By Vasil Tole
Memorie.al / The passing of the master of the Epirotic clarinet, Petroloukas Chalkias, prompted us to present a very significant detail of Albanian-Greek relations, inspired by the life of Master Petro. In his autobiography, among other things, he states: “…after the wedding, in the early 1950s, I returned to Athens. I released other songs and they caused a great sensation. Then I received a letter from America, with an invitation to go there to record a ‘long play’ (LP). Twelve songs, six on one side and six on the other. They offered me the tickets and 1,000 dollars – a lot of money. So, I went to America shortly before 1960 – I even had time to meet Kennedy!”
The question arises: who invited the young master Petro – son of the great clarinetist Pericles “Klis” Halkias, grandson of the singer, lutenist, and tambourine player Lazaros Charisiadis, and brother of the violinist Achilleas Halkias – to America? In other words, which record label was to promote the master and his recordings?
The Chalkias family of musicians arrived in New York around 1960, where his father and uncle settled permanently, while Petroloukas and his brother Achilleas stayed for nearly 20 years. It was precisely in America that he and his family recorded music with the record label “BALKAN MUSIC RECORDS,” founded and directed by the great Albanian musician and patriot, Ajdin Asllan Leskoviku. The LP record produced in the 1960s by the “Balkan Record Company” marks the first international promotion of Petroloukas as a master and of the Epirotic folk music performed by him and his family.
But who was Ajdin Asllan Leskoviku?
He was born in Leskovik on March 12, 1895, into the prominent musical family of Asllan Leskoviku, the founder of Southern Albanian saze (traditional ensembles), and was the brother of Selim Leskoviku, the unique master of the Leskovik saze, about whom I published the book “The Saze of Selim, Hafize, and Ajdin Leskoviku” in 2017. He completed his studies at the Turkish and Greek schools of his hometown, as there was no Albanian school available at the time. According to his biographical notes, Ajdin received his Albanian lessons and patriotic sentiments from his parents, who passed down a national consciousness and a love for the Albanian language. Meanwhile, he took formal Albanian language lessons from the patriot Stefan K. Postenani.
After the Balkan Wars, Ajdin Asllan and his family settled in Istanbul, Turkey. Once established there, his parents decided to educate their son. His passion was music; therefore, his parents enrolled him in a music school that provided both theoretical knowledge and practical training. The boy was talented, and his parents supported him. In 1915, Ajdin, now 20 years old, left Turkey for Bucharest, Romania, where the Albanian diaspora was larger, highly organized, and decisive in shaping the national cause, alongside the Albanian communities in Turkey and Egypt.
Ajdin continued his music studies in Bucharest as well. In his notes, he writes: “…in Bucharest, I worked in variety shows to cover my expenses and to complete the practical training I so desperately needed.” In Bucharest, he was encouraged and greatly assisted by fellow Albanians, particularly highlighting the help from the “Korça Brotherhood,” Peço Korça, and Themistokli Bozhani. Ajdin heard that the National Band created by “Vatra” in the USA, along with volunteers trained in America, was heading to Albania.
He set out for Albania and joined the band. Ajdin himself describes this moment: “…in 1920, when the ‘Vatra’ band went to Albania along with the volunteers, with the fire I felt for our nationality and my birthplace, I went to Albania, where without losing time, I joined the ‘Vatra’ band, which at that time was named the Presidential Band.”
Ajdin Asllani remained in the ranks of the “Vatra” band until 1926, the moment he took the long journey to return to America, where he stayed for the rest of his life. There, he also composed the anthem of the “Vatra” Federation with poetry by Refo Çapari (1844–1944). For more than 25 years in New York, after opening a café-restaurant, he succeeded in creating and activating his own saze and commercial company, through which he produced and marketed records in the Albanian language and other Balkan languages. He named his company the “Balkan Phonograph Record Co.” It is documented that he was a master of many instruments, such as the Clarinet, Oud, and Lute (llautë), and was simultaneously an instructor and an independent owner.
His transcriptions of folk songs and dances are also of great value, many of which he popularized through his publications for the public. At one time, he owned a well-known shop that sold Balkan music records. The shop was located at “42 Rivington” on the Lower East Side and was later permanently moved to “27th Street,” between 7th and 8th Avenue. His productions were marked with initials and the labels: “Mi-Re-Rekord Shqiptare” and “Balkan Phonograph Record Co.”
Unfortunately, Ajdin left no descendants. He was a multi-instrumentalist who left a significant mark on the musical life of immigrants from many Balkan countries, including the Chalkias musical family from Ioannina, Greece, for whom he published a record with 12 folk musical numbers in 1960. In the accompanying photos, we find Ajdin Asllan Leskoviku with a lute, alongside Master Petroloukas and his family members, as well as Asllan Leskoviku in the promotional materials of “Balkan Phonograph Records.” / Memorie.al
