East Gipsy Band/Fanfare Ciocarlia
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Jan 17 & 18] With a pair of great events scheduled, this is a Gypsy music weekend.
Paulus Ponizak
This is a Gypsy music weekend. Early Friday evening, East Gipsy Band will welcome frequent collaborator and sax genius Tim Ries when they play at the foot of the great staircase in the Art Museum, promising a set blending Hungarian Roma traditions with contemporary jazz. One speedy dance number may feature plenty of traditional violin and the cimbalom played so fast the hammers are a blur. The next may shift Gusztav Balogh’s vocals from traditional to a frankly romantic Western sound; the cimbalom’s still there, but the piano’s now leading the way. East Gipsy Band has the chops to mix it up with authority. On Saturday, West Philadelphia Orchestra hosts a band they call one of their biggest inspirations: Fanfare Ciocarlia. FC comes from a part of Romania where traditional music has survived in an unbroken line for centuries. You need to hear them render “Caravan,” the composition Duke Ellington’s Orchestra made legend for its exotic edge. This band sets the standard for imaginative brass bands and exuberant energy.
East Gipsy Band, Fri., Jan. 17, 5 p.m., free with museum admission of $20, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org. Fanfare Ciocarlia, Sat., Jan. 18, 9 p.m., $20, with West Philly Orchestra, Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., undergroundarts.org.
