The Gypsies may be the ultimate outsiders but right now their music is very in.
From American clubs to European world music charts, the raw, raucous and heart-stoppingly fast sounds of the Gypsy or Roma people are taking Western fans by storm. It’s hard to settle on the Roma sound — the Gypsies are sort of Robin Hoods of the music world stealing the rich sounds from the lands that they’ve lived to add to their own musical pot. In Roma music…A Turkish tune could have Hungarian harmony and a Bulgarian backbeat. Franz Liszt felt that European music would be “quite dull” without the influence of the Gypsy and ever since Roma music has peered on the perimeter of popularity from Django Reinhart to the Gypsy kings.
The western world has realized that music of the world’s most disliked people has become the ultimate European blues music. We’re traveling through the sounds or Roma culture with live music.
Guests:
The Roma musical group Taraf de Haidouks
Michele Winter, Manger and founder of Taraf de Haidouks;
Homer Cates, Lecturer and writer on the Gypsy culture.