Poland - The North and the West

 We arrive in the port city of Gdansk on the Baltic Sea coast, where the Solidarity movement started with the dock workers strikes in the 1980's, which marked the beginning of the end of Communist rule in Eastern Europe.  This is where the global music band Annutara hail from.  They describe their music as of the world and the universe, inspired by Balkan, Gypsy, Ukrainian and Polish folk as well as Klezmer and traditional Arab music.  Here is the stirring title track from their 2015 album Ulisi:

Also fusing various global influences are folk band Dikanda from Szczecin in north-western Poland.  Their blend is mostly Balkan and Gypsy influenced, but also has Middle Eastern influences as well as Polish and Russian folk.  Here is a song from their 2017 album Devla Devla called Miłość (Love):

Polish-Ukranian band DAGADANA are based  in Poznan in the west of the country and they have been fusing their respective folk traditions with jazz and electronica since 2008.  Their 2018 album Meridian 68 was inspired by collaborations with Mongolian band Hassibagen and Ayis Song from China.  This a live version of a song from that album called U Poli Bereza:

Now for something a lot more contemporary from Poznan, dance music project Provinz Posen (the former German name for the province of Poznan).   They describe their efforts as Greater Poland dance music a hundred years later and take their inspiration from the likes of Brian Eno and Kraftwerk using mostly electronic sounds with soundbites of traditional instruments such as bagpipes, clarinet and violin.  Here is a track from their 2019 self-titled debut album called Strzały w mieście (Shots in the city).  

Finally in complete contrast, something very traditional.  I don't know anything about the accordionist Stanislav Stepniak or where he is from, even though I uploaded the following video onto YouTube some 10 years ago.  Anyway here is a Polish wedding mazurka with the picture featuring my friends Hyeon and Dorota, whose wedding we attended near Poznan many years ago:

This is it from Poland and I sign off for 2021.  Hope you are all having a great New Year and see you back in Germany next year.  As usual you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Poland - Warsaw and the Centre

 We move on to Warsaw the capital and largest city of Poland.  Apparently much of the historic centre was destroyed during the war, but what remains of it is now a UNSECO world heritage site.  First up we meet the band that is at the forefront of the Polish folk revival, the mighty Warsaw Village Band or Kapela ze wsi Warszawa.  They formed in 1998 as the Communist regimes of the former Warsaw pact started to crumble in an effort to preserve the traditions and cultures of Poland before globalism took hold.  They travelled the length and breadth of the country collecting old songs and interpreting them for a modern audience using traditional instruments such as frame drums, hurdy-gurdy and suka, a Polish folk fiddle.  The bands vocals are sung in a loud open-throated style reminiscent of Bulgarian throat singing, but also used by Polish shepherds communities.  Here's a live version of a song from their 2012 album Nord called Hola Byśki, Hola: 

And talking about the suka fiddle, one of the most prominent musicians reviving the fortunes of this ancient instrument is Maria Pomianowska, who was born in Warsaw in 1961.  She started out studying the cello before making various trips to Asia and learning various Asian string instruments, most notably the Indian sarangi.  She finally went back and in 1994 took an interest in the ancient instruments of her home country, the Biłgoraj suka and the Płock fiddle, reconstructing them with the help of a luthier.  As nobody knew what these instruments originally sounded like, Maria developed her own style, incorporating it into folk styles from around the world.  In 2020 she released an instrumental album called Sukotherapy and this a track called Pandemic:

Brand new folk band Zawierucha only started up last year in Warsaw.  Their name means turmoil or storm.  They aim to combine traditional polkas and other dance forms with jazz-rock and other modern music forms with much improvisation thrown in, although apart from the drumkit their instrumentation is made up of traditional strings.  This the opening track of their debut album OberTany called Wiwat Fortuna:

More established, folk band Werchowyna started out as an initiative of Warsaw students and the Student Circle of Beskid Guides in 1991.  However their focus is mostly on Ukranian folk with polyphonic singing.  Here's a track from their 1996 album Krynyczenka called Powedu Konyka:

Folk trio WoWaKin was established in Warsaw by Paula Kinaszewska Bartłomiej Woźniak and Mateusz Wachowiak in 2016, whose surnames make up the name of the group.  Their music is made up of Mazurkas and other rural dance tunes from the plains of central Poland.  Here is a song from their 2020 album Wiązanka called Rutka:

Next we're heading into the Radom region, south of Warsaw.  Last year a compilation CD was released of the traditional music from this richly varied region called simply Muzyka spod Radomia.  One of the bands featured is the Kapela Niwińskich and here is a sequence of songs and dance tunes by them performed live:

Finally we are heading west of Warsaw to the city of Włocławek, where singer/songwriter Monika Żelazek comes from.  I don't actually know much about her, nor does she have much music on official release as a solo artist, however I like the songs that are out there.  Here is a beautiful ballad called Czego się boisz serce (What are you afraid of heart):

That's it from central Poland, next stop the north and west of Poland.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual trip on my Tripline map.

