Nicolas Meier • From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile

 

Long ago, when the world was younger and far more innocent, a British TV commercial challenged its viewers. Take a particular brand of fruit pastille (Rowntree's, to be specific), place it in the mouth, resist the temptation to chew. So deliciously fruity was the pastille that such resistance would be futile. A similar challenge might be initiated for From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile, from the Swiss-born, UK-based guitarist Nicolas Meier. Take the album, press Play, listen, resist the temptation to smile.

Meier is a man of eclectic taste—a heavy metal guitarist with 7even, a master of acoustic steel and nylon strung guitars and a lover of Turkish music, he's even a member of a jazz-classical-pop fusion band called Eclectica!. His love of Turkish music has led Meier to produce a series of albums—including Yuz (Naim Records, 2007) and Journey (MGP Records, 2010)—on which he's fused this music with jazz and other styles. From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile is filled with inspiration from Turkey, but also from Spain, Argentina, the Middle East and the United States, forged skilfully into Meier's original compositions.

The center of this music is Meier's beautiful playing: precise intonation, fluid single note lines and strong rhythmic grooves burst out of his instruments. The fast-paced "To Ceuta" features Meier at his most breathtakingly swift; on the elegiac "Memories (in the memory of Peter)" he's at his most melancholy and considered, a mood matched by Gilad Atzmon's clarinet and Patrick Bettison's harmonica; on "The Wind" his playing is at its most forceful, underpinned by powerhouse drums and percussion from Asaf Sirkis and Demi Garcia.

Meier may be at the album's heart, but he not alone. In fact, he's put together a larger-than-usual ensemble for this album, mostly musicians who have worked with him on previous projects. While Atzmon and Bettison make the biggest contributions—Bettison's bass playing is also exemplary—no player underperforms. Violinist Lizzie Ball and cellist Bernard Gregor-Smith (both members of Eclectica!) add striking harmonies to "The Gate." James Pearson—musical director at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Club in London's Soho—adds a classically-flavored piano solo to "The Lightness" and an eloquent, jazzy one to "To Ceuta."

Meier's desire to mix musics from across Europe and the Middle East shows no sign of abating. As From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile demonstrates, it shows no sign of becoming stale or repetitive either. Meier uses his extended group to expand his musical range with great success—and with a smile.

By BRUCE LINDSAY

March 11, 2013

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-istanbul-to-ceuta-with-a-smile-nicolas-meier-mgp-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php

///////

Hace mucho tiempo, cuando el mundo era más joven y mucho más inocente, un anuncio de la televisión británica desafió a sus espectadores. Tome una marca particular de pastilla de fruta (Rowntree's, para ser específicos), colóquela en la boca, resista la tentación de masticar. La pastilla era tan deliciosamente afrutada que tal resistencia sería inútil. Un desafío similar podría iniciarse para From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile, del guitarrista Nicolas Meier, nacido en Suiza y residente en el Reino Unido. Coge el álbum, pulsa Play, escucha, resiste la tentación de sonreír.

Meier es un hombre de gusto ecléctico -un guitarrista de heavy metal con 7even, un maestro de las guitarras acústicas de acero y cuerdas de nylon y un amante de la música turca, incluso es miembro de una banda de fusión de jazz-clásico-pop llamada Ecléctica!. Su amor por la música turca ha llevado a Meier a producir una serie de álbumes, incluyendo Yuz (Naim Records, 2007) y Journey (MGP Records, 2010), en los que ha fusionado esta música con el jazz y otros estilos. From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile está lleno de inspiración de Turquía, pero también de España, Argentina, el Medio Oriente y los Estados Unidos, forjada hábilmente en las composiciones originales de Meier.

El centro de esta música es la hermosa interpretación de Meier: una entonación precisa, líneas fluidas de una sola nota y fuertes surcos rítmicos que salen de sus instrumentos. En el trepidante "To Ceuta", Meier se encuentra en su momento más ágil; en el elegíaco "Memories (in the memory of Peter)" está en su momento más melancólico y considerado, un estado de ánimo que se corresponde con el clarinete de Gilad Atzmon y la armónica de Patrick Bettison; en "The Wind" su interpretación es más contundente, apoyada por los poderosos tambores y percusiones de Asaf Sirkis y Demi García.

Meier puede estar en el corazón del álbum, pero no está solo. De hecho, ha reunido un conjunto más grande de lo habitual para este álbum, en su mayoría músicos que han trabajado con él en proyectos anteriores. Aunque Atzmon y Bettison son los que más contribuyen -el bajo de Bettison es también ejemplar- ningún músico se queda atrás. La violinista Lizzie Ball y el violonchelista Bernard Gregor-Smith (ambos miembros de Ecléctica!) añaden sorprendentes armonías a "The Gate". James Pearson, director musical del legendario Club Ronnie Scott en el Soho londinense, añade un solo de piano de sabor clásico a "The Lightness" y uno elocuente y jazzístico a "To Ceuta".

El deseo de Meier de mezclar músicas de toda Europa y el Medio Oriente no muestra signos de disminuir. Como demuestra "From Istanbul To Ceuta With A Smile", tampoco muestra signos de volverse rancio o repetitivo. Meier utiliza su grupo extendido para ampliar su gama musical con gran éxito y con una sonrisa.

Por BRUCE LINDSAY

11 de marzo de 2013

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-istanbul-to-ceuta-with-a-smile-nicolas-meier-mgp-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php

 

 

www.meiergroup.com ...

 

Colaborador / Contribuitor:  Michel

 

 

Trilok Gurtu-Arkè String Quartet ‎• Arkeology

 

Trilok Gurtu, the great Indian world-music percussionist, plays the Jazz Cafe in London on Monday with this lineup, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in what can be a sonically competitive environment with a lot of quiet themes and four quiet partners. Gurtu is the only improvising soloist here (on staccato, percussion-mimicking vocals as well as a multiplicity of instruments), and contributes three out of 10 compositions - the others are by the chamber group members.

The Arke Quartet have shrewdly and musically lent an ear to a lot of world-music materials - from a softly singing microtonal quality reminiscent of Chinese violin music, to the rhythmic devices of Indian classical music and a Shakti-like Indo-jazz fusion, to a Celtic skip, an ambient tone-poetry sigh and much more. So, although perhaps the samplings from these different cultures don't entirely escape the local equivalents of hot licks, the programme is very varied, sensitively played and affectingly melodic - and Gurtu's famously tumultuous jamming against it is as inventive as ever.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/feb/16/jazz.shopping1

 AllMusic Review by Chris Nickson

There's definitely something interesting going on here. Mix percussionist Trilok Gurtu with Italy's Arke String Quartet, whose instrumental arsenal extends a little beyond convention, and you have a marvellous blend of East and West, apparent from the outset with "Balahto," which just cracks out of the box. It really is a cultural blend, too, with everyone responsible for the compositions, such as Gurtu's "Folded Hands," which is extensive and exploratory, gorgeously melodic, and rhythmically inventive. Creatively, the musicians are real equals, all striving for something new and making connections. The fact that they're all virtuosos doesn't hurt, either, readily able to translate their ideas from the head to the fingers, and with a deep knowledge of global music and an obvious desire to learn more. It takes some unexpected turns, like the tabla that mixes with the music of Southern Italy on "Taranta Suite," but works perfectly. In its own quiet way, this is one of the great successes of the year.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/arkeology-mw0001086921

///////

Trilok Gurtu, el gran percusionista de la música mundial de la India, toca el lunes en el Jazz Café de Londres con esta formación, y será interesante ver cómo le va en lo que puede ser un ambiente sónico competitivo con muchos temas tranquilos y cuatro compañeros tranquilos. Gurtu es el único solista que improvisa aquí (en staccato, voces que imitan la percusión, así como una multiplicidad de instrumentos), y contribuye con tres de cada 10 composiciones - las otras son de los miembros del grupo de cámara.

