Brother’s Ivan is a musical group that produces Ukrainian folk music. The group’s record label is Creative Vibrations. Brother’s Ivan’s father, Petro Ivanovich Sahadachni, started producing Ukrainian folk music albums in 2007. The goal was to honor the struggles of many Ukrainians, including his grandparents, and to preserve Ukrainian folk songs for future generations. Brother Ivan now takes this spirit forward, in his latest release, “Ukrainian Folk Music, Vol VIII”. Keep reading for my thoughts on how he rejuvenates the style here.
Ukrainian Folk Music, Vol VIII, is a delightful collection of songs that span the cultural journey of Ukraine as a nation, and of Ukrainians as a community. From the delightfully Eastern European melodies and structures, to the simple yet graceful execution of all these tracks, this album is a sure cherish.
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The true origin of the opening song, “The Guelder Rose” remains shrouded in uncertainty. Some individuals believe that the current version can be traced back to a 17th-century Cossack anthem, as several Ukrainian volunteers shared with me during my journey. During this era, Ukrainian Cossacks, also known as Zaporozhian Cossacks, were free men rather than serfs and often served as auxiliary soldiers on behalf of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. With such a rich history behind the song, Brother’s Ivan does an excellent job of representing the grace in the melody, and the whole soundscape is transformed with his airy harmonies, with the guitar keeping him company, almost a companion to the story that unfolds– here, and well into the second song, “By The Long Road”.
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This song was originally a Russian song called “Dorogoi Dlinnoyu,” meaning “By the Long Road,” written in 1925 by Konstantin Podrevsky and Boris Fomin. “Those Were the Days” by folk singer Mary Hopkin is a very famous 1968 adaptation of this song, and was very well received. Here, the execution is more grounded, more homely, and the vocals only elevate the experience here; with the haunting, droning chords in the background really giving itself to the rendition to pack it with a lot of emotive power.
Ukrainian Folk Music, Vol VIII comes with many more such masterpieces from history, each telling stories of introspection, of war, of love, and of life; and you need not know the language to truly appreciate the kind of beauty this music holds. Once I started listening to it, I only found myself repeating these songs to appreciate them again and better– and the end, I was left feeling a more emotionally driven listener. Check out “Ukrainian Folk Songs”, the Vol VIII, by Brother’s Ivan here!
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