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

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-dont