Saturday, April 30, 2011

FROM WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL

Gypsy Stars Taraf de Haidouks & Kocani Orkestar to Perform at Blaze Festival 2011 in London

By WMC_News_Dept.– April 29, 2011

http://worldmusiccentral.org/2011/04/29/gypsy-stars-taraf-de-haidouks-kocani-orkestar-to-perform-at-blaze-festival-2011-in-london/
Taraf de Haïdouks

Two of the major Gypsy bands join forces to create a big band under the name Band of Gypsies. Their concert will take place Wednesday 6 July 2011 at Hackney Empire.

Taraf de Haïdouks and Kocani Orkestar are two of the most famous, emblematic and brilliant Balkan Gypsy bands.

Formed in 1991 the “band of honourable brigands” (“Taraf de Haïdouks”) is celebrating its 20th anniversary by launching an ambitious project: a kind of Balkan big band, in which the 13 Taraf musicians and singers are joined by the 13 members of Macedonia’s Kocani Orkestar, one of the top brass bands around.

Be ready for a wildly entertaining evening of raucous new music and exhilarating arrangements of old favorites as the swirling and fiery violins, cimbaloms and accordions of Taraf de Haïdouks battle it out with the mighty, funky brass and percussion of Kocani Orkestar.

Expect the unexpected as the two bands draw on traditional music from the Romanian countryside, urban Balkan pop, medieval ballads oriental brass band music, Turkish influences and even Bollywood film music in what promises to be an unforgettable encounter between two of the world’s finest Gypsy bands.

Taraf de Haidouks recordings available:

•In North America: Band of Gypsies 2, Musique des Tziganes de Roumanie, Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses and Evil Eye, Dumbala Dumba, Taraf de Haidouks, Band of Gypsies, Maskarada, Continuing Adventure of Taraf De Haidouks

•In Europe: Band of Gypsies 2, The Continuing Adventures of Taraf De Haidouks: Live, Dumbala Dumba, Taraf De Haidouks, Band of Gypsies, Musique Des Tsiganes De Roumanie, Honourable Brigands Magic Horses and Evil Eye, Maskarada

Kocani Orkestar recordings available:

•In North America: Band of Gypsies 2, Ravished Bride, Alone at My Wedding, L’Orient Est Rouge, Une Fanfare Tsigane

•In Europe: The Ravished Bride, Alone at My Wedding, L’Orient est rouge, Band of Gypsies 2, Une Fanfare Tsigane, Cigance, Gypsy Follie

Monday, April 25, 2011

A FIELD FULL OF BUTTERFLIES

FROM WESTON, WORLE AND SOMERSET MERCURY


Gypsy life... it’s not all about spray tans and grabbing girls

Alex Ross, Reporter

Sunday, April 24, 2011

NOTORIOUS for their spray-tanned brides and ‘girl-grabbing’ grooms - but also associated with underground crime and general mischief - the Romany gypsy community often gets a bad name but one Weston woman, who was born into a gypsy family in Hewish, claims the common public perceptions are wrong and has written a book to shake off the typical stereotypes and raise understanding of true traveller life.

Rosemary Penfold, aged 73, has revealed her experience as a gypsy child in A Field Full of 
Butterflies, already selling more than 20,000 copies in major book stores such as Waterstone’s.

The Dunster Crescent resident admits she may have since ‘settled down’ from her gypsy upbringing, leaving behind her teenage home to marry into a ‘godje’ lifestyle, but she has never lost her roots.

Born in a caravan in land called Heathgate, purchased by her family for £150 in the 1930s, Mrs Penfold says her ‘special childhood’ was a far cry from that portrayed in the recent hit Channel 4 TV series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

“Our lives were nothing like what has been shown on TV.

“We started from scratch with no money, bought some land and lived off it - completely self-sufficient.

“But the image the TV show portrays is of big, glitzy caravans, flash cars and lots of money. It is so wrong.”

Unlike many of her friends, Mrs Penfold received full-time education at St Andrew’s Primary School in Congresbury.

Outside of school, she would help her mother with the cooking while her father and brothers ran the family scrapyard, spending days picking up metal to melt down to sell.

She said: “People say I had an underprivileged upbringing, but in fact I say I had a privileged upbringing.

“Despite times sometimes being tough, we were always smiling, happy and socialising. Childhood was a lot of fun for me.”

At the age of 18, however, Mrs Penfold moved out of her gypsy community to marry husband John and live in Weston.

She began a career in care work and has had four children, but she claims to have maintained her Romany roots.

She said: “I’ve written this book to help non-gypsies understand a little of how real Romanies lived in the early part of the 20th century, not in misery or deprivation but enjoying a way of life that many today would envy and yearn for, even as I do still.”

http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/gypsy_life_it_s_not_all_about_spray_tans_and_grabbing_girls_1_872430

PRINCES AMONGST MEN

PRINCES AMONGST MEN
 JOURNEYS WITH GYPSY MUSICIANS.

BY GARTH CARTWRIGHT

Though this wonderful book was published in 2005, I only recently discovered it.

It reminds me of Latcho Drom, the movie by Tony Gatlif, in that it tells the story of the Romani through their music, and musicians.

Cartwright does an excellent job of presenting the history and reality of the Romani in Europe.

The chapter on Porraimos, the Romani Holocaust, brought me to tears.
I highly recommend this book.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

RENEWAL

I'm going to reactivate this review blog.  It's been getting a sizeable number of visitors, even since I stopped reviewing.

I can't make a committment as to the frequency of posts, but I have a pile of books, films and music to read... and review.

I thank everyone who continues to visit this blog and urge you to visit the main blog
http://www.lolodiklo.blogspot.com/

Saturday, April 2, 2011

AFTER SO LONG

I've tried to incorporate reviews into the Lolo Diklo blog and let this one go, but every day more people visit this, the review site. 

I wish someone would leave a comment or email me directly with any thoughts on the relevance and value of this blog.

Thanks

Morgan.
punkaheron@yahoo.com

PS.  There are hundreds of things to review.