Dálava

In concert, in either band or duo format, Bajakian and Ulehla create a sound that is achingly intimate. Their love for the music and for each other is beautifully evident, and not in any kind of saccharine fashion: it’s as if they share a mutual incandescence.
Alexander Varty, Musicworks

Dálava, featuring Julia Ulehla and Aram Bajakian, is an homage to traditional Moravian (Czech) folksong, sourcing melodies transcribed over 100 years ago by the great-grandfather of Dálava’s singer, Julia, and reanimating them in an extremely stirring, avant-garde, post-rock musical language. Comprised of a group of stellar musicians from Vancouver, Dálava’s release The Book of Transfigurations (Songlines, 2017) has garnered critical acclaim. “Every now and then an album appears that is so overwhelming and so intense that it is hard to put into any category. Such is the case with The Book of Transfigurations…Saying that TBOT is a masterpiece is not an exaggeration” (Bas Springer, fRoots, August 2017).

“It’s astonishing music—and the story behind its creation is emblematic of how Old World traditions can be born again, thousands of miles and several generations away from their roots” (Alex Varty, Georgia Straight, March 2017). “The album is not so much a fusion, more an exciting collision of tradition with experimentation, one that will equally appeal to fans of folk, avantgarde improv and jazz” (Jo Frost, Songlines Magazine, July 2017). In performance and on recording, the “incandescent” (Musicworks, Summer/Fall 2017) Dálava delves into deep territory—conjuring ancestors, animating spirits, and crafting musical microcosms around the gem-like folk melodies.

This page was last updated in February 2022.