El Cuarteto Arke ha escuchado con astucia y musicalidad muchos de los materiales de la música del mundo - desde una calidad microtonal que canta suavemente y que recuerda a la música del violín chino, hasta los dispositivos rítmicos de la música clásica india y una fusión de indo-jazz similar a la Shakti, pasando por un saltito celta, un suspiro de poesía y tono ambiental y mucho más. Así que, aunque quizás las muestras de estas diferentes culturas no escapan del todo a los equivalentes locales de las lamidas calientes, el programa es muy variado, tocado con sensibilidad y afectuosamente melódico - y la famosa y tumultuosa interferencia de Gurtu contra él es tan inventiva como siempre.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/feb/16/jazz.shopping1

 Reseña de AllMusic por Chris Nickson

Definitivamente está pasando algo interesante aquí. El percusionista Trilok Gurtu con el cuarteto italiano Arke String Quartet, cuyo arsenal instrumental se extiende un poco más allá de lo convencional, y tienes una mezcla maravillosa de Oriente y Occidente, evidente desde el principio con "Balahto", que simplemente se rompe al sacarlo de la caja. Realmente es una mezcla cultural, también, con todos los responsables de las composiciones, como "Folded Hands" de Gurtu, que es extensa y exploratoria, bellamente melódica y rítmicamente inventiva. Creativamente, los músicos son realmente iguales, todos luchando por algo nuevo y haciendo conexiones. El hecho de que todos ellos sean virtuosos tampoco hace daño, ya que son capaces de traducir sus ideas de la cabeza a los dedos, y con un profundo conocimiento de la música global y un obvio deseo de aprender más. Toma algunos giros inesperados, como la tabla que se mezcla con la música del sur de Italia en "Taranta Suite", pero funciona perfectamente. A su manera, este es uno de los grandes éxitos del año.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/arkeology-mw0001086921

Sounding Authentic: The Rural Miniature and Musical Modernism

 

 

Sounding Authentic considers the intersecting influences of nationalism, modernism, and technological innovation on representations of ethnic and national identities in twentieth-century art music. Author Joshua S. Walden discusses these forces through the prism of what he terms the "rural miniature": short violin and piano pieces based on folk song and dance styles. This genre, mostly inspired by the folk music of Hungary, the Jewish diaspora, and Spain, was featured frequently on recordings and performance programs in the early twentieth century.

Furthermore, Sounding Authentic shows how the music of urban Romany ensembles developed into nineteenth-century repertoire of virtuosic works in the style hongrois before ultimately influencing composers of rural miniatures. Walden persuasively demonstrates how rural miniatures represented folk and rural cultures in a manner that was perceived as authentic, even while they involved significant modification of the original sources. He also links them to the impulse toward realism in developing technologies of photography, film, and sound recording.

Sounding Authentic examines the complex ways the rural miniature was used by makers of nationalist agendas, who sought folkloric authenticity as a basis for the construction of ethnic and national identities. The book also considers the genre's reception in European diaspora communities in America where it evoked and transformed memories of life before immigration, and traces how many rural miniatures were assimilated to the styles of American popular song and swing. Scholars interested in musicology, ethnography, the history of violin performance, twentieth-century European art music, the culture of the Jewish Diaspora and more will find Sounding Authentic an essential addition to their library.
Winner of the Award for Best Historical Research in Recorded Classical Music: Discography, from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections 

 

Hearts of darkness James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, and the unlikely rise of the singer-songwriter

 

Hearts of Darkness is the story of a generation's coming of age through the experiences of its three most atypical pop stars. James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Cat Stevens could never have been considered your typical late-sixties songwriters – self-absorbed and self-composed, all three eschewed the traditional means of delivering their songs, instead turning its process inward. The result was a body of work that stands among the most profoundly personal art ever to translate into an international language, and a sequence of songs – from “Sweet Baby James” and “Carolina in My Mind ” to “Jamaica Say You Will” and “These Days ” to “Peace Train” and “Wild World” – that remain archetypes not only of what the critics called the singer-songwriter movement, but of the human condition itself.

Author Dave Thompson, himself a legend among rock biographers, takes on his subjects with his usual brio and candor, leaving no stone unturned in his quest to shine a light on the dark side of this profoundly earnest era in popular music. Penetrating, pointed, and laced with vivid insight and detail, Hearts of Darkness is the story of rock when it no longer felt the need to roll.

 

David Thompson (Autor)

 

Hymns to the Silence Inside the Words and Music of Van Morrison

 

Hymns to the Silence is a thoroughly informed and enlightened study of the art of a pop music maverick that will delight fans the world over. In 1991, Van Morrison said, Music is spiritual, the music business isn't. Peter Mills' groundbreaking book investigates the oppositions and harmonies within the work of Van Morrison, proceeding from this identified starting point. Hymns to the Silence is a detailed investigative study of Morrison as singer, performer, lyricist, musician and writer with particular attention paid throughout to the contradictions and tensions that are central to any understanding of his work as a whole. The book takes several intriguing angles. It looks at Morrison as a writer, specifically as an Irish writer who has recorded musical settings of Yeats poems, collaborated with Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and Gerald Dawe, and who regularly drops quotes from James Joyce and Samuel Beckett into his live performances. It looks at him as a singer, at how he uses his voice as an interpretive instrument. And there are chapters on his use of mythology, on his stage performances, and on his continuing fascination with America and its musical forms.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/hymns-to-the-silence-9780826429766/

 

Peter Mills (Autor)  

 

Joseph Tawadros • To Those Who Came Before Us

 

Joseph Tawadros' 20th studio recording sees him totally solo and in his element. Drawing upon the ancient music tradition of taqasim, Tawadros performs a soulful meditative hour-long improvisation in this tradition. After 20 albums, this will be the greatest feat of solo creativity, a long extended solo work using the Arabic maqam system and the other influences picked up in his 20-year recording career. "For my 20th album, I wanted to be solo. Solitary. Lost within the confines of my beloved Taqasim, the traditional Arabic musical art form of improvisation," says Tawadros. "I wanted to honour the people that have come before me, who have inspired my thoughts, my dreams, my feelings, my musical phrases and directed me on the path I'm on today." Taqasim is the traditional musical art form of improvisation. It is based on the maqam system and shows the prowess of the player through modulations and shifts in modes.
https://josephtawadros.com/to-those-who-came-before-us-2023/

