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Sample Track 1:
"Azija Rromansa" from Waltz Rramano
Sample Track 2:
"Music Rroman" from Waltz Rromano
Sample Track 3:
"Choro Rrom" from Waltz Rromano
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Waltz Rramano
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Layer 2
CD Review

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Sing Out! vol. 48 #2, CD Review >>

Guitarist, violinist, and singer Olah Vince is a longtime veteran of the Serbian Rom, or Gypsy, music scene.  His band may have an appalling name, but they can play some sublime music.  Just a five-piece, they create plenty of blissful noise on Waltz Rromano.  And some of it takes unexpected turns, like the coda to “Me Sem Rrom,” which veers left into something resembling a bluegrass breakdown, or “A#-Rromans,” which closes the album on a soft and tender note.  The album itself is an imaginary journey, interspersed with the sound of trains, snippets of conversation, and the ambient noise of traveling.  But forget the concept, and listen to the playing.  It’s superb throughout, whether it’s the skittering speed of the hammered dulcimer known as the cimbalom, or Vince’s own accomplished guitar work, Boban Markovic, the region’s trumpet star, guests on “Vranje-Rromans,” bringing his full-throated tone to the proceedings.  But he’s extra color and texture; the meat and potatoes are in the band itself, and there’s plenty to satisfy everyone.  How can there be so many fabulous Rom bands?  That’s one of those impossible rhetorical questions, of course, but when they’re as good as this, it doesn’t matter.  You can even ignore their name and just listen.  –CN

 06/01/04
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