|
|
 |
The foundation of the Roma wasn't built in a day
|
| Click Here to go back. |
News Day, The foundation of the Roma wasn't built in a day >>
-by Marty Lipp
Since fans of world music like to roam the planet - at least, aurally - it's not a surprise that the music of the world-wandering Gypsies would prove to be a siren call.
The Roma people, better known as Gypsies, may seem to be out of some storybook past, like knights or pirates, but being misunderstood is the least of the Roma's problems. They have been shunned and persecuted across Europe. Not all still live in caravans, but many live in some of the most threadbare communities in Europe and are still treated as second-class citizens.
Though "Gypsy" was mistakenly coined because they were thought to be from Egypt, the Roma's ancestors left northern India in the 11th century, moving across Europe in a bifurcated migration, often learning trades, including music, suitable for migrants.
The Gipsy Kings, born amid the Roma communities of southern France, have had such a stunning success that it is easy to overlook their hardscrabble origins.
The Kings popularized rumba flamenco, which added Latin rhythms to the Gypsy-dominant music of southern Spain. Bursting onto the scene with their 1988 hit "Bamboleo," the Kings evoked love in crossover audiences and derision among hipsters.
Being a fan has always felt like a guilty pleasure. Their hairy-chested ebullience is like antimatter to the day's ironic personality. But they are not self-parody - the former street buskers are serious about being upbeat.
That said, the Kings have struggled to keep their sound interesting enough to make fans want to keep buying new albums. With "Pasajero" (Nonesuch), the Kings have found the sweet spot, producing what may be the best album since their debut. Their guitar wall-of-sound and Nicholas Reyes' gruff, powerful vocals are still there. But the group has integrated elements of salsa and other Latin genres that grow their sound organically. The Colombian-style accordion on "Recuerdos a Zucarados" adds a wonderful rustic feel even as it amps up the energy level. Then the Kings take up the Cuban classic "Chan, Chan," but de-emphasize the clavé swing for rocked-up beat.
The Kings, though, represent only one part of the Roma musical landscape. The Roma music of the Balkans has now grown in popularity. Romania's Taraf dé Haïdouks first brought the Roma's showy virtuosity to the West, but a new generation of Roma are amalgamating their heritage music with sounds they hear around them. This time, however, it is an electronic transfer.
Putumayo's "Gypsy Groove" is a compilation of contemporary music that draws heavily from the Roma sounds of Eastern Europe. The musicians are both Roma and gadja (non-Roma) and the music is club-worthy hip-hop, electronica or funk.
Gipsy.cz from the Czech Republic does a slow, loping groove that slides into a rap, the Amsterdam Klezmer Band plays an accordion-fueled reggae number and DJ Shantel of Germany spins a calypso melody into fodder for brass and clarinet. The happy bottom line is that the compilation is great fun and a showcase for blending traditional sounds with modern electronics.
New York City has been a hothouse for Roma-based fusion music, with a growing network of musicians creating the latest chapter in the Roma diaspora. Many of the New York musicians are not Roma, but they - for the most part - approach the music respectfully.
For example, two Israelis living in New York created Balkan Beat Box, which is about to release "Nu Med" (JDub). While their name begins to describe their sound, they grab just about anything to realize their electro-Old World music. Surf guitar, Gypsy brass and programmed samples all get tossed together. No academic theorists, the members channel their creativity toward getting bodies moving - adding a dollop of humor, too.
Some activists worry that the new interest in Roma music will be a mixed blessing: fostering the idea of Roma as wild exotics. But it seems more likely that a higher profile will lead to a broader interest and understanding of the Roma's unique place in the world. 04/29/07 >> go there
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