///////

La 20ª grabación de estudio de Joseph Tawadros lo ve totalmente solista y en su elemento. Recurriendo a la antigua tradición musical del taqasim, Tawadros realiza una improvisación meditativa y conmovedora de una hora de duración en esta tradición. Después de 20 álbumes, este será el mayor logro de creatividad en solitario, un extenso trabajo en solitario utilizando el sistema maqam árabe y las otras influencias recogidas en su carrera discográfica de 20 años. "Para mi 20º álbum, quería estar solo. Solitario. Perdido dentro de los confines de mi amado Taqasim, la forma de arte musical árabe tradicional de improvisación", dice Tawadros. "Quería honrar a las personas que vinieron antes que yo, que han inspirado mis pensamientos, mis sueños, mis sentimientos, mis frases musicales y me dirigieron en el camino en el que estoy hoy". Taqasim es la forma de arte musical tradicional de improvisación. Se basa en el sistema maqam y muestra la destreza del intérprete a través de modulaciones y cambios en los modos.
https://josephtawadros.com/to-those-who-came-before-us-2023/

josephtawadros.com ...

Joni the anthology

 

"Nearly 50 years’ worth of critical efforts to solve Mitchell’s mysteries have now been rounded up in Barney Hoskyns’s Joni: The Anthology....what comes through most consistently is a possessive impulse, a desire to really know an artist whose fierce privacy has often seemed at odds with the impression of intimacy conveyed by her music." --The Atlantic

Nine Grammys. More than ten million albums sold. Named one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time by Rolling Stone. Joni: The Anthology is an essential collection of writings on Joni Mitchell that charts every major moment of the famed troubadour's extraordinary career, as it happened.

From album reviews, incisive commentary, and candid conversations, Joni: The Anthology includes, among other things, a review of Mitchell's first-ever show at LA's Troubadour in June of 1968, a 1978 interview by musician Ben Sidran on jazz great Charles Mingus, a personal reminiscence by Ellen Sander, a confidant of the Los Angeles singer-songwriter community, and a long "director's cut" version of editor Barney Hoskyns' 1994 MOJO interview. A time capsule of an icon, the anthology spans the entirety of Joni's career between 1967-2007, as well as thoughtful commentary on her early years.

In collecting materials long unavailable, rare, or otherwise difficult to find, Joni: The Anthology illuminates the evolution of modern rock journalism while providing an invaluable and accessible guide to appreciating the highs―and the lows―of a twentieth century legend.

“Once I crossed the border, I began to write and my voice changed. I no longer was imitative of the folk style. My voice was then my real voice and with a slight folk influence, but from the first album it was no longer folk music. It was just a girl with a guitar that made it look that way.”―Joni Mitchell, 1994

 

Trio Abozekrys • Don't Replace Me by a Machine

 

Ce nouvel album est le fruit d'une rencontre familiale et amicale. Avec mon frère tout d'abord, car non fêtons nos retrouvailles après les huit années qui ont suivi mon départ du Caire en 2009. Abdallah s'est installé en France il y 2 ans et nous en avons profité pour réaliser une collaboration qui ressemble à nos Jams du soir à la maison lorsque nous étions tous petits.- - Huit années pendant lesquelles chacun d'entre nous a parcouru son chemin et a fait évolué sa musique au fil des rencontres et des projets.- - Nous sommes très contents de faire cet album, non seulement pour le jeu mais également pour la composition. Composer à deux est une nouvelle expérience, une complicité à approfondir, un plaisir de chercher des idées qui constituent un dialogue musical entre le Saz et le Oud. - - Nous avons choisi d'inviter un super batteur, et ami Nicolas Thé afin de collaborer avec nous dans la musique. SAZ/OUD/BATTERIE, un trio où nous essayons de présenter une musique à la fois issue de nos bagages traditionnels, mais tout en gardant un rayon de jeunesse et de modernité que essayons d'incarner.- - Mohamed Abozekry
https://www.amazon.es/Dont-replace-machine-Trio-Abozekrys/dp/B07HGR7NSB

///////

This new album is the fruit of a family and friendly meeting. With my brother first of all, because let's not celebrate our reunion after the eight years that followed my departure from Cairo in 2009. Abdallah moved to France 2 years ago and we took the opportunity to make a collaboration that resembles our evening Jams at home when we were all little.- - Eight years during which each of us has travelled his own path and has evolved his music through encounters and projects.- - We are very happy to make this album, not only for the playing but also for the composition. Composing together is a new experience, a complicity to be deepened, a pleasure to look for ideas that constitute a musical dialogue between the Saz and the Oud. - We have chosen to invite a great drummer and friend Nicolas Thé to collaborate with us in the music. SAZ/OUD/BATTERIE, a trio where we try to present a music that comes from our traditional baggage, while keeping a ray of youth and modernity that we try to embody.- - Mohamed Abozekry
https://www.amazon.es/Dont-replace-machine-Trio-Abozekrys/dp/B07HGR7NSB

///////

Este nuevo álbum es el fruto de un encuentro familiar y amistoso. Con mi hermano primero, porque no celebremos nuestro reencuentro después de los ocho años que siguieron a mi salida de El Cairo en 2009. Abdallah se mudó a Francia hace 2 años y aprovechamos la oportunidad para hacer una colaboración que se asemeja a nuestros Jams nocturnos en casa cuando todos éramos pequeños.- - Ocho años durante los cuales cada uno de nosotros ha recorrido su propio camino y ha evolucionado su música a través de encuentros y proyectos.- Estamos muy contentos de hacer este álbum, no sólo por la interpretación sino también por la composición. Componer juntos es una nueva experiencia, una complicidad que hay que profundizar, un placer para buscar ideas que constituyan un diálogo musical entre el Saz y el Oud. - Elegimos invitar a un gran baterista y amigo Nicolas Thé para que colaborara con nosotros en la música. SAZ/OUD/BATTERIE, un trío donde intentamos presentar una música que proviene de nuestro bagaje tradicional, pero con un toque de juventud y modernidad que intentamos encarnar.- - Mohamed Abozekry
https://www.amazon.es/Dont-replace-machine-Trio-Abozekrys/dp/B07HGR7NSB

 

mohamed-abozekry ... 

 

Joseph Tawadros • Chameleons of The White Shadows

 

Biography
by James Manheim
Joseph Tawadros is among the world's greatest players of the oud, a stringed instrument characteristic of the art music systems of the Arab world. He is especially notable for the range of his collaborations with classical, jazz, and pop musicians.