Poland - The East

 Before leaving the south of Poland we make a stop at the village of Meçina Mała where the family folk band Kapela Maliszów hail from.  They are inspired by the traditional music of Beskid Mountain and Pogorze regions of the south of Poland.  Founded by Jan Malisz and his son and daughter Kacper and Zuzanna there main instruments are the traditional violin, the basolia (a cello-like folk instrument and a drum made by Jan's father.  Here's a live performance of a song called Chmiel from their 2017 album Wiejski Dzez:

Next stop is the city of Lublin in eastern Poland, where we encounter contemporary folk band Orkiestra świetego Mikołaja.  They have been in the forefront of Polish folk music since 1988, blending traditional Polish sound on a variety of stringed acoustic instruments with contemporary rhythms.  Here is a collaboration with Warsaw producers Studio as One, which appeared on a 2009 compilation album Polska Rootz, called Kolomyjka Jarocinska Remix:

Moving on to the village of Gardzienice, where the Centre of Theatre Practices is located and is home to the female folk trio Sutari.  Here is a review from Songlines Magazine of their 2017 album Osty:

The female trio Sutari have a unique sound world on the Polish music scene. The lyrics and music are largely traditional, but Basia Songin, Kasia Kapela and Zosia Zembrzuska transform them into three-part polyphonies, softly sung – almost whispered – inspired by the Lithuanian sutartines from which they take their name. They accompany themselves on violin, bass and percussion. It's nothing like the punchy, powerful vocals of Warsaw Village Band or Värttinä, but something quieter and more elusive.
Sutari come across as free spirits of nature – haunting, mischievous and hard to pin down. Their first album, 2014's Wiano, featured sounds from the natural environment: forests, lakes and dripping water. On this one, Osty (which translates as Thistles), their songs are from a woman's perspective but often hard to interpret – although there are helpful English translations in the booklet. Thistles are prickly weeds, but also beautiful practical herbs with healing qualities. Their songs often melt into mischievous laughter: ‘Oh people say love is not good for you/No one died of love, and many were born!’

This is a song from that album called Siostra (Sister).  The photography in the video reminds me of Vermeer paintings:

 

Basia Derlak was born in the city of Chełm and is the lead singer of folk/jazz band ChłopcyKontra Basia, which as the name suggests has a double based and Basia's vocals at it's centre.  The ensemble was actually formed in Kraców in 2009 and they mostly write their own music, but leaning on Serbian, Ukrainian and Belarussian folk traditions given a contemporary twist.  Here's the title track if their 2013 album Oj Tak! (Oh yes):

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Karolina Cicha was born in 1979 in Byałystok and is described as one of the most exceptional musicians of her generation.  She plays the piano, accordion and harpsichord and sings in a numerous languages.  Her genres vary from rock, to theatrical pieces to folk.  In her 2013 album Wieloma Jezykami / 9 Languages she returns to her roots of the multi-cultural Podlochia region with songs sung in Ukrainian, Belorussian, Lithuanian, Russian, Tatar, Yiddish and Esperanto.  This is a song in Yiddish about her birth city called Bialystok, Majn Hejm:

That's it from Eastern Poland, next stop the centre of the country.  As usual you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Poland - The South

 I've only been to Poland once in the early 1990's for a wedding in a small village in the west of the country and my memories are hazy as there were copious amounts of vodka being served.  I've gone off vodka ever since.  Anyway, we backtrack our journey through the Czech Republic a bit and start our virtual road trip of Poland in the village of Istebna in the Silesian Beskids mountains, where string folk band Vołosi hail from.  The band started in 2004 by Krysztof Lason to play traditional Highland music at his wedding.  They were later joined by some classically trained musicians and have gone from strength to strength, touring both nationally and internationally.  Here's quite a rocky tune called Crawler from their 2015 album Nomadism:

