian version of "The Sway" (sung by Natalia Burgess, vocal harmony and accordion -Darka, Bari sax - Olenka, acoustic guitars Miri & Martine; bass - Jason)

4. @ 12:06 "Picture Frame" - Original. music by Darka Dusty and Miri Stebivka, lyrics by Darka Dusty (Sung by Darka, electric guitar- Miri, acoustic guitar - Martine, Sax-Olenka, mandolin-Natalia, bass - Jason)

5: @ 16:10 "Koi No Bakansu" - Japanese pop song from the 60s  (Sung by Olenka & Darka, Shaker - Olenka; Snare drum - Darka;  Electric Guitar - Miri, Rhythm guitar - Martine, Mandolin - Natalia, Bass - Jason)

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk) LIVE at Miz Kitty's Parlour

Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk) perform "Koi No Bakansu" live at Miz Kitty's Parlour February 2013.  This is a Japanese pop song from the 60s  (Olenka Burgess, Lead vocal and Shaker; Darka Dusty - 2nd lead vocal & Harmony and Snare Drum; Miri Stebivka - Electric Guitar; Martine Mares - Rhythm Guitar; Natalia Burgess - Mandolin; Jason Montgomery - Upright Bass)

Koi No Bakansu - Borscht Beatniks (formerly known as Kafe Metelyk) Live at Miz Kitty's Parlour

Darka Dusty and the Borscht Beatniks are an internationally-oriented band with deep musical roots in Eastern Europe. It's tricky to pinpoint one specific musical box to place them into, because they're unlike what you've heard before, and it's always big and exotic: Darka Dusty and the Borscht Beatniks play everything from old gypsy sounds, big-voiced mountain music (from the Carpathians to the Appalachians), bluesy originals and even the odd Japanese song. Just like borscht, there are many musical seasonings that go into the music this band plays. 

Former Ukrainian pop star and band founder Darka Dusty's powerhouse voice is a signature of the group and she sure loves to borscht-belt it out! She is also musical director and leader of the group who has an oft-changing cast of top notch Portland musicians, including a few members of her family: Miri Stebivka, her partner in life (and in music) plays guitar and mando and assists with arrangements; her sister Natalia Burgess and Darka's niece Olenka Burgess help create sweet yet powerful three-part harmonies, adding more instrumentation and rhythm; Bernardo Gomez (Cubaneo, The Shanghai Woollies) is their go-to upright bass player; Andrew Alikhanov (Three for Silver, Chervona), Portland's premier clarinetist often sits in with his wicked klezmer-inspired riffs. They've had the pleasure to expand their band with other Portland players Rich Landar (Hillwilliams, King Black Acid), Brian Stowe (Dust and Thirst) and sometimes, when they're lucky, even Lisa Marsicek aka Miz Kitty.

Booking information -- Come right to the source: Text or call Darka at (503) 422-2220 or email darka247@comcast.net

DD & the Borscht Beatniks

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