Tawadros was born in Cairo in 1983. His family moved to Australia when he was three, but he has maintained connections with the eastern Mediterranean region, serving on prize juries for oud competitions in Damascus, Syria, and Istanbul, Turkey. At first, Tawadros wanted to play the trumpet, but when he was eight, he saw a film about Egyptian popular singer Sayed Darwish and decided to take up a more characteristically Egyptian instrument. Tawadros studied at the University of New South Wales, earning a bachelor's degree in music. He also took lessons on various instruments on trips to Egypt, including the violin (in an Arabic style) with Esawi Dagher, the nay bamboo flute, the qanun zither, and the cello, as well as the oud. He is also a composer who has written music for four films, including the 2017 hit Ali's Wedding. Tawadros has toured on four continents, generally collaborating with musicians from other spheres. His collaborators include classical ensembles (the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music in London, where he became the only Australian composer of any type to have his music performed, and the Sydney Symphony); jazz (Jack DeJohnette, Roy Ayers, and Joey DeFrancesco); and the pop sphere (the eclectic banjoist Bela Fleck). He has often performed and recorded with his brother, percussionist James Tawadros.

Tawadros has been widely acclaimed for his recordings, which began in 2004 with his solo oud album Storyteller. At Australia's ARIA Music Awards, he won the Best World Music Album award in 2012 for Concerto of the Greater Sea, in 2013 for Chameleons of the White Shadow, and in 2014 for Permission to Evaporate. On his 2016 album World Music, Tawadros played no fewer than 52 different instruments, with his brother adding 11 more. In 2019, he released the album Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower, featuring electric guitar, violin, trombone, and piano, and the following year he was heard on the Twilight People album of countertenor Andreas Scholl, performing on his own song composition Beauty is Life. Tawadros lives in London but has continued to perform frequently in Australia.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joseph-tawadros-mn0002015689/biography

///////

Biografía
por James Manheim
Joseph Tawadros es uno de los mejores intérpretes del mundo de oud, un instrumento de cuerda característico de los sistemas de música artística del mundo árabe. Destaca especialmente por la variedad de sus colaboraciones con músicos de música clásica, jazz y pop.

Tawadros nació en El Cairo en 1983. Su familia se trasladó a Australia cuando él tenía tres años, pero ha mantenido vínculos con la región del Mediterráneo oriental, formando parte de jurados de concursos de laúd en Damasco (Siria) y Estambul (Turquía). Al principio, Tawadros quería tocar la trompeta, pero a los ocho años vio una película sobre el cantante popular egipcio Sayed Darwish y decidió dedicarse a un instrumento más característicamente egipcio. Tawadros estudió en la Universidad de Nueva Gales del Sur y se licenció en música. También recibió clases de varios instrumentos en viajes a Egipto, entre ellos el violín (de estilo árabe) con Esawi Dagher, la flauta de bambú nay, la cítara qanun y el violonchelo, así como el oud. También es compositor y ha escrito música para cuatro películas, entre ellas el éxito de 2017 La boda de Ali. Tawadros ha realizado giras por cuatro continentes, generalmente colaborando con músicos de otros ámbitos. Entre sus colaboradores figuran conjuntos clásicos (la Orquesta de Cámara Australiana, la Academia de Música Antigua de Londres, donde se convirtió en el único compositor australiano de cualquier tipo en ver interpretada su música, y la Sinfónica de Sídney); jazz (Jack DeJohnette, Roy Ayers y Joey DeFrancesco); y la esfera pop (el ecléctico banjoísta Bela Fleck). Ha actuado y grabado a menudo con su hermano, el percusionista James Tawadros.

Tawadros ha sido ampliamente aclamado por sus grabaciones, que comenzaron en 2004 con su álbum en solitario con laúd Storyteller. En los ARIA Music Awards de Australia, ganó el premio al Mejor Álbum de Música del Mundo en 2012 por Concerto of the Greater Sea, en 2013 por Chameleons of the White Shadow y en 2014 por Permission to Evaporate. En su álbum World Music de 2016, Tawadros tocó nada menos que 52 instrumentos diferentes, y su hermano añadió 11 más. En 2019, publicó el álbum Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower, con guitarra eléctrica, violín, trombón y piano, y al año siguiente se le escuchó en el álbum Twilight People del contratenor Andreas Scholl, actuando en su propia composición de canciones Beauty is Life. Tawadros vive en Londres, pero sigue actuando con frecuencia en Australia.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joseph-tawadros-mn0002015689/biography


josephtawadros.com ...

 

"I Hear America Singing": Folk Music and National Identity

 

Folk music is more than an idealized reminder of a simper past. It reveals a great deal about present-day understandings of community and belonging. It celebrates the shared traditions that define a group or nation. In America, folk music--from African American spirituals to English ballads and protest songs--renders the imagined community more tangible and comprises a critical component of our diverse national heritage.
 
In "I Hear America Singing," Rachel Donaldson traces the vibrant history of the twentieth-century folk music revival from its origins in the 1930s through its end in the late 1960s. She investigates the relationship between the revival and concepts of nationalism, showing how key figures in the revival--including Pete Seeger , Alan Lomax, Moses Asch, and Ralph Rinzler--used songs to influence the ways in which Americans understood the values, the culture, and the people of their own nation.
 
As Donaldson chronicles how cultural norms were shaped over the course of the mid-twentieth century, she underscores how various groups within the revival and their views shifted over time. "I Hear America Singing" provides a stirring account of how and why the revivalists sustained their culturally pluralist and politically democratic Americanism over this tumultuous period in American history. 

Rachel Clare Donaldson (Autor)

Bound for Glory: The Hard-Driving, Truth-Telling, Autobiography of America's Great Poet-Folk Singer

 

Woody Guthrie was born in Oklahoma and traveled this whole country over—not by jet or motorcycle, but by boxcar, thumb, and foot. During the journey of discovery that was his life, he composed and sang words and music that have become a national heritage. His songs, however, are but part of his legacy. Behind him Woody Guthrie left a remarkable autobiography that vividly brings to life both his vibrant personality and a vision of America we cannot afford to let die.
 
“Even readers who never heard Woody or his songs will understand the current esteem in which he’s held after reading just a few pages… Always shockingly immediate and real, as if Woody were telling it out loud… A book to make novelists and sociologists jealous.”

 

Focus Irish Traditional Music (Focus on World Music Series)

 

Focus: Irish Traditional Music is an introduction to the instrumental and vocal traditions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as Irish music in the context of the Irish diaspora. Ireland's size relative to Britain or to the mainland of Europe is small, yet its impact on musical traditions beyond its shores has been significant, from the performance of jigs and reels in pub sessions as far-flung as Japan and Cape Town, to the worldwide phenomenon of Riverdance. Focus: Irish Traditional Music interweaves dance, film, language, history, and other interdisciplinary features of Ireland and its diaspora. 

