Got this from Link TV's new World Music Blog. So the network I love the most now has an awesome music blog. Yeah. I'm aware that Pop Impulse has been a little video-intensive recently. I blame Twitter for taking so much of my time. But I'm addicted, truth be told. So though some long, insightful posts for readers are in the works, I had to share this video of the premier NYC Gypsy Festival. Hope you enjoy it.
Related posts
Gypsy Music - Origins of Improvisation?
Gypsy Art & Music
Balkan Gypsy Tango
Movie Madness (featuring Gypsy movies)
Technorati Tags: Gypsy, music, NYC
Showing posts with label gypsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gypsy. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Gypsy Art & Music
One of The Author's first posts was about Gypsy music. I've followed-up on this obsession with Roma culture, dance and music with this post about the fabulous Gypsy-themed movies by Tony Gatlif. A post last Spring covers Spain's Seville Spring Fair, the Gitano's biggest party of the year. Go if you get a chance. Highly recommended.
Today, a post about Gypsy art - since Pop Impulse has already covered Romani culture and music. I've included a great slide show using a terrific new Widget that was culled from the ArteGitano (Literally: Gypsy Art) blog. Enjoy.
Gypsy
Roma
Art
Today, a post about Gypsy art - since Pop Impulse has already covered Romani culture and music. I've included a great slide show using a terrific new Widget that was culled from the ArteGitano (Literally: Gypsy Art) blog. Enjoy.
GypsyRomaArt
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Berlin Remembers Gay Nazi Victims
Berlin yesterday unveiled a memorial to the thousands of Gay men that were criminalized and killed by the Nazis. 55,000 branded criminals and 15,000 deemed inferior and murdered en masse by their own country. Read more about it here.While it is true that this number is small compared to the suffering of the Jews, it is important to remember and memorialize all the victims of Nazi persecution. The Author was gratified to read about the new memorial. The story doesn't end there, however. Victims also include half-a-million Gypsies (source), almost the entire population of occupied Eastern Europe; as well as countless disabled and developmentally disabled individuals.
Sadly, Gypsies - or Rom as they preferred to be called - are still being persecuted in large swathes of Europe. Many have heard of the Slovak hatred for the Rom (source), but Italy has recently experienced a variety of what appear to be officially-sanctioned pogroms directed against Gypsy settlements. Read this alarming article for background. The far-Right government of Silvio Berlusconi, with established Fascist roots, appears to be stoking the flames of ethnic hatred. The lesson? Facists will be Facists.
LGBT
Germany
Gypsies
human rights
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Balkan Gypsy Tango
If you haven't heard the Earth Wheel Fire Band from Serbia, you're missing some really great music. The band was recognized recently by the pioneers of World Music distribution, Putumayo, with the inclusion of the band's tune Gypsy Tango on the company's recent release "Tango Around the World." Thanks to Jefferson Public Radio for playing the tune this morning, and my partner for having the taste to get me up from the keyboard to listen. The band has two disks of their own, which can be found in Circuit City's online catalogue or on the overstock.com site. Why should you care?Serbia is known for its brass and especially its trumpet music. Pair one of the country's premier trumpet players with Olah Vintze's renowned band from the Vojvodina region of northern Serbia and you've got all the ingredients for musical magic. The sweet sound of Gypsy guitar, the gravel-like passion of a strong Gypsy voice (not unlike the Flamenco singers of Spain) and the soul of the Balkan Roma. Ahh, bliss.
I confess a fascination for the Roma people, their unusual language, culture and history. Gypsies, as is now well documented and known, started out in the Indian state of Rajastan - then migrated to virtually all parts of the Middle East and Europe. Read my post about Gypsy Music here, then head over to the band's web site (in Serbo-Croatian) and download a free tune. You may also want to check out the band's profile page on MySpace. You won't be sorry.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Movie Madness
I don't know about you, but I'm not that impressed with Hollywood's current fare. I mean, Little Miss Sunshine was a chuckle, but Academy Award material? You've got to be kidding. And I watched Brad in "Babel" last night, and came away less than enlightened, or satisfied for that matter. Where's Johnny Depp when you need him? I am, on the other hand, watching some fine foreign films - a few of which I've already mentioned in previous posts.In the last week, I watched a couple of new titles worth mentioning. First: Vengo. A wonderful film that captures family and village life among Spanish Gypsies, Vengo features some great Flamenco music. Very authentic. The film also does a great job capturing the role of family honor, and the age-old practice of blood feuds among ancient cultures that disdain modern law and authority. The music is excuse enough to rent this film, the interesting plot, authentic setting and very credible acting are icing on the cake. Nobody makes movies about Gypsies better than film maker Tony Gatliff. His earlier works, Gadjo Dilo and Latcho Drom, are definitive cinematic reflections on Gypsy life and culture.