Celtic folk band Beltaine were founded in Kattowice in 2002.  Whilst their initial repertoire consisted mostly of Scottish and Irish tunes on traditional instruments, they later included other influences and instruments to develop their own unique style.  Here is a tune from their 2015 album Miusjik called Pol(s)ka:

Also from Katowice is folk band WoWaKin Trio, founded in 2016 and named after the surnames of the band members: singer and violinist Paula Kinaszewska, accordionist Mateusz Wachowiak and and guitarist Bartolomiej Wozniak.  Both the men double up on a variety of other instruments.  They play traditional Polish village folk from the Radom, Kielce and Sanniki regions of Poland. Here is the title track from their 2020 album Wiązanka:

The city of Kraków has a long and distinguished history and is Poland's second largest city, having even functioned as its capital at times.  However the saddest part of its history is the one many people still associate with the city, the establishment of the infamous Kraków Ghetto, where the Jewish population were forced to live under the Nazi occupation.  It is therefore good to still see Jewish culture being celebrated in modern times with a number of Klezmer bands being active in the city.

One of those bands is Kroke, named after the Yiddish name for Kraków.  They were established in 1992 and have since their inception branched out into fusing klezmer with influences from all over the world including collaborations with English violinist Nigel Kennedy, Mongolian singer and yangqin player Urna and Norwegian folk band Tindra.  Here is a tune from their 2011 album Ten Pieces to Save the World called Light in the Darkness (T4 2):

Another klezmer band from Kraków is the Bester Quartet.  They formed in 1997 as the Cracow Klezmer band and changed their name in 2007.  They seem to have seized activities since, as their web-site is longer live and their last recording, the album Krakoff, was released in 2013, and is now hard to get hold of.  This is the opening track of the album called Hope:

Also based in Kraków is the Motion Trio, who are according to their own claims 'the most famous accordion ensemble in the world'.  They describe their style as 'crossover' containing elements of jazz, world music, rock and classical.  Here's a lively tune from their 2018 album Accordion Stories called Happy Band:

 Self-described 'regressive dark folk band' Daj Ognia are also from Kraków and list their influences as roaming somewhere between Poland and Scandinavia.  This song called KIR is from their 2020 album Wykrot:

Finally we head into the Tatra mountains to the town Zakopane for something altogether more traditional.  The area is home to an ethnic group known as Goral.  The folk group Zakopower introduces us to the culture and music of the region in a whole series of mini-documentaries.  Here is one of them:

Another proponent of Goral folk music is the Trebunia Family Band (Trebunie-Tutki  in Polish) from the nearby village of Biały Dunajec.  Here is a Goralski dance sequence from their 1995 album Music of the Tatra Mountains.

And that's it from the south of Poland for today, next we're exploring the east.  As usual, you can follow my virtual rambling on my tripline map.  Apologies for the long gap in posts, I have been away on some real travels.

Czech Republic - Bohemia

 Bohemia makes up the western part of the Czech Republic, including the capital Prague, where we will spend most of our time on our virtual trip.  And no, we will not be playing the Bohemian Rhapsody...  First stop though is the city of Hradec Kralove, where gypsy band Terne Čhave come from.  They are the first to admit that their style is not exactly traditional, their motto being "It's only Rom'n'Roll", but they produce a rocky danceable style with a definite Roma signature.  Here's the opening track from their 2019 album Balvaj called Vyšus, which apparently means shit in Czech.

Arriving in the capital Prague we first encounter all female Neo-Medieval band Psalteria who were active between 2001-2007.  During those years they toured the Medieval markets of Central Europe and released 3 albums of Medieval music from all over Europe singing in various languages.  Here's a song from their 2006 album Balábile called Jovano, Jovanke:

After the break-up of Psalteria, some their members reformed as BraAgas, a mainly female quartet specialising in sephardic music from Scandinavia and Spain as well as traditional Balkan and Moravian folk.  Here's a live version of a song called Mi Suegra from their 2014 album Yallah!