 

Roby Lakatos And His Ensemble • Lakatos

 

 Gypsy violinist Roby Lakatos is not only a scorching virtuoso, but a musician of extraordinary stylistic versatility. Equally comfortable performing classical music as he is playing jazz and in his own Hungarian folk idiom, Lakatos is the rare musician who defies definition. He is referred to as a gypsy violinist or “devil’s fiddler”, a classical virtuoso, a jazz improviser, a composer and arranger, and a 19th-century throwback, and he is actually all of these things at once. He is the kind of universal musician so rarely encountered in our time—a player whose strength as an interpreter derives from his activities as an improviser and composer. He has performed at the great halls and festivals of Europe, Asia and America.

Born in 1965 into the legendary family of gypsy violinists descended from Janos Bihari, “King of Gypsy Violinists”, Roby Lakatos was introduced to music as a child and at age nine he made his public debut as first violin in a gypsy band. His musicianship evolved not only within his own family but also at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, where he won the first prize for classical violin in 1984. Between 1986 and 1996, he and his ensemble delighted audiences at “Les Atéliers de la grande Ille” in Brussels, their musical home throughout this period. He has collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, and his playing was greatly admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who always made a point of visiting the club in Brussels to hear Lakatos. In March 2004, Lakatos appeared to great acclaim with the London Symphony Orchestra in the orchestra’s “Genius of the Violin” festival alongside Maxim Vengerov.

When Roby Lakatos mixes the so-called “classical music” with the magic of the Hungarian-gypsy vitality, it does not turn into a disrespectful attitude toward the higher cultural heritage, but it more reflects the deep tradition rooted in the cultural heritage of the Gypsy people and offers new, refreshing pleasures to the listener and music lover. And just as Liszt, Brahms and others used the Hungarian overtones in their compositions, so now the public profits from the confrontation of these classics with the gypsy roots. This enlivens all those men and women in whose veins still pulses at least a little bit of the blood of the wandering spirit.

Roby is not just an extraordinary virtuoso but a magician with a unique technique and his own style upsets more than one. It’s a rare musician who can play Classical music, Jazz and naturally his own Hungarian folk idiom with as much energy and technical qualities, he redefines every genre with his violin. He has performed at the great halls and festivals in Europe, Asia and America and played with de biggest jazz men like Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Stéphane Grappelli…
http://www.roby-lakatos.com/roby-lakatos/

/////////////////

El violinista gitano Roby Lakatos no sólo es un virtuoso ardiente, sino un músico de extraordinaria versatilidad estilística. Igual de cómodo interpretando música clásica que tocando jazz y en su propio idioma folklórico húngaro, Lakatos es el raro músico que desafía la definición. Se le conoce como un violinista gitano o "violinista del diablo", un virtuoso de la música clásica, un improvisador de jazz, un compositor y arreglista, y un artista del siglo XIX, y en realidad es todas estas cosas a la vez. Es el tipo de músico universal tan poco frecuente en nuestra época, un músico cuya fuerza como intérprete se deriva de sus actividades como improvisador y compositor. Ha actuado en los grandes salones y festivales de Europa, Asia y América.

Nacido en 1965 en el seno de la legendaria familia de violinistas gitanos descendientes de Janos Bihari, "Rey de los violinistas gitanos", Roby Lakatos fue introducido a la música de niño y a los nueve años debutó públicamente como primer violín en una banda gitana. Su musicalidad evolucionó no sólo en el seno de su propia familia, sino también en el Conservatorio Béla Bartók de Budapest, donde obtuvo el primer premio de violín clásico en 1984. Entre 1986 y 1996, él y su conjunto deleitaron al público en "Les Atéliers de la grande Ille" en Bruselas, su hogar musical durante todo este período. Ha colaborado con Vadim Repin y Stéphane Grappelli, y su interpretación fue muy admirada por el señor Yehudi Menuhin, que siempre se ha esforzado por visitar el club de Bruselas para escuchar a Lakatos. En marzo de 2004, Lakatos apareció con la London Symphony Orchestra en el festival "Genius of the Violin" de la orquesta junto a Maxim Vengerov.

Cuando Roby Lakatos mezcla la llamada "música clásica" con la magia de la vitalidad húngaro-gitana, no se convierte en una actitud irrespetuosa hacia la herencia cultural superior, sino que refleja más bien la profunda tradición arraigada en la herencia cultural del pueblo gitano y ofrece nuevos y refrescantes placeres al oyente y al amante de la música. Y así como Liszt, Brahms y otros utilizaron los matices húngaros en sus composiciones, ahora el público se beneficia de la confrontación de estos clásicos con las raíces gitanas. Esto anima a todos aquellos hombres y mujeres en cuyas venas todavía late al menos un poco de la sangre del espíritu errante.

Roby no es sólo un virtuoso extraordinario, sino un mago con una técnica única y un estilo propio que trastorna a más de uno. Es un músico raro que sabe tocar música clásica, jazz y naturalmente su propio idioma folklórico húngaro con tanta energía y cualidades técnicas, redefine cada género con su violín. Ha actuado en los grandes salones y festivales de Europa, Asia y América y ha tocado con los más grandes del jazz como Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Stéphane Grappelli....
http://www.roby-lakatos.com/roby-lakatos/


roby-lakatos.com ...

The Cajuns and Creoles The History and Legacy of the Unique Ethnic Groups in the American South and Caribbean

 

Deep within the bayous and swamps of Louisiana resides a population descended from an exodus. These people, called Cajuns or Acadians, were expelled from their homelands. Persecuted and homeless, they traveled hundreds of miles south in search of a new home and ultimately settled in the Pelican State, where they made new lives for themselves free from their British conquerors. Though not always warmly welcomed, they were accepted, allowing them to practice their different culture amidst their new neighbors.
Though their home has changed flags over the centuries, the people themselves have remained, retaining a culture that goes back several centuries. While people continue to assimilate, some have continued to live same lifestyles their ancestors did for generations, and they continue to fascinate outsiders, so much so that they occasionally end up being featured on the History Channel.
Vibrant, up-tempo vocals and exquisitely soulful harmonies paired with an accordion-heavy and drum-tastic blend of folksy and bluesy instrumentals that one cannot help but tap one's foot to. Rich and creamy, ultra-seasoned bisques. Flavorful, aromatic gumbos packed with tomatoes, smoked sausages, chicken, and shellfish. A heavenly concoction of stewed rice and an assortment of meats and seafood, enlivened with tomatoes, celery, onions, and peppers, otherwise known as “red jambalaya.” Striking paintings featuring bright pops of color and featureless silhouettes of men, women, and children with varying shades of brown skin. These are often the first sounds, scents, tastes, and visuals evoked when the word “Creole” is brought up in a conversation.
Contrary to popular belief, the term “Creole” is not restricted to the Louisiana Creole, nor the Creoles of color, which collectively refers to the overall ethnic group and different local Creole cultures that blossomed across the Spanish and French colonies in Louisiana, Mississippi, and northwestern Florida. Today, the term is much more complex and may be applied to any of the various Creole cultures around the globe. The word may also be used to describe any language that has spawned from a mixture of languages, or specifically the associated, but distinct tongues developed within Creole communities, as well as the speakers of these languages themselves.
Generally speaking, however, the word “Creole” refers to the cultures birthed from the colonial-era racial and cultural mixing between Europeans (mostly of French, Spanish, or Portuguese descent) and Africans, as well as Native Americans, and other local or indigenous peoples in French, Spanish, and Portuguese territories. The merging of the above-mentioned heritages is a process now known as “creolization.” Indeed, the image of a caramel-skinned individual with a combination of Afrocentric, Native American, and Caucasian physical features falls within the extensive realm of “Creole culture,” but it is important to remember that the Creole peoples come in all complexions, shapes, and sizes, ranging from darker skin coupled with predominantly “African” traits and virtually no visible signs of European ancestry, to sets of blue or green eyes set amongst other ambiguously “Caucasian” characteristics. Beige-skinned individuals sculpted with an assortment of Spanish and Southeast Asian features, as seen in many of the Filipino Creole, also belong to the same category.
The Cajuns and Creoles: The History and Legacy of the Unique Ethnic Groups in the American South and Caribbean profiles the people, from their origins to their history across the world. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Cajuns and Creoles like never before. 

