The earliest recording of this tune appears to have been made in 1900 in Paris. During the Exposition Universelle of that year, anthropologist Léon Azoulay (1862–1926) recorded participants from various countries, aiming to create a unique sound museum. This took place in the early years of the new device that recorded sound onto cylinders. According to information from the Centre de recherche en ethnomusicologie at Université Paris Nanterre (CNRS), the tune originates from Bosnia, specifically Sarajevo, and is performed by a clarinetist from a region of the former Yugoslavia. The recording is titled “Airs populaires de clarinette bosniaque: ‘Vieille marche turque’” (Popular Melodies for Clarinet from Bosnia: Old Turkish March). According to researcher Damir Imamović (see here), the clarinetist on the recording is likely the Bosnian Mustafa Sudžuka.

Approximately seven years later, in June 1907, the Bosnian instrumental and vocal trio of Mustafa Sudžuka and Merkuš (Bosanski Instrumental i pjevački Terzett, M. Sudžuka i Merkuš) recorded the melody in Sarajevo for the Gramophone Company. The recording was made by Franz Hampe and released under the Zonophone label with the title “Turski Djezajer marš” (Zonophone 5713 l – X-100681). As Pennanen (2007: 120-121) mentions, this is the Ottoman march “Cezayir marşi”, meaning the March of Algeria, attributed to the Italian composer Giuseppe Donizetti Paşa, brother of opera composer Gaetano Donizetti. Since 1828, as part of the Europeanization of military music, Giuseppe Donizetti Paşa served as Istruttore Generale of the Imperial Ottoman Music (Kokkonis, 2017: 133). The reference to Algeria alludes to the French invasion of the region in 1830, when Algeria was still an Ottoman province.

An interesting article titled "Bir Tarihî Türkü: 'Cezayir'" (Türkbilig 6./2003, pages 117-126) by Fatma Gülay Mirzaoğlu Sivaci, a professor in the Department of Turkish Folklore at Hacettepe University, highlights that the melody can be found in most parts of Anatolia, appearing both as a song and as an instrumental melody, often accompanied by dance during wedding ceremonies. The article examines the song in relation to the historical context in which it was created and explores modern performances and interpretations.

In the Bosnian repertoire, the melody can also be found in a 1957 radio broadcast recording performed by Mehaga Varešanović (violin), Ivica Tvrtković (double bass) and Mišo Bogeljić (bass) (see here).

In the Turkish repertoire, from which the melody seems to originate, it was recorded in 1906 in Istanbul by the Orchestre Gramophone under the title “Marche” (Zonophone 1634 r – X-100088). Two years later, in 1908, it was recorded again in Istanbul under the title “Marche Djezair” by the Musique de la Marine Imperiale Ottomane (Odeon xC1968 – X-46241).

In November 1917, it was recorded in New York by a Turkish trio under the title “Djezair Marchi” (Columbia 58722-1 – E3787). The ensemble featured a violin, oud, and qanun.

In the 1920s, it was recorded in Berlin by the Odeon Orkestra under the direction of Dajos Bella (“Cezair Marsi”, Odeon WCo 1003 – A-202026 b), and in the early 1930s, in Istanbul, by the Columbia Orkestrasi under the direction of Necip Yakup (“Cezayir Marşı”, Columbia 18522).

It should be noted that a musical score titled “Marche Djézaël” was released by the Ernest Comedinger publishing house in Istanbul, arranged for piano by Kirkor Sinanian (see here). Since access to the musical score was not possible, it remains unclear whether this version corresponds to the melody under discussion.

The melody also appears in the Arabic repertoire, specifically from Syria and Lebanon. On July 24, 1913, the composer and pianist Alexander Maloof recorded the melody in New York under the title “Al-Ja-Za-Yer” (Victor B-13834 – 17443-B). The title is accompanied by the designation “Original Syrian dance”.

Between 1947-1949, the Arab-American musician of Syrian descent Anton Abdelahad (oud), Philip Solomon (violin) and an unknown percussionist recorded “Jazayer” (الجزائر) (Alkawakeb K.G.R. 7023 A and Abdelahad KGR – 7023 A) in the U.S.

In July 1924, the Syrian violinist Sāmī al-Shawwā recorded "March Jazayirly" in Cairo (His Master's Voice BD 1677 – 7-218017). Another unidentified recording of Sāmī al-Shawwā with Yacub Ghazalah, on the qanun, Shahata Saada, on the oud, and Ali Al-Darwish, on the ney, has been found for Odeon. It is entitled "March Jazayirly".