Still in Prague we meet balfolk trio Ba.fnu.  There name is short for bal folk nuevo, which describes their unique take on the genre.  Whilst covering the usual dance tunes such as mazurkas, schottishes, cercles, bourrés etc on hurdy-gurdy, cittern and percussion, they add some electronics and loops to the mix, all with a Czech twist. Here's a live version of a song from their 2019 album '10.refused.reduced' called Školácká (pas de sept):

Poet, translator of French literature and musician Mikuláš Bryan aka Mr. Folxlide from Prague has another take on the balfolk theme, combining it with Blues on an open-tuned American cigar box guitar and a loop station.  He sings in English and French.  Here's a song called Mind the Gap (Scottish) from his 2018 album 1-4-5:

Romani Hip-hop band Czech.cz was founded in 2004 by Radek Banga, a Prague Zizkov Roma who was born into a musical family.  Originally playing more traditional material he soon was drawn to Hip-hop and as a band they have represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision song contest (although they were eliminated in the semi-finals with 'nul points') and have toured the international festival circuit including an appearance at Glastonbury.  Here is a song from their 2006 album Romano Hip-hop called Jednou:

I can't find much about Prague based folk rock group Ahmed má hlad (Ahmed is hungry), but they seem to no longer be active.  An airplane flies across their website proclaiming Ahmed to be dead (he probably starved to death...).  Their music seems to be influenced by Russian folk centred around the balalaika.  Their last album Magadan was recorded in 2004 and is named after the Siberian city of the same name, which started as a gulag.  Here's a song off the album called Maksym Kozak.

Finally from Prague something a little different, fusion band N.O.H.A.  Founded in 1995 by Prague born Philip Noha and New York native Chevalier 'Chevy' Hadley, the initials stand for Noise Of Human Art, they blend drum and bass with world music sounds and sometimes with an almost Zappa-like sound, defying any genre categorisation.  Brazilian singer and guitarist Camila de Oliveira gives many of their songs a Latin flavour such as in this song called Di Nero from their 2012 album Circus Underground

Finally our last stop in Czechia is the small town of Rokycany in the west, where the Ella Fitzgerald of Romany music Vera Bila was born.  She grew up in an impoverished Gypsy community and was discovered in the 1990's by Ivan Krall, formerly bassist of the Patti Smith Band.  She was subsequently signed by German record label BMG and achieved international success after a documentary about her life was released.  Sadly she died in 2019 aged 64, after going back into obscurity, mourning the death of her husband and her adopted son and struggling with addiction to slot machines and poor health.  The song Pas O Panori features on her 2008 Retrovision - Best of album:

That's it from the Czech Republic, sorry it turned into a longer post this time.  Next stop is Poland.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Czech Republic - Moravia

 The historical province of Moravia takes up most of the eastern half of Czechia.  We first head to the city of Olomouc, where jazz pianist Emil Viklický was born in 1948.  He graduated with a degree in mathematics, but music was always his first passion.  He has won numerous awards and collaborated with many national and international acts and is still active.  Here is a live version of a number he wrote in homage to his home town, V Holomóci městě (In the town of Olomouc), a shorter version of which appears on his 2007 album Moravian Gems, in collaboration with George Mraz, Laco Tropp and Iva Bittová.  Alas the album does not appear to be available at present.

Sadly folk violinist and singer Jitka Šuranska died of cancer in 2019 aged just 41.  She was born in Kudlovice in south-eastern Moravia and collaborated with many folk musicians in the area as well as playing solo, before setting up her own band in 2016, the Jitka Šuranska trio winning numerous awards.  This is the opening track to their debut album Divé Husy (Wild Geese) called Jablůška:

Moving on to the small town of Uherské Hradištĕ where Moravia's oldest and best known dulcimer folk band Hradišťan hail from.  The ensemble was formed together with a dance group in 1950 and are still going strong, albeit with some changes in personnel of course.  This is a song from their 1994 album Ozvěny Duše - Moravian Dreams called Okolo Hradišta:

Balfolk band Sprinkle Blizzard were formed on New Year's Day 2018 in Brno and sadly only lasted 3 years before disbanding earlier this year.  The ensemble included Austrian violinist Angelika Hudler, whom we met in Vienna as well as musicians from Belgium, Ukraine and Poland.  They don't appear to have recorded any albums during that time, but they toured extensively before the pandemic put a stop to it.  Here is one of their tunes, a waltz called Baguette Soldier:

Apparently Czech bluegrass, sometimes known as Czechgrass is a thing.  Bluegrass has been popular in this country since the 1940's and they have created there own version out of it, a bit like Irish country I suppose.  The biggest proponent of the genre is a band called Druhá Travá, who were formed in Brno in 1991 around lead singer Robert Křesťan.  Here's a song called Sbohem, Angelina off their 2007 album Dylanovki:

