This is one of the first songs I recorded (multi-tracked it all by meself) at age 19. I played all the instruments.  It's called Oolong Tea, and was written around the time I was breaking up with a boy...  didn't we all write about that kind of thing at that age?   Apologies for totally cliche oriental music riff.

Oolong Tea

Halia Carries Water:: Nese Halia Vodu (Несе Галя Воду) is a Ukrainian folk song. Most Ukrainians learn it growing up. Recorded and performed by Darka Dusty and Miri Stebivka

Halia Carries Water

Here is "Summertime", performed at the Portland Expo Center Drive In Spectacular on August 13, 2015. Musical back up provided by Miri Stebivka on guitar, Bernardo Gomez on bass, Natalia Burgess on mandolin, and Lisa Marsicek on violin. I'm 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

Rehearsal recording of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" Darka Dusty on vocals and glockenspiel. Miri Stebivka on guitar.

Both Sides Now (Rehearsal)

About "Verbovaya Doshchechka" (Вербовая Дощечка) 

My whole life, I've always wanted to sing with the Veryovka Ukrainian National Academic Folk Choir. Prior to traveling to England for my brother in law's wedding in September 2015, I enlisted the help of my friend Greg Kowalczuk to help me perform this song with some singers he knew would be at the wedding. I only sent Greg an mp3 of a multi-track recording I made. Greg, together with musical arranger Mike Onyskiw, created a score for the Manchester Ukrainian Chamber Choir to follow. They listened to my recording, as well as the original Veryovka recording and notated the harmonies exactly. The choir rehearsed this song only one time prior to my arrival, then on the night of the wedding, I was introduced to the choir for the first time, we sang this song through only twice, and ten minutes later performed it as you hear in this recording. Joining us were bride and groom Anna Kuszta and Andy Stebiwka, who were familiar with the song from a year prior, when I taught it to them during their first visit to the US.

This whole thing was a dream come true for me personally, and the members of the choir all had similar emotionally powerful experiences. I didn't know the choir, and they didn't know me to begin with, and yet, thanks to Greg and Mike's efforts, we came together to make this unbelievably beautiful song come alive - as a gift to Anna and Andy. 

Вербовая Дощечка

Here's a sweet, old Ukrainian tune called "Nese Halia Vodu" which roughly translates to "Halia Carries Water." About a flirtatious and dramatic moment between a girl (Halia) and her beau (Ivanko, or "Johnny")including flirtatious invitations, accusations of deception, promises and pleas... All taking place at the village well.  Darka Dusty is the vocalist, accordion player, arranger and co-producer. Miri Stebivka played guitar, bass, percussion, mandolin -- AND was the recording engineer and co-producer. Whew!  I need some water!  (P.S. Darka's mother's name is Halia!)  

Nese Halia Vodu | Несе Галя воду | Halia Carries Water

The night before New Years Eve 2017, my band The Borshch Beatniks and I played a lovely show at Mississippi Pizza. I taught the whole audience how to sing the chorus of a sweet, ancient Ukrainian song. The chorus in Ukrainian is "І в Вас, і в нас, Хай буде гаразд! Що б Ви, і ми  Щасливі були!" and in english that means: "For you and for us, Let it be okay, So that you and we, happy we will be!"  -- It's a good luck song and I gave phonetic lyrics to the audience. As you will hear, they did it just right!  Apologies for a bit of distortion, my little zoom mic couldn't handle the happy loud crowd!

In my band is: Natalia Burgess (with whom I am trading verses, trading harmonies, she is also on mandolin); Miri Stebivka, my partner in time on guitar, Bernardo Gomez on bass, Andrew Alikhanov on clarinet and Michelle Alany on violin -- before this evening we never played this song (other than once at rehearsal!)

І В Вас (Eve Vahs) LIVE

LIVE!  Singing a Ukrainian jazz song called "Again" (Я знов тобі) performing with my former musical partner Slau Halatyn as "Darka & Slavko"  Also playing, the incomparable John Stetch on piano, Greg August on bass and George (Uki) Hrab on drums.

Again (live!)

Here is an original song which I wrote with my former musical partner Slavko Halatyn (Slau). We recorded it while living in London in 1993-1995. 

Funny story, we were in the midst of recording our 3rd album, and then I got a job offer in London at The Economist. Sight unseen, we picked up and moved *everything* including our entire music studio... The flat we got in Wimbledon Park was tiny, but we managed to fit everything in.... 

It came time to finish recording this song, we wanted a pedal steel player (which is quite common in the US, but we were in England)... we walked into a music shop and asked, "are there any pedal steel players around here?" And we got the name of the best guy around, (the only guy around!) Melvin Duffy... who is now part of the UK band Squeeze... Ukrainian lyrics to country music feels alright to me still....

Joy / Щастя

A rehearsal for a Billy Holiday tribute show... This is Tell Me More and More (And Then Some)written by Billie Holiday
(First recording and first release by Billie Holiday, June 7, 1940)
Apologies for *meh* quality, there was no recording from the actual show.

Tell me more and more (and then some) LIVE

Demo version of song for next album. Words by Darka Dusty
Music by Darka Dusty & Miri Stebivka

DarkaDusty

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