Matt Moran plays tapan -- simply "drum" to Slavic-speaking Macedonians whose dances float and land with the tapan's chatter and boom. Matt has performed at Balkan folk music festivals with Pepa Koutcheva, Radoy Guirgiev, and Izgori. His love of the music and dance of Macedonia has led him to study with noted tapan players Jerry Kisslinger and Ivaylo Koutchev, and dancers Steve Kotansky and Michael Ginsburg. A New York City resident, Matt is also a jazz vibraphonist and composer. [send email]

Adam Good's nimble fingers and catch-all ears have graced Balkan music bands like Tito's Revenge, Izgori, and Peskho. To 9 Olives he brings the sounds of Macedonian tambura (a 2-stringed lute-like instrument) and cumbus (a Turkish instrument resembling banjo). Currently a member of the active New Jersey/NYC based Macedonian folk ensemble Izgori, Adam has performed at NYC's Golden Festival and other festivals with Ivaylo Koutchev, Izgori, Lyuben Dossev, Radoy Guirgiev and Tito's Revenge. Adam also plays Bulgarian tambura and jazz guitar, and co-leads the New York-based ensemble Sideshow (songs of Charles Ives). Among the people he credits for teaching him Balkan music are Christos Govetas, David Bilides and Alan Zemmel. [send email]

Jeff Fine plays kaval (endblown wooden flute) and tambura (lute) with 9 Olives. Jeff has been interested in international folkdancing and folkmusic since his college days. He took up the Irish penny whistle in 1981 and the recorder in 1982. In 1986 he played recorder and dumbek with the Israeli Folkdance band Teomim (Gemini) in Washington, DC, including performances at the Smithsonian Institute. In 1986 Jeff attended his first Balkan Music and Dance Camp at Buffalo Gap, West Virginia, where he was introduced to the strange and wondrous musical instruments of the Balkan countries. At the end of that weeklong workshop, Jeff was able to produce a single note when blowing into the end of the kaval (which is no small feat!). Since then Jeff has had the opportunity to study kaval technique with David Bilides and Chris Reitz, and Macedonian styling with Ljupjo Milenkovski. Jeff traveled to Bulgaria in 1995 to study with Lyuben Dossev, a master kavaldjiya and assistant director of the Plovdiv Academy of Folk Arts and Music, Plovdiv Bulgaria. Jeff and Lyuben are currently working on a handbook for playing Bulgarian kaval ornaments. Jeff has performed at Lincolnn Center with the George Tomov Ensemble, and is regularly playing with the New York based band Izgori as well as 9 Olives.