I leave you to ponder on that... Our final stop in Moravia is the town of Svitavy in the west of the region, which was also the birth place of Oskar Schindler.  This is where folk rock band Čechomor were formed back in 1988.  Apparently they were a favourite band of Czech playwright and former president Václav Havel.  They started life as I. Českomoravská nezávislá hudební společnost (1st Czech-Moravian Independent Music Society) playing mostly acoustic folk, but electrified their music in the 1990's.  They are still active today and released a new album last November called Radosti života (the joys of life).  This is a song called Husárska of said album:

That's it from Moravia and see you next time in Bohemia.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual wanderings on my Tripline map.

Czech Republic - Moravian-Silesia

 From Slovakia we cross another border into the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, another country I haven't physically been to.  I don't know that much about it either, except that they essentially invented lager beer, the famous Pilsen-style from the town of the same name (not to mention the original Budweiser, which is a far cry from the flavourless American imitation).  The country is essentially split into 2 main regions, Moravia to the east and Bohemia to the west, with a bit of Silesia spilling over the border with Poland.  As for the music scenes, it seems to alive and well and buzzing with creativity.  

So arriving from Slovakia we begin our journey in Moravian-Silesia, namely in the small town of Nový Jičín (famed for hat making), where singer/songwriter Vlasta Redl was born in 1959.  He has been a member of various bands, most notably folk-rock band AG Fleck, and headed his own band for a while, snappily named  Skupina která se jmenuje každý den jinak (The band that has a different name every day).  It is as a solo artist, just playing his guitar and singing, that his folk roots come most to the fore, mostly singing self-penned songs with a dose of poetry and humour, so it would probably help if I understood the language.  Here's a song called Boze muj:

Although Folk-Pop duo Tara Fuki met in Brno they were both born in Czech Silesia.  Andrea Konstankiewiczová was born in Frydek-Mistek and Dorota Barová in Třinec and both play the cello to which they add various other instruments, including hang drums.  They formed their collaboration in 2000.  Their music is described as haunting, moody and soulful with a strong feminine force.  Apparently they sing mostly in Polish rather than Czech, because they feel the language sounds softer, more melodic.  Here's the opening track to their 2007 album Auris called Lej Lej:

Moving on to the city of Ostrava, which is the capital of the Moravian-Silesian region and home to the annual Colours of Ostrava music festival, which is next scheduled to take place from the 13th-16th July 2022.  This is where singer/songwriter Marta Töpferová was born in 1975.  She emigrated to the USA at a young age, where she settled in New York and was greatly influenced by Latino music.  In 2012 she returned to her homeland and soon started a project called Milokraj returning to her roots and singing in Czech for the first time and collaborating with other Czech musicians. They released a self-titled album in 2013.  This is a song called Jabloň Zapomnění off that album:

Next we are heading to the small town of Bruntál in the Jeseniky mountains, where sisters Ida Kelarová and Iva Bittová were born to a Slovakian mother and Romani father also from Slovakia.  They both made their separate careers in music.  Ida Kelarová, the elder sister, was born in 1956.  Her second husband was Welsh and moved to Czechoslovakia with her, but they were soon forced into exile as he was suspected of being a spy by the Communist regime.  They lived in Wales and Denmark, but after the Velvet revolution in 1989 she soon returned to her homeland.   In 1999 she set up her band Romano Rat (Gypsy Blood).  This is a song form her 2008 album Gypsy Blood called Andro Pani Pejlom (In the water I fell):

Younger sister Iva Bittová was born in 1958 and has already had a mention in Slovakia as being part of the Angrusori project.  Her speciality is the violin and she has moved away a bit further from her roots than her sister with what has been described as an avant-garde, experimental folk.  It's certainly difficult to categorise it in any specific genre as she uses her voice and violin in her own compositions.  Here is a song from her self-titled album (re-released in 2006) called Proudem Mleka (River of Milk):

That's it for today.  As usual you can visually follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.  Next stop is the rest of Moravia.