 

The Doel Brothers • Bottle on the Table

 

Rockabilly and Hillbilly band.

www.thedoelbrothers.co.uk

 www.eltororecords.com

 

Lynn August & The Hot August Knights • Zydeco Groove

Biography by Jason Ankeny
One of zydeco's most versatile performers, Lynn August spiked his native southwestern Louisiana sound with elements of pop, gospel and R&B. Born in Lafayette on August 7, 1948, the blind August was encouraged by his mother to pursue a career in music, and he was raised on a steady diet of zydeco, New Orleans rhythm and blues and swamp-pop. After learning to play drums on an old wash basin, at the age of 12 he was recruited to play percussion with the legendary Esquerita, who convinced him to also take up the piano; a few years later, August made the switch to the Hammond B-3 organ as well. During the mid-1960s, he played with a young Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, later mounting a solo career as well as sitting in with a variety of local swamp-pop combos; he also led a big band, and even directed a church choir. In 1988, August turned to the accordion and began his zydeco career in earnest; forming the Hot August Knights with tenor saxophonist John Hart, he also studied field recordings made in 1934 by archivist Alan Lomax to absorb the original Creole style of "jure" singing into his own contemporary aesthetic. After signing to the Maison de Soul label, August debuted with It's Party Time, followed in 1989 by Zydeco Groove; a move to Black Top heralded the release of 1992's Creole Cruiser, with the acclaimed Sauce Piquante appearing a year later.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lynn-august-mn0000201557/biography

///////

Biografía de Jason Ankeny
Uno de los artistas más versátiles del zydeco, Lynn August añadió a su sonido nativo del suroeste de Luisiana elementos de pop, gospel y R&B. Nacido en Lafayette el 7 de agosto de 1948, el ciego August fue animado por su madre a seguir una carrera en la música, y fue criado con una dieta constante de zydeco, rhythm and blues de Nueva Orleans y swamp-pop. Después de aprender a tocar la batería en un viejo lavabo, a la edad de 12 años fue reclutado para tocar la percusión con la legendaria Esquerita, quien le convenció para que también se dedicara al piano; unos años más tarde, August hizo el cambio al órgano Hammond B-3 también. A mediados de la década de 1960, tocó con un joven Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, más tarde montando una carrera de solista, así como participando en una variedad de combos locales de swamp-pop; también dirigió una gran banda, e incluso dirigió un coro de la iglesia. En 1988, August se dedicó al acordeón y comenzó su carrera de zydeco en serio; formando los Hot August Knights con el saxofonista tenor John Hart, también estudió las grabaciones de campo realizadas en 1934 por el archivero Alan Lomax para absorber el estilo criollo original de canto "jure" en su propia estética contemporánea. Después de firmar con el sello Maison de Soul, August debutó con It's Party Time, seguido en 1989 por Zydeco Groove; un paso a Black Top anunció el lanzamiento del Cruiser Criollo de 1992, con el aclamado Sauce Piquante apareciendo un año después.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lynn-august-mn0000201557/biography

 

 

facebook.com ...

Leon Sash • Hi-Fi Holiday For Accordion

Leon Robert Sash (October 19, 1922 – November 25, 1979), born was an American jazz accordionist.

Sash was blind from age 11. He studied harmony with Lew Klatt, arranging with Mac Gerrard. and made his professional debut at age 16. He made a novel series of recordings for EmArcy in 1954 using voices in place of brass and reed sections.

Sash was the first jazz accordionist requested to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival, in 1957. This performance was released by Verve in 1957. His career spanned almost four decades of international fame and recognition. His accomplishments included composing, arranging, staff musician at WLS radio in Chicago, TV guest appearances, concerts, and club dates in some of the top jazz rooms in the country. In the International Musician, Leonard Feather named him one of the "Giants of Jazz".

During his career Leon recorded for EmArcy, Verve, Storyville, Columbia, and Delmark. His jazz quartet featured reed man Ted Robinson and Leon's wife Lee on bass and vocals. The quartet shared billings with jazz greats Zoot Sims, Mulligan, Shearing, Garner, and Brubeck at top jazz clubs such as Storyville in Boston, the Cafe Bohemia in New York, and Chicago's famous Blue Note. In the 1960s, Jerry Cigler and Jerry Brown joined Leon and Lee in a big band sound using three uniquely voiced accordions, two of which had larger reeds. The bass accordion played by Brown was comparable to a trombone section, and Cigler's tenor accordion was voiced like a reed section, Leon played the brass section and Lee sang the top trumpet part. Leon's folios, volumes 1 and 2 of Sash 'N' Jazz and Rockin' Blues, published by O. Pagani Music in New York City have been sought after by many musicians because of the written jazz improvisation and proper accents as played by Leon - truly a great help in seeing how jazz should be played. In later years, Leon and Lee, with drummer Ed Uhlig and jazz violinist Eddie Vanna, played club dates in the Chicago area.  The quartet also had the honor of being invited by President Carter to play one of the Inaugural Balls in 1977 and performed before 20,000 people at the National Visitors' Center in Washington D.C.

Leon died on November 25, 1979 from a heart condition. At his funeral Mass, Jerry Cigler performed the Jerome Kern standard "All the Things You Are" in the rubato style made famous by Leon. After Leon's passing, his wife Lee continued the Leon Sash Quartet with jazz accordionist Bob Gray, one of Leon's proteges. She also worked hard to preserve the memory of Leon by re-issuing his recordings on LP and cassette tape, through Sounds of Sash, Ltd.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Sash

///////

Leon Robert Sash (19 de octubre de 1922 - 25 de noviembre de 1979), nació como un acordeonista de jazz americano.

Sash era ciego desde los 11 años. Estudió armonía con Lew Klatt, arreglando con Mac Gerrard, e hizo su debut profesional a los 16 años. Hizo una serie de grabaciones para EmArcy en 1954 usando voces en lugar de secciones de latón y caña.

