a r t i s t : Orkestina
t i t l e : Transilvania Express
d a t e : 2003
l a b e l : World Village
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : May/2006
t r a c k s : 09
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 88,1 MB
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This is a respectable debut from a cosmopolitan group of
musicians. The four players who make up the core of Orkestina
come from Bulgaria, Ireland, England, and Spain, and their
approach to Balkan music reflects this multi-cultural make-up.
Fiddler Colum Pettit from Cork could fool anyone into
believing he grew up in the Balkans with his wild Gypsy flair.
Londoner Jon Davison's accordion playing has the pulsating
swirl of a blender set on puree. Bulgarian Ivan Dimitrov
easily handles the gadulka, a 13-stringed fiddle that was
originally used to accompany dancing bears. Spaniard Manolo
Lopez has a muscular sense of rhythm on double bass.
They mix horos, Irish reels, freylakhs, and love songs as if
the genres have always gone together. The arrangements are
competent and functional without being flashy. Though all the
musicians and their guests are more than technically
proficient, they do not let technique get in the way of the
spirit of the music. The ensemble playing is just messy enough
to remind you that this is, after all, party music. Mihail
Bilnikov contributes some fine clarinet playing and Aziz
Khodari's percussion is crisp and driving.
The lengthy (over ten-minute) medley entitled simply "Mary"
runs through a slow 3/8 klezmer wedding hora, a faster
Rumanian hora with some improvisatory Belgian and Celtic stuff
thrown into it, and then ends with a rousing 7/8 version of
the reel "Fairheaded Mary." It all flows organically, with
nothing sounding pasted-on. "Sirba (Serb)" is a sly little
Rumanian melody that builds to a fever pitch, threatens to
fall apart in the middle, and then rallies for a big finish.
Tension and interest are maintained through the tune's
nine-plus minutes by frequent key, meter, and tempo changes.
While there are no real surprises on this disc from the
standpoints of instrumentation or arrangement, Transilvania
Express has all the good-natured jamming that you would expect
from a collection of traditional Balkan music. Throw in the
Celtic element, and you've got something even more fun.
--Peggy Latkovich
Order your copy here:
http://www.cdroots.com/hm-orkestina.html
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01-Horo #1 [03:47]
02-Manele [05:20]
03-Mary [10:22]
04-Momneele [05:40]
05-Horo #2 [08:03]
06-Sirba [09:20]
07-Grancharsko Horo [05:50]
08-Galitzyaner Tanz [05:48]
09-Groovski Ritmi [04:49]
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58:59 min