The second movie is a Mexican comedy entitled Benjamin's Woman. The unlikely and comedic tale pairs a blossoming seventeen year old girl with a middle-aged village suitor who, with the drunken assistance of the girl's uncle, kidnaps her and locks her away. How, you might ask, is this funny? Turns out the girl is no fool, seizes the opportunity, and in the end, somehow almost everybody wins. Quirky and improbable, the film also turned out to be enjoyably different and fun. Three plus stars. Here's my current list of Foreign Favorites.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Accordion Action
As the old joke goes: Why do politicians make good accordionists? Because they are used to playing both ends off against the middle. To most, that sounds about right.When I was a kid, my parents decided that I needed a musical education. They asked what instrument I might be interested in learning, and at about seven years of age I didn't know any better, so I said: the accordion. To this day, I'm not sure what drove that fateful decision. In any case, I haven't been able to listen to "Lady of Spain" since that time, and have an inherent distrust of all polka. I was scarred by the experience, so avoided the accordion at all costs for most of the ensuing years.
Then I discovered the Concertina, Zydeco, Acadian Folk music, Celtic accordion and Santiago Jimenez. And so, I rediscovered the accordion and learned that the instrument had a very distinctive role in a variety of appealing folk music traditions.
The French "Musette" style of accordion was perfected, often by Italians, in the sawdust covered salons, cafes and cabarets of 1920s and 30s Paris. Sweet, slow and languorous, it was epitomized by by Emile Vacher. The instruments were often in the hands of the French Manouche clan of Gypsy musicians, like Joe Privat, known for cool jazz and striking improvisations. Django Reinhardt playing guitar and Stephan Grapelli on Fiddle, often accompanied by Privat on accordion.
Gypsy musicians use accordions across Europe, with some of the best-known bands in the Balkans. Eastern European Klezmer musicians also relied on accordions to accompany the clarinet and strings. If you live in the San Francisco Area, you can hire Nada Lewis to perform this kind of energetic, ethnic music at your event. In fact, the folkloric net offers musicians in a variety of traditions. Today, jazz accordian is most associated with the instrumental work of Richard Galliano.
Irish airs work well with accordion accompaniment. Sharon Shannon is a Celtic squeezbox virtuoso, as was Joe Burke. I'm going to devote considerably more than one post to Celtic music, and more on the music of my own ancestors is on-deck.
In the U.S., accordion passions primarily are driven by three styles: Polka, Conjunto & Zydeco. I'm not interested in Polka, unless its Mexican; Zydeco and the Tejano Conjuntos are another story. The music of Cajun- and Afro-Louisiana blend into a single accordion style - to my ears. Players like C.J. Chenier, Wayne Toups, Queen Ida and Stanley Dural, Jr., better-known as Buckwheat Zydeco have been livening up the airwaves for decades. This is good-time, toe-tapping music.
But my personal favorite is the Conjunto music of Texas, made popular by the Jimenez family over three generations. Flaco Jimenez played accordion for year with the Texas Tornados and more recently Los Super Seven. Flaco has made guest artist appearances on albums with Dr. John, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan. He is a winner of the Billboard Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. Awesome, no?
Any discussion of Latin accordion would be incomplete with out a nod to Mexican great Chelito Sanchez; and to South American musicians like Maximo Jimenez of Columbia.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Gypsy Music - Historic Improvisation
In 1859, noted Hungarian composer and musicologist Ferenc Liszt published a book in which he stated unequivocally that all Hungarian music had Gypsy roots. Though most of Hungarian traditional folk music features recognizable Gypsy violin melodies and ornamentation, the controversy he sparked continues today.
In reality, the influence of Gypsy music extends much further than Hungary, where the connection is clear and well documented.