Slovakia - Bratislava and the Rest

 We arrive in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava.  Now, as I said I have never been to Slovakia, but we had a young woman from Slovakia staying with us for a short while last year and I asked her for recommendations for music and her father suggested a folk band called Radio Edit.  I don't know much about them or whether they have published any music the sparse information available for them is in Slovakian, but they play an international influenced style of folk on acoustic instruments and sung in Slovakian.  Here is a song of theirs called Koniec Sveta, which apparently means end of the world:

Although from Bratislava folk ensemble the Michal Noga Band very much draw on the traditional music of the Slovakian countryside inspired by Gypsy bands of the Horehronie region as well as Wallachian shepherds, Hungarian tunes and bagpipe music of the Upper Orava region, all led by the fiddle of Michal Noga and accompanied by more strings, a cimbalom and song.  After some years of collecting material and playing at weddings and events they have released their debut album Stopy last year.  Here is a tune that mimics the national instrument the fujara flute on fiddle.  It's called Dušikova Fujara:

In 1990 5 friends got together in Bratislava to form a band to play at another friends wedding.  Only one of them had any formal training, but they wanted to play traditional Slovak folk.  The performance at the wedding was such a success, that they were asked to play at other events and even concerts, and so the folk band Muzička came into being.  In the subsequent years they diligently researched old folk songs from the various regions of Slovakia, listening to scratchy old recordings and breathing new life into the genre. They have recorded a number of albums since, but are probably at their best live, where they invite the audience to participate and dance along.  Here is a song and dance called Balocké / Dances from Čierny Balog:

For something a bit more modern from Bratislava, Romani group Kmeťoband, consisting of father and son Igor Senior and Igor Junior Kmeťo, have been mixing Gypsy sounds with electronic pop and hip-hop. Their biggest hit was a song called Amen Savore, which features on their album Vagabund:

Let me take you back in time to the dying days of the Iron Curtain and to the city of Trenčín near what is now the border to the Czech Republic.  This where underground rock band Bez Ladu a Skladu started to make waves from 1985.  They were renowned for their declamatory, deadpan vocals sung by the then 13 year old Michal Kaščák.  The lyrics were political, which led to bans by the regime and according to the New York Times they were amongst the bands whose influence helped to bring down the Iron Curtain.  They were active until 1997 and still occasionally get together for live gigs.  Here's a song from their early days called Udavač, which means snitch apparently.  Spying on your fellow citizens was of course very much encouraged by the Communist regimes.

On the final leg of our tour of Slovakia we stop at the town of Nimnica for something very traditional again.  The Trombitáši Štefánikovci ensemble was founded in 2008 by various members of the Štefánik family.  They specialise in the traditional shepherd's music of their home region of Puchov, playing traditional instruments such as shepherd's horns, trombitas and fujaras as well as bagpipes, mouth harps and cowbells.  They released an album in 2017 called Grúňom Hore.  Here is a sampler of their music:

That concludes our tour of Slovakia, next up we will visit the Czech Republic.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual trip on my Tripline map.

Slovakia - Part I

 We arrive in Slovakia on our virtual musical tour of the world, the first country I am covering, which I haven't yet actually been to.  As Slovakia only sprang into existence in 1993, I really don't know that much about it, although having met quite a few Slovakians, they seem a cheerful and open lot and their women are beautiful (I had a brief fling with a Slovakian girl called Gabriela back in 1987...).

Onto their music, traditional music is still kept very much alive and they even have their own national instrument, the fujara, a large sophisticated folk shepherd's overtone fipple flute.  So we'll start this post with a song played on it by a guy called Jan Hanuska.  I don't know much about him or where exactly he came from, but this piece was recorded in 1930 and appeared on a now unavailable compilation of fujara music.  It's a beautifully hypnotic sound.

Pan-European collective Angrusori is a collaboration between traditional Slovakian Gypsy musicians from the Košice area and Norwegian experimental music outfit Kitchen Orchestra from Stavanger, brought together by Norwegian composer Henrik Asheim and Czech singer and composer Iva Bittová.  The collaboration started in 2016 as an inter-cultural exchange between 2 cultural centres and venues in their respective cities and has now resulted in a band with their first recording Live at Tou out earlier this year.  The songs are all traditional songs of the Roma community and are seldom heard outside their circle.  Here's a song from that album called Chude man vaststar:

Moving onto the city of Prešov, where folk rock band Hrdza was formed in 1999.  They have had some success mostly in Slovakia itself.  Their songs combine eastern European songs on acoustic instruments with elements of rock and pop.  Occasionally they veer more towards pop, but the more folky songs work well, such as this song called Stefan off their latest 2019 album Neskrotený:

