Roma and Sinti music with the participation of: Goran Bregovic | Django Reinhardt | Fanfare Ciocarlia | Ando Drom | Taraf de Haïdouks | Bratsch, produced by Cobie Ivens.
Goran Bregovic.
The musician and composer Goran Bregovic, originally from Sarajevo, became internationally known mainly through his soundtracks for various international films. From that moment on he developed his own style, a mixture of serious orchestral music with traditional Balkan music. The film music gave Goran the opportunity to work with various international artists. In addition to film music, he also wrote music for theatre projects, multimedia projects and wedding music of the Serbian gypsies, which he successfully exported abroad.
CD. Tales and songs from weddings and funerals – Goran Bregovic. LABEL: Universal Records (2002), code: 00044006307923 + code: 630792. VIDEO
Django Reinhardt.
He is a monumental figure in European swing music. He was born in Belgium in 1910 into an artistic family of Sinti gypsies. He was a virtuoso on the acoustic guitar at a very young age. Due to his inimitable playing, the guitar became more accepted as a solo instrument. It was remarkable that Django Reinhardt played so well, especially since he was missing one and a half fingers, which he lost after a fire in his caravan. Together with violinist Stéphane Grapelli, he founded the Quintette Du Hot Club De France in 1934. The duo pioneered a style that was later called hot jazz guitar and gypsy swing. Django Reinhardt died young, he was only 43 years old, but his influence on artists after him (such as the Rosenberg Trio) was great.CD. The complete trios – Django Reinhardt. LABEL: Essential Jazz Classics (2019), code: EJC55558. VIDEO
Fanfare Ciocarlia.
The time when Fanfare Ciocarlia had to scrape together their earnings at weddings in Eastern Romania seems to be over for good. The artistic and commercial peak of the gypsy brass band was the title Iag Bari (2001). The advantage of success is that other successful artists want to play on your CD. That is why Fanfare Ciocarlia invited the most successful Roma artists. We hear the Serbian sob of Saban Bajramovic, the nimble guitar playing of Kaloome and the Roma divas Esma Redzepova and Ljiljana Butler. The fanfare closes the album Queens And Kings with a cover of the sixties classic Born To Be Wild. And they are right.
CD. Queens and kings – Fanfare Ciocarlia. LABEL: Asphalt Tango (2007), code: ATR 1207. VIDEO
Ando Drom.
The Hungarian gypsy group Ando Drom (Roma for On the Road) is a true musical breeding ground. Bandleader Jenö Zsigó does not see himself as a musician but more as a ‘talent mentor’. The young musicians come from all over Hungary and that results in a varied sound. On Muro Nav (my name) exuberant drinking songs stand brotherly next to melancholic songs that try to exorcise the setbacks of life. Ando Drom plays both traditional and original material. In the past, the band has contributed to the soundtrack of films and has also attracted many young rock fans after a successful performance at the popular Sziget Festival in Budapest.
CD. Muro nav – Ando Drom. LABEL: Ando Drom (2007) code: AD05BP05. VIDEO
Taraf de Haïdouks.
Since their sensational performance at the Womad festival in 1991, Taraf de Haïdouks has become one of the most beloved gypsy orchestras in the world. The album Band Of Gypsies contains live recordings of three concerts by Taraf de Haïdouks in Bucharest. The band transcends its borders by inviting foreign guest musicians.
Despite the language barrier, they managed to create a fascinating interplay: virtuoso, rousing music that radiates joy of playing. The creation process of this album was filmed by the young French director and will be released as a documentary.
CD. Band of gypsies – Taraf de Haïdouks. LABEL: Crammed Discs (2001), code: CRAW 24. VIDEO
Bratsch.
The French combo Bratsch describes its own music as fantasy-folklore. In fact, Bratsch plays musical fantasies in the spirit of diverse folkloric traditions such as gypsy, klezmer, jazz and Eastern European music. The five musicians are all great improvisation artists on the instruments bouzouki/guitar, double bass, clarinet, violin and accordion.
They can also sing in polyphony. Bratsch’s performances are always an experience, surprising and varied; after a melancholic ballad or heartbreaking love song, for example, an eruption of wild party joy follows.
CD. La vie, la mort, tout ça… – Bratsch. LABEL: Niglo (2002), code: NIG 801010. VIDEO
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