Sash fue el primer acordeonista de jazz al que se le pidió que actuara en el Festival de Jazz de Newport, en 1957.  Este espectáculo fue estrenado por Verve en 1957. Su carrera abarcó casi cuatro décadas de fama y reconocimiento internacional.  Sus logros incluyeron composición, arreglos, músico en la radio WLS en Chicago, apariciones como invitado en la televisión, conciertos y fechas de clubes en algunas de las salas de jazz más importantes del país. En el International Musician, Leonard Feather lo nombró uno de los "Giants of Jazz".

Durante su carrera Leon grabó para EmArcy, Verve, Storyville, Columbia y Delmark. Su cuarteto de jazz presentó al hombre de la caña Ted Robinson y a la esposa de Leon Lee en el bajo y la voz. El cuarteto compartió carteleras con los grandes del jazz Zoot Sims, Mulligan, Shearing, Garner y Brubeck en los principales clubes de jazz como Storyville en Boston, el Café Bohemia en Nueva York y el famoso Blue Note de Chicago. En la década de 1960, Jerry Cigler y Jerry Brown se unieron a Leon y Lee en un sonido de banda grande usando tres acordeones de voz única, dos de los cuales tenían cañas más grandes.  El acordeón bajo tocado por Brown era comparable a una sección de trombón, y el acordeón tenor de Cigler se escuchaba como una sección de caña, Leon tocaba la sección de metales y Lee cantaba la parte superior de la trompeta. Los folios de Leon, los volúmenes 1 y 2 de Sash 'N' Jazz and Rockin' Blues, publicados por O. Pagani Music en la ciudad de Nueva York, han sido buscados por muchos músicos debido a la improvisación de jazz escrita y a los acentos apropiados que ha tocado Leon - una gran ayuda para ver cómo se debe tocar el jazz. En años posteriores, Leon y Lee, con el baterista Ed Uhlig y el violinista de jazz Eddie Vanna, tocaron en clubes del área de Chicago.  El cuarteto también tuvo el honor de ser invitado por el Presidente Carter a tocar una de las Bolas Inaugurales en 1977 y se presentó ante 20.000 personas en el Centro Nacional de Visitantes en Washington D.C.

Leon murió el 25 de noviembre de 1979 de una enfermedad cardíaca. En su misa de funeral, Jerry Cigler interpretó el estándar de Jerome Kern "All the Things You Are" en el estilo de rubato hecho famoso por León. Después de la muerte de Leon, su esposa Lee continuó el Leon Sash Quartet con el acordeonista de jazz Bob Gray, uno de los protegidos de Leon. También trabajó duro para preservar la memoria de León reeditando sus grabaciones en LP y cassette, a través de Sounds of Sash, Ltd.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Sash

Miroslav Lelyukh • Song for

Biography
Born on 08.03.1981, the accordionist Miroslav Lelyukh is a professional musician from Kaliningrad (Russia). His mother is a pianist, music teacher, poet and composer; his father is an engineer of space forces; brother and sister also graduated from music school accordion. He attended the Kaliningrad Music School renamed "R.M.Glier" (1989-1996), Kaliningrad Regional Music College renamed "S.V.Rakhmaninov" (1996-2000), Saint-Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts (2000-2005). Specialty: concert performer, soloist of ensemble, soloist of orchestra, teacher, conductor. Laureate of international competitions, Miroslav Lelyukh was member of the festivals in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Brasil. He has won numerous awards including: competition "Muzy Peterburga" ("Muses of Petersburg"); first place in the Variety category at the International cpmpetition "Peter-Paul Assemblies of Harmonica" (Saint-Petersburg, 2003); winner of three first prizes at the prestigious International Competition of Accordionists "Citta di Castelfidardo" (Italy, 2004).
Miroslav Lelyukh was the first of Russian accordionists have taken the first place in category Variete Senior for 29-years-long history of the competition in Castelfidardo (2004) and the first performer in Russia playing the accordion of the world famous Italian company Borsini Accordions of Castelfidardo.
He has performed with Daugavpils Accordion orchestra, Lithuanian Youth Accordion orchestra, Kaliningrad Reginal orchestras. He had performances on the radio (Mayak-Kaliningrad and Radio-Gama of Klaipeda), and on television created a number of stories about concerts and creativity of accordionist.
He was organizer and member of the jury of the International Festival Competition "Salute, accordion!" (Kaliningrad, 2011-2012). He gives consultations and master-classes in various music schools of Kaliningrad and abroad. Over the years, has created several different projects with different staff and repertoire. Concerts were held with great success in the best concert halls of Kaliningrad and abroad (Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Turku, Vilnius, Klaipeda, Palanga, Warsawa, Lodz, Riga, Daugavpils, Castelfidardo, Eugene, Los-Angeles, Belo Horizonte and others).

 

///////

 

Biografía
Nacido el 08.03.1981, el acordeonista Miroslav Lelyukh es un músico profesional de Kaliningrado (Rusia). Su madre es pianista, profesora de música, poeta y compositora; su padre es ingeniero de las fuerzas espaciales; sus hermanos también se graduaron en la escuela de música de acordeón. Asistió a la Escuela de Música de Kaliningrado, rebautizada "R.M.Glier" (1989-1996), a la Escuela Regional de Música de Kaliningrado, rebautizada "S.V.Rakhmaninov" (1996-2000), y a la Universidad Estatal de Cultura y Arte de San Petersburgo (2000-2005). Especialidad: concertista, solista de conjunto, solista de orquesta, profesor, director. Laureado en concursos internacionales, Miroslav Lelyukh fue miembro de los festivales de Rusia, Finlandia, Suecia, Italia, Letonia, Lituania, Polonia y Brasil. Ha ganado numerosos premios, entre ellos: el concurso "Muzy Peterburga" ("Musas de San Petersburgo"); el primer lugar en la categoría "Variedades" en el Concurso Internacional "Peter-Paul Asambleas de Armónica" (San Petersburgo, 2003); ganador de tres primeros premios en el prestigioso Concurso Internacional de Acordeonistas "Citta di Castelfidardo" (Italia, 2004).
Miroslav Lelyukh fue el primero de los acordeonistas rusos que ocupó el primer lugar en la categoría Variete Senior durante los 29 años de historia del concurso en Castelfidardo (2004) y el primer intérprete en Rusia que tocó el acordeón de la mundialmente famosa compañía italiana Borsini Accordions of Castelfidardo.
Ha actuado con la orquesta de acordeón de Daugavpils, la orquesta de jóvenes acordeonistas de Lituania y las orquestas Reginales de Kaliningrado. Tuvo actuaciones en la radio (Mayak-Kaliningrad y Radio-Gama de Klaipeda), y en la televisión creó un número de historias sobre conciertos y creatividad de acordeonista.
Fue organizador y miembro del jurado del Concurso del Festival Internacional "¡Salud, acordeón!" (Kaliningrado, 2011-2012). Da consultas y clases magistrales en varias escuelas de música de Kaliningrado y en el extranjero. A lo largo de los años, ha creado varios proyectos diferentes con personal y repertorio diferentes. Se han celebrado conciertos con gran éxito en las mejores salas de conciertos de Kaliningrado y en el extranjero (Moscú, San Petersburgo, Turku, Vilnius, Klaipeda, Palanga, Varsovia, Lodz, Riga, Daugavpils, Castelfidardo, Eugene, Los Ángeles, Belo Horizonte y otros).