In the early 1950s, Semi Sheheen and the Utica Orchestra recorded the song “Daka wa noss Dance” in the U.S., at the end of which, as noted on the label of Albert Rashid's Al-Chark Records record company, “Jazayer” can be heard (Al-Chark Records 231).

In the 1950s, an unknown ensemble recorded “Jazayer” in New York for Farid Alam Al-Din's Arabic company Alamphon (Alamphon A 2003-1 – A 2003-1).

In the Lebanese repertoire, the singer and oudist Mohammed El-Bakkar and his Oriental Ensemble released the LP “Port Said – Music of the Middle East” in 1957 in the U.S. (Audio Fidelity AFLP-1833), which includes the recording “Al Jazayir”.

The melody also appears in the Armenian repertoire. Between 1949-1951, The Vosbikian Band recorded "Jezayir" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA "Jezayir" (Vosbikian Records 1002-A 147 – 1002-A). In 1958, Mike Sarkissian and His Cafe Bagdad Ensemble released the LP “Armenian Wedding” in the U.S. (Audio Fidelity AFLP-1865), which includes the track “Jazayer”.

The melody is also found in the Bulgarian repertoire of gaida and zurna. It can be heard, starting around 0′ 52″, played by the gaida on an unidentified 78 rpm record by Pathé (see here), recorded in the early decades of the 20th century, probably in Sophia. In 1976, the Koprivshtitsa festival, Bulgaria's third national folk art festival, was attended by 3,000 amateur musicians. Seventeen recordings of songs and melodies from the festival—out of approximately 1,100 housed in the Bulgarian National Radio collection—were released on the LP “Копривщица '76 - III Национален Събор На Народното Творчество” (Balkanton ВНА 2067). Among them is “Ръсаллийски Мелодий” by Shain Kourtov (Шаин Куртов), which is based on the melody under discussion.

In the Greek repertoire, the melody has been associated with wedding ceremonies and processions. In addition to the current recording, made in Cairo around 1929 by the orchestra of the violinist Michalis Felouzis, who lived in Egypt and engaged semi-professionally in music (Dionysopoulos, 2009: 120), the following performances are documented:

– “Patinada tis nyfis”, Ioannis Antilavis (violin) and Dimitrios Vlachopoulos (santour), December 16, 1930, at the Alambra Theater in Athens (Folklore Songs Society 141b – 3192). The recording, one of five featuring music and songs from Sifnos, is part of the phonographic mission carried out in Greece during the winter of 1930 by Hubert Pernot in collaboration with Melpo Logotheti-Merlie, founder of the Musical Folklore Archives, and a Greek-French team of musicologists and linguists (for more details, see here). The goal of the mission, during which 573 songs and melodies were recorded on 222 78 rpm records, was the collection of traditional Greek music, both folk and religious, with particular emphasis on the music of the Greek refugee populations from Asia Minor. The performance from the record was transcribed by Nikos Skalkottas (see here).
– “Tzivaeri nyfiatiko”, Orchestra with Nikos Xiros on the clarinet, Athens, 1933 (Columbia WG-730 – DG-2032).
– “Tzizair”, Popular orchestra with Nikos Karakostas on the clarinet, Athens, 1933 (Parlophon 101468 – B. 21749 I).
– «Nyfiatiko», G. P. Moulos - Popular orchestra, Athens, 1934 (Pathé 70496 – 80275).
– “Patinada tou gamou”, Folk Orchestra with Kostas Karras on the clarinet, 1950s, USA (Standard 11-172 – F-9113-A).

The discographic findings clearly show that the melody remains active in both the Greek repertoire (Aegean islands, mainland Greece, Pontic tradition) and other traditions, continually inspiring new interpretations and adaptations. Of particular interest is its presence in diverse performance contexts, which shape its execution and, ultimately, its aesthetic identity. Notable versions include:

– “Tis nyfis”, Nikos Oikonomidis (CD “Perasma stin Amorgo”, Simónidis Cultural and Art Society Amorgos, Keros Music – K.M. 101, 2001).
– “Skopos tou gamou”, Nikos Chatzopoulos (CD “Brovalete sta domata... na deite xefantomata”, Koronidas Naxos Society, Protasis PR 1080-2, 2003).
– “Charantas stefanomata”, Vaggelis Intzevidis (CD “Charantas stefanomata – Tragoudia tou gamou”, Thermikos, Yasas.P., 2005).
– “Achpaston”, Michalis Siopis (uploaded on YouTube in 2019).
– “Cezayir”, Hasan Yılmaz (CD “Yalan Mi?”, Olimpiyat Müzik, 2006).
– “Cezayir - Oyun havası”, Fatih Burdurlu (uploaded on YouTube in 2025).