From the urban centres of Eastern Slovakia we are heading deep into the countryside to the Horehronie region in Central Slovakia, or more specifically to the small village of Val'kovňa, where traditional Roma band Pokošovci are based.  The family ensemble (3 brothers, a cousin and a family friend) are keeping the gypsy traditions of this region alive, playing at weddings and other regional festivities.  Here's a track from their 2019 double album L'udová hudba Pokošovci 2 called Khatar me phirava:

Moving on to the city of Nitra in western Slovakia, where the members of Hungarian folk fusion band Ghymes met in 1984.  They consist of a group of Hungarians from varying musical backgrounds who blend Hungarian and Central-Eastern European folk with elements of Rock and Jazz and other global influences.  Here's a song from their 1998 album Rege (Legend) called Tánc a hóban (Dance in the snow) with a beautiful tango dance routine:

Another traditional instrument of Slovakia apparently is the Ruthenian mouth harp.  Self-proclaimed hooligan folk band Varkocs from Šamorín on Rye Island (an area between the Danube, Little Danube and Váh rivers in Western Slovakia) have made the mouth harp or jaw harp central to their music.  Band founder Erik Turtev set out in 2018 collecting ancient jaw harp songs from all the ethnic groups found in and around Slovakia and giving them a modern, pagan folk style interpretation, often interspersed with archive recordings of the originals.  Unfortunately they don't appear to have recorded any albums yet, but their live acts seem great fun and they have brought out numerous videos.  Here are a couple of them:

That's it from Slovakia for the time being, next we'll head to the capital Bratislava.  Until then you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map as usual.

Hungary - The Northeast

 Last year I helped a friend relocate to Spain and as a thank you she gave me a CD/book by Hungarian folk ensemble Szeredás from Debrecen in the Hajdúsák region of north-eastern Hungary.  The 1999 Cuháré album is beautifully presented with an explanatory booklet in Hungarian and English.  The group have been playing traditional Hungarian music of their home region since 1993.  Here is the title song from the album, meaning merry making, a fun song in the Csardas style about a lost horse and other countryside adventures:

We are moving on to the town of Eger, where folk rock band Kerekes was formed in 1995.  They combine traditional shepherds flute tunes with Jimmy Hendrix-like guitar riffs and elements of psychedelia.  It makes for a great fun Ethno-funk sound.  They recently released a new album: Fire (Live at Hortobágy).  This is a song of the album, called Jellyfish/Ördöngős

In a similar vein electro folk band Holdviola were formed in 2006 in Miskolc.  Having recently split, they took Hungarian folk songs and put them in a contemporary pop setting, making them very popular in their home country.  Here is a song called Ha Te tudnád amit én from their 2010 album Vandórfecske:

Cimbalom virtuoso Kálmán Balogh was born in 1959 in Miskolc of Gypsy heritage.  He has studied gypsy music for several years before becoming a prolific performer both solo and as part of varies ensembles, most notably with the Gypsy Cimbalom Band.  This solo performance of the Bonchida Dance (Bontsida Tánc) really shows off his wizardry on this instrument and features as a full band version on the 1995 album Roma Vándor:

The name of Roma Hip-hop band Fekete Vonat means Black Train, referring to the train departing from Szabolcs to Budapest, which was used as a commuting train by many of the Gypsy community looking for work in the capital.  They were formed in 1997 demonstrating some sub-culture amongst the minority community.  Here's a song by them called Hol van az a lány:

From a black train to a white horse, the meaning of Gypsy music ensemble Parno Graszt, who were formed in the village of Paszab in 1987.  In Roma culture the colour white stands for purity and a horse symbolises freedom, so you could call them Pure Freedom, a very Gypsy concept.  Simon Broughton of Songlines magazine is quoted as saying: "They do not use sources of Gypsy music - they are the source itself".  This is the title song of their 2002 album Rávágok a Zongorára/Hit the Piano:

That's it from Hungary as we hit the 10,000 mile mark on our virtual journey since we started in Portaferry, Northern Ireland.  Next stop is Slovakia.  Until then you can follow my virtual trip on my tripline map.