 

 

facebook.com ...

 

 

Roby Lakatos • König Der Zigeunergeiger

 

Gypsy violinist Roby Lakatos is not only a scorching virtuoso, but a musician of extraordinary stylistic versatility. Equally comfortable performing classical music as he is playing jazz and in his own Hungarian folk idiom, Lakatos is the rare musician who defies definition. He is referred to as a gypsy violinist or “devil’s fiddler”, a classical virtuoso, a jazz improviser, a composer and arranger, and a 19th-century throwback, and he is actually all of these things at once. He is the kind of universal musician so rarely encountered in our time—a player whose strength as an interpreter derives from his activities as an improviser and composer. He has performed at the great halls and festivals of Europe, Asia and America.

Born in 1965 into the legendary family of gypsy violinists descended from Janos Bihari, “King of Gypsy Violinists”, Roby Lakatos was introduced to music as a child and at age nine he made his public debut as first violin in a gypsy band. His musicianship evolved not only within his own family but also at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, where he won the first prize for classical violin in 1984. Between 1986 and 1996, he and his ensemble delighted audiences at “Les Atéliers de la grande Ille” in Brussels, their musical home throughout this period. He has collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, and his playing was greatly admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who always made a point of visiting the club in Brussels to hear Lakatos. In March 2004, Lakatos appeared to great acclaim with the London Symphony Orchestra in the orchestra’s “Genius of the Violin” festival alongside Maxim Vengerov.

When Roby Lakatos mixes the so-called “classical music” with the magic of the Hungarian-gypsy vitality, it does not turn into a disrespectful attitude toward the higher cultural heritage, but it more reflects the deep tradition rooted in the cultural heritage of the Gypsy people and offers new, refreshing pleasures to the listener and music lover. And just as Liszt, Brahms and others used the Hungarian overtones in their compositions, so now the public profits from the confrontation of these classics with the gypsy roots. This enlivens all those men and women in whose veins still pulses at least a little bit of the blood of the wandering spirit.

Roby is not just an extraordinary virtuoso but a magician with a unique technique and his own style upsets more than one. It’s a rare musician who can play Classical music, Jazz and naturally his own Hungarian folk idiom with as much energy and technical qualities, he redefines every genre with his violin. He has performed at the great halls and festivals in Europe, Asia and America and played with de biggest jazz men like Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Stéphane Grappelli…

http://www.roby-lakatos.com/roby-lakatos/

///////

El violinista gitano Roby Lakatos no sólo es un virtuoso ardiente, sino un músico de extraordinaria versatilidad estilística. Igual de cómodo interpretando música clásica que tocando jazz y en su propio idioma folklórico húngaro, Lakatos es el raro músico que desafía la definición. Se le conoce como un violinista gitano o "violinista del diablo", un virtuoso de la música clásica, un improvisador de jazz, un compositor y arreglista, y un artista del siglo XIX, y en realidad es todas estas cosas a la vez. Es el tipo de músico universal tan poco frecuente en nuestra época, un músico cuya fuerza como intérprete se deriva de sus actividades como improvisador y compositor. Ha actuado en los grandes salones y festivales de Europa, Asia y América.

Nacido en 1965 en el seno de la legendaria familia de violinistas gitanos descendientes de Janos Bihari, "Rey de los violinistas gitanos", Roby Lakatos fue introducido a la música de niño y a los nueve años debutó públicamente como primer violín en una banda gitana. Su musicalidad evolucionó no sólo en el seno de su propia familia, sino también en el Conservatorio Béla Bartók de Budapest, donde obtuvo el primer premio de violín clásico en 1984. Entre 1986 y 1996, él y su conjunto deleitaron al público en "Les Atéliers de la grande Ille" en Bruselas, su hogar musical durante todo este período. Ha colaborado con Vadim Repin y Stéphane Grappelli, y su interpretación fue muy admirada por el señor Yehudi Menuhin, que siempre se ha esforzado por visitar el club de Bruselas para escuchar a Lakatos. En marzo de 2004, Lakatos apareció con la London Symphony Orchestra en el festival "Genius of the Violin" de la orquesta junto a Maxim Vengerov.

Cuando Roby Lakatos mezcla la llamada "música clásica" con la magia de la vitalidad húngaro-gitana, no se convierte en una actitud irrespetuosa hacia la herencia cultural superior, sino que refleja más bien la profunda tradición arraigada en la herencia cultural del pueblo gitano y ofrece nuevos y refrescantes placeres al oyente y al amante de la música. Y así como Liszt, Brahms y otros utilizaron los matices húngaros en sus composiciones, ahora el público se beneficia de la confrontación de estos clásicos con las raíces gitanas. Esto anima a todos aquellos hombres y mujeres en cuyas venas todavía late al menos un poco de la sangre del espíritu errante.

Roby no es sólo un virtuoso extraordinario, sino un mago con una técnica única y un estilo propio que trastorna a más de uno. Es un músico raro que sabe tocar música clásica, jazz y naturalmente su propio idioma folklórico húngaro con tanta energía y cualidades técnicas, redefine cada género con su violín. Ha actuado en los grandes salones y festivales de Europa, Asia y América y ha tocado con los más grandes del jazz como Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Stéphane Grappelli....

http://www.roby-lakatos.com/roby-lakatos/

roby-lakatos.com ...

Hard Rain: Bob Dylan, Oral Cultures, and the Meaning of History

 

Bob Dylan’s iconic 1962 song “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” stands at the crossroads of musical and literary traditions. A visionary warning of impending apocalypse, it sets symbolist imagery within a structure that recalls a centuries-old form. Written at the height of the 1960s folk music revival amid the ferment of political activism, the song strongly resembles―and at the same time reimagines―a traditional European ballad sung from Scotland to Italy, known in the English-speaking world as “Lord Randal.”

Alessandro Portelli explores the power and resonance of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” considering the meanings of history and memory in folk cultures and in Dylan’s work. He examines how the ballad tradition to which “Lord Randal” belongs shaped Dylan’s song and how Dylan drew on oral culture to depict the fears and crises of his own era. Portelli recasts the song as an encounter between Dylan’s despairing vision, which questions the meaning and direction of history, and the message of resilience and hope for survival despite history’s nightmares found in oral traditions.

A wide-ranging work of oral history, Hard Rain weaves together interviews from places as varied as Italy, England, and India with Portelli’s autobiographical reflections and critical analysis, speaking to the enduring appeal of Dylan’s music. By exploring the motley traditions that shaped Dylan’s work, this book casts the distinctiveness and depth of his songwriting in a new light. 

 

Alessandro Portelli (Autor)