The Gypsies, or Roma as they prefer to be called, are an ancient race that originated in Rajastan, India. Until the link between the Romani language and language of India was published in 1776 by Istvan Valyi, Europeans were unaware of these origins. In fact, the word Gypsy is derived from Egypt - where Europeans assumed the Gypsies originated.
Gypsy music is some of the oldest and most influential on the planet. Music and dance have always played a very special role in Roma society and culture. Every occasion has its musical accompaniment, every ceremony its special song or dance. The making of music is a thread that is woven throughout the Gypsy migration.
Today, there are Roma communities in most central Asian and European countries. Some Rom families have emigrated to the U.S. and Canada. In many cases, it is music and dance that unites these diverse and far-flung communities.
As the Roma migrated from India across central Asia, through the Middle East and Turkic countries up into the Balkans, Europe, and finally the British Isles, their music touched every ethnic group that they encountered. It left lasting impressions and influenced a broad spectrum of musical styles across multiple cultural traditions and continents.
At the same time, the Roma co-opted and incorporated musical instruments and melodic elements that they encountered in their westward migration into their own traditions. Thus, they carried memorable bits-and-pieces that they heard around them throughout their travels. Both of these practices combine to produce a powerful Gypsy influence on the development of contemporary musical styles.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Russian and Hungarian nobles maintained Gypsy Orchestras and choruses to provide musical entertainment for royalty and major national events. That influence forever changed the music of both nations.
The Gypsies arrived in Wales in the 1700's. They introduced the violin to Celtic music and added the Welsh harp to their own repertoire.
Full of passion and exotic melodies, Gypsy music slides easily in and out of major and minor scales. It is their pension for using the minor scale, called the "Gypsy scale" by Europeans, that characterizes Roma musicians. And Romany music always contains fluid, imaginative improvisations - whether on violin, guitar, or tuba in a Balkan Gypsy brass band.
We can hear the influences of this compelling and engaging music in bands and tunes from Turkey; Armenia; the Balkans; Russia; Eastern Europe; Spain and Portugal. Gypsy music has influenced multiple folk music traditions as well as a whole generation of classical composers including Liszt, Moeller, Rodrigo and Albinez.
One of the strongest influences Gypsy music has had is in Spain, where most Flamenco artists are Roma. Flamenco, perhaps the most passionate music in the world, owes its unique sound and exotic dance to strong Gypsy roots. Bands like the Gypsy Kings - masters of Spanish Flamenco (though they are from southern France) - are well known in "world music" circles.
The Portuguese "Fado," a traditional style of song with many forms, owes part of its haunting melodies and stunning guitar work to Gypsy influences. Street Fado performers, often the engine of musical creativity in Portugal, are frequently Roma.
The Manouche clan of French Gypsies has had a heavy influence on Jazz. Django Reinhardt, the best-known Manouche, was one of the most influential jazz guitarists and musical innovators of the thirties and forties. Playing with violinist Stephan Grapelli in the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, he helped shape the entire universe of jazz guitar . Django's unique jazz leads, fluid improvisations and exotic ornamentation are still influencing popular new bands like 8 1/2 Souvenirs.
It can be argued that, in addition to bringing the guitar and violin into a number of Gadje (non-Gypsy) musical vocabularies, the Roma were the first musicians to practice improvisation. In fact, there are references in the literature to Gypsy musical improvisations as early as 1500. It is likely, however, that the Roma have been improvising as long as they have been making music.
That makes sense, as the Gypsies have always disdained written composition, musical tablature and all of the accoutrements of formal musicology. There is no evidence that any attempt has ever been made by the Roma to formalize or standardize their music. That's not their style.
Every time a Gypsy song, or any other for that matter, is performed by Roma musicians it is entirely unique. This is consistent with the lack of a written Gypsy literary record. And with a linguistic tradition that emphasizes social interaction over the exchange of facts. Life, love, music and performance are very much "of the moment" for the Roma.
The Gypsies carry their disdain for external structure and standardization in their daily lives into their music and literary traditions. At the same time, the Roma prize individuality, cleverness, assertiveness and personal creativity. That leads to uniquely personal musical interpretations and promotes technical experimentation.
So in that sense, it is my personal conviction that we owe at least part of the credit for modern jazz and improvisational lead rock guitar to the Roma culture and early Gypsy musical innovation.
In reality, the influence of Gypsy music extends much further than Hungary, where the connection is clear and well documented.