Hungary - The Centre & Southeast

 Before heading to the southeast of Hungary we stop at the town of Szentendre (St. Andrew) just north of Budapest, where we meet the tambura led band Söndörgő.  They consist of brothers Áron, Benjamin and Salamon Eredics, their cousin Dávid and Ábel Dénes.  Their signature instrument is the Hungaro-Serbian tambura and their lively style is quite different to other, generally fiddle-based traditional music of Hungary.  There music takes heart from the Eastern European folk canon including from Serbian, Macedonian, Turkish, Jewish and Gypsy traditions.  Here's a tune from their 2016 album Live Wires called Marice:

In a similar vein and also from Szentendre, the Vujicsics Ensemble play tambura led tunes representing the music of the Croatian and Serbian minorities living in Hungary.  They've been going since the 1970's and named themselves after their inspiration, Hungarian composer Tihamér Vujicsics (1929-1975).  Here is one of their tunes played on the streets of Szentendre called Valpovo:

Heading pretty much to the centre of Hungary we arrive at the city of Kecskemét, where János Csík and his Mezzo Band hail from for something altogether more chilled.  They describe their style as coffee house and I can imagine chilling in a café with some of their vibe playing along, blending Hungarian folk with cool jazz.  Here's a tune by them called Ülök a kávéházban, which features on their 2019 album Szép a Tavasz, Szep a Nyár:

Singer/songwriter Bea Palya was born in 1976 in the town of Makó near the Romanian border.  In her early years she was influenced by Hungarian folk songs, Bulgarian, Jewish and Gypsy music following her own mixed ethnic roots.  Later she also got into acting and started developing her own style incorporating elements of jazz and world music.  Here's a song from her latest 2020 album Élet called Igen:

Heading up north again we get to the town of Karcag, where folk singer and ethnographer Irén Lovász was born in 1961.  Her first solo album Világfa appeared in 1995 and 1999 at the request the Hungarian National Museum to be used as the background music to an archaeological exhibition of the millennium on the Hungarian conquest.  This track called Páva features on this album:

We'll finish our tour of Hungary next time in the northeast of the country.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Hungary - Budapest Part II

 We are staying in Budapest for a wee while to discover some more music.  First up we meet Tárkány Művek, a band founded in 2008 which combines traditional Hungarian folk with Avant Garde Jazz.  After the release of their first album in 2010 they quickly rose to become one of the most popular young folk bands in Hungary.  Here's a track which features on the bonus album to the Rough Guide to the Music of Hungary, Introducing Tárkány Művek.  The song is called Úgy Szeretlek (So Much I Love You):

Musician, performer and composer Vilmos Gryllus was born in Budapest in 1951.  Much of his music as a solo artist is aimed at children and he has a created a successful children's TV show.  Here is a song from his 2014 album Maszkabál called Katicabogár: 

Gryllus is also a founding member of folk band Kaláka together with his brother Dániel.  They've been going since 1969 and have had an unchanged line-up since 1996.  Again they play many concerts specifically for children, blending in elements of jazz with contemporary folk.  Here's a performance together with renowned folk singer Bea Palya (more of her in a later post):

The Buda Folk Band was born in Budapest in 2007 from a bunch of young musicians, all children of traditional musicians.  Even though they are based in the city, their music is very much based on the traditional rural music of Hungary, but with a danceable urban influence.  Here is a pair of songs called Kuruc Mahala és Rettenet, the latter of which features on their 2015 album Saját Gjűtés:

Primás Parade, or Rendhagyó Prímástalálkozó (which in my experience has fewer syllables than the English name) is a supergroup of musicians drawn from the folk, jazz, rock and classical scenes with a common root in traditional music.  According to their own blurb:

Excellent members of the formation are such as the virtuoso violinist István ‘Szalonna’ Pál, the unique-style violinist Balázs Vizeli, one of the world best cimbalom players Kálmán Balogh and the ethno-jazz icon of Hungary Mihály Dresch. The guitarist Miklós Both gives the songs a rock-touch, and the concertmaster Róbert Lakatos brings his mastery of classical and folk music. 

Two brilliant singers add their voices to their music: Ágnes Herczku, one of the most versatile singers of the scene, and Éva Korpás, who was awarded with the best Hungarian folk singer award in Slovakia. The music is accompanied by the absolutely outstanding Hungarian masters of traditional folk instruments: Róbert Doór with the double bass and László Mester with the viola. 

Here's a short version of the opening track Nytáni (the album version has a 6 minute intro) from their 2013 album Vol. 2:

I think I'll leave it at that from Budapest for the time being, else I'll never get this post out.  We'll meander through the rest of Hungary next, and in the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map