Best Band - don't know members and can't name a song.

Cafe Society
1

A couple of nights ago I saw Taraf de Haïdouks the Romanian gypsy band featured in the movie Latcho Drom. Not only don’t I know any of the band members’ names or the names of any songs, I couldn’t identify one of the instruments played until after the show. It turned out to be a cymbalon.

The band was fantastic. Sometimes a 4 piece, sometimes an 8 piece, sometimes a 12 piece. The two main singers appear to be in their 70s. They talked to the audience between songs but it was in Romanian so who knows what they said. Some of the best musicianship I have ever seen, the guy playing upright bass was incredible.

Anyone else know any “World” music that is good without knowing anything about it?

Oh another one I’d recommend is Zap Mama, you don’t have to understand Pygmy music to like it.

2

Ooh! I heard them the other night on the BBC World Service. They were breathtaking - an absolutely electric performance (metaphorically speaking)!

If you’re into world music, I recommend listening to the BBC online, which will expose you to lots of new bands and artists. There’s lots of info about the subject here, as well as archived world music shows from BBC Radio 3.

3

I listen to a lot of world music, and part of what I like is that I don’t know the lyrics mean, making the vocal track just another, equal, part of the tapestry.

My latest passion is for Momo Wandel Soumah, a 70something sax player from Guinea. Finally tracked down an import of one of his CDs on half.com, and have been listening to it nonstop since it got here Thursday night.