Gypsy Music

  Take an eleven-piece band with member ages ranging from 40-80, add a big band feel to its enthusiastic gypsy music, and record three special live concerts in Bucharest and you have BAND OF GYPSIES, a performance unparalleled in scope and presentation.

 Taraf de Haidouks' violins are more your classic gypsy sound, with lively fiddles powering the band.

 'Wild' continually comes to mind, with a wailing tuba, bass, and accordion driving each song.

 You may recognize the group's name, too: Taref de Haidouks played in the film 'Latcho Drom'.

 A virtual juggernaut of passionate gypsy peasant sounds, BAND OF GYPSIES is a 'must' for any fan of lively Transylvanian gypsy music.

1. Oriental Gypsy Cocktail
2. Oriental Gypsy Night

 ORIENTAL GYPSY COCKTAIL is sophisticated, slick modern gypsy music with urban savvy and more than a dose of jazz added.

 Fans who wish their gypsy music sophisticated will find ORIENTAL GYPSY COCKTAIL's lively flamenco guitar and polished style contrasts sharply and favorably with the usual peasant-style gypsy approach.

 The guitar and oud combo is unusual and lovely here, especially as Ssassa plays gypsy mixes with a Middle East influence.

 Add vocals in Arabic and you have a diverse, international sound which is recommended for worldbeat fans of all ages.

 Other recordings have tried to mix North African with flamenco gypsies from the Andelous region of Spain: none have had the successful transitions of ORIENTAL GYPSY COCKTAIL.

 ORIENTAL GYPSY NIGHT holds more of the gypsy influence, opening with the lively 'Ferusovo Tikino' with its strong brass horns.

 Balkan music shines here; more so than in ORIENTAL GYPSY COCKTAIL, which is more of a mix - though the flamenco beat still shines forth in lively cuts profiling guitar and handclaps.

1. Romanian Gypsy Evergreens by Cornelia Catanga
2. Tresors Folkloriques Roumanins by Toni Iordache
3. La Chilia-n Port by Ionel Tudorache

  Cornelia Catanga's ROMANIAN GYPSY EVERGREENS isn't peasant music: it's sophisticated gypsy vocals which blends hints of jazz and folk into its Romanian gypsy styles.

 Cornelia Catanga plays solo accordion as well as sings: backed by George Udila on clarinet and Vasile Nasturica on violin, her gypsy songs are lively and lovely.

 The liner notes list her as an accordion player, but it's Cantanga's vocals which stand out: a blend of gypsy and French cafe music.

 If you like your gypsy music vivid and wild and you love the few cimbalom players representing the Eastern European tradition, don't miss Toni Iordache, a cimbalom virtuoso whose works range from wild and flying to soft and soulful.

 His songs run back and forth between the two in a very melodic and pleasing manner, from danceable horas to melodic and smooth folk tunes - and everything in-between.

 There's great value to Toni Iordache's cd TRESORS FOLKLORIQUES ROUMAINS, too: it packs in almost thirty cuts averaging 2 minutes each: an incredible presentation of a true cimbalom virtuoso who should be better known to the world.

 Vocals and accordion are the highlight of Ionel Tudorache's folk music band, though also lovely and influential are the cemballo played by Titel Taba and the strong violin embellishments by Relu Prodan.

 These are quiet productions, demonstrating the skill and beauty of voice and accordion applied to traditional Romanian music.

 The more subdued tone allows for a fuller appreciation of the gypsy/Rumanian folk style and belays the usual perception of the music as being always wildly Klezmer-like in tone and approach.

 Nominated 'Album of the Year' by the American Independent Music Awards, Neil Jacobs' AMERICAN GYPSY is deserving of every honor it receives: the Eastern European gypsy tradition is deftly captured, along with overtones of jazz and even flamenco.

 Roma and folk traditions are presented in Neil Jacobs' own guitar styling compositions, supported on many pieces with the Ukrainian violinist Arkadiy Gips.

 AMERICAN GYPSY, unlike many traditional peasant productions, is apt to reach a wider audience than most: its flamenco styles will draw listeners of Spanish music, its classical precision will appeal to classical musicians, and its gypsy roots will attract Eastern European listeners who will find the blends surprising and refreshing.

 From flamenco to Hungarian gypsy cafe to near-Klezmer beats, AMERICAN GYPSY provides a host of ethnic-rooted, rollicking guitar songs.

 An outstanding production.