The Gypsies, or Roma as they prefer to be called, are an ancient race that originated in Rajastan, India. Until the link between the Romani language and language of India was published in 1776 by Istvan Valyi, Europeans were unaware of these origins. In fact, the word Gypsy is derived from Egypt - where Europeans assumed the Gypsies originated.
Gypsy music is some of the oldest and most influential on the planet. Music and dance have always played a very special role in Roma society and culture. Every occasion has its musical accompaniment, every ceremony its special song or dance. The making of music is a thread that is woven throughout the Gypsy migration.
Today, there are Roma communities in most central Asian and European countries. Some Rom families have emigrated to the U.S. and Canada. In many cases, it is music and dance that unites these diverse and far-flung communities.
As the Roma migrated from India across central Asia, through the Middle East and Turkic countries up into the Balkans, Europe, and finally the British Isles, their music touched every ethnic group that they encountered. It left lasting impressions and influenced a broad spectrum of musical styles across multiple cultural traditions and continents.
At the same time, the Roma co-opted and incorporated musical instruments and melodic elements that they encountered in their westward migration into their own traditions. Thus, they carried memorable bits-and-pieces that they heard around them throughout their travels. Both of these practices combine to produce a powerful Gypsy influence on the development of contemporary musical styles.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Russian and Hungarian nobles maintained Gypsy Orchestras and choruses to provide musical entertainment for royalty and major national events. That influence forever changed the music of both nations.
The Gypsies arrived in Wales in the 1700's. They introduced the violin to Celtic music and added the Welsh harp to their own repertoire.
Full of passion and exotic melodies, Gypsy music slides easily in and out of major and minor scales. It is their pension for using the minor scale, called the "Gypsy scale" by Europeans, that characterizes Roma musicians. And Romany music always contains fluid, imaginative improvisations - whether on violin, guitar, or tuba in a Balkan Gypsy brass band.
We can hear the influences of this compelling and engaging music in bands and tunes from Turkey; Armenia; the Balkans; Russia; Eastern Europe; Spain and Portugal. Gypsy music has influenced multiple folk music traditions as well as a whole generation of classical composers including Liszt, Moeller, Rodrigo and Albinez.
One of the strongest influences Gypsy music has had is in Spain, where most Flamenco artists are Roma. Flamenco, perhaps the most passionate music in the world, owes its unique sound and exotic dance to strong Gypsy roots. Bands like the Gypsy Kings - masters of Spanish Flamenco (though they are from southern France) - are well known in "world music" circles.
The Portuguese "Fado," a traditional style of song with many forms, owes part of its haunting melodies and stunning guitar work to Gypsy influences. Street Fado performers, often the engine of musical creativity in Portugal, are frequently Roma.
The Manouche clan of French Gypsies has had a heavy influence on Jazz. Django Reinhardt, the best-known Manouche, was one of the most influential jazz guitarists and musical innovators of the thirties and forties. Playing with violinist Stephan Grapelli in the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, he helped shape the entire universe of jazz guitar . Django's unique jazz leads, fluid improvisations and exotic ornamentation are still influencing popular new bands like 8 1/2 Souvenirs.
It can be argued that, in addition to bringing the guitar and violin into a number of Gadje (non-Gypsy) musical vocabularies, the Roma were the first musicians to practice improvisation. In fact, there are references in the literature to Gypsy musical improvisations as early as 1500. It is likely, however, that the Roma have been improvising as long as they have been making music.
That makes sense, as the Gypsies have always disdained written composition, musical tablature and all of the accoutrements of formal musicology. There is no evidence that any attempt has ever been made by the Roma to formalize or standardize their music. That's not their style.
Every time a Gypsy song, or any other for that matter, is performed by Roma musicians it is entirely unique. This is consistent with the lack of a written Gypsy literary record. And with a linguistic tradition that emphasizes social interaction over the exchange of facts. Life, love, music and performance are very much "of the moment" for the Roma.
The Gypsies carry their disdain for external structure and standardization in their daily lives into their music and literary traditions. At the same time, the Roma prize individuality, cleverness, assertiveness and personal creativity. That leads to uniquely personal musical interpretations and promotes technical experimentation.
So in that sense, it is my personal conviction that we owe at least part of the credit for modern jazz and improvisational lead rock guitar to the Roma culture and early Gypsy musical innovation.
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