Slavic Soul Party!

"Teknochek Collision"; Barbès Records

3 stars (out of 4)

- By Gifford

As its name connotes, this is a party band -- a loud, brassy, dancing, grinning, weeping beast with one foot in the old country and one foot in the new. The New York City nine-piece takes its inspiration from Balkan and gypsy music and infuses it with a little jazz and American attitude. The mostly instrumental tracks march in with high-spirited horns and drums that do just enough juking to keep you off guard, while accordions, saxophones and trumpets flutter around in erratic but ingenious patterns. "Occapella (Have A Beer)" is a tottering delight with the winsome personality of a Charlie Chaplin short. Singer Eva Salina Primack offers a change of mood on a couple of tracks with her husky, mournful voice, but mostly it's a wild ride through the disc. You shouldn't be at all surprised if, near album's end, you find yourself headbanging to the electric fiddle and wah-wah accordion.

Recommended if you like: Fanfare Ciocarlia, Boban Markovic Orkestar