Tinsmith’s Dance

Tinsmiths.

People of the past who made metal for people, by hand, spending hours in high temperatures and brutal conditions.

In Macedonia, these people have their own folk dance. It’s called “Kalajdzhisko oro” (Калајџиско оро), or “Tinsmith’s Dance”. And it was performed amazingly by the Macedonian National Jazz Orchestra in Prague, Czechia about a month ago, with lavish solos by Gordan Spasovski on piano and Kiril Kuzmanov on alto saxophone.

I arranged it as a very special commission for this orchestra. This was definitely a good year for this band. I admire their strength in bringing this old idea to life with such passion. Besides this project (“Macedonian Dreams“) they did a lot of high profile concerts in 2025, including Maria Mendes, Donny McCaslin, Kurt Rosenwinkel and the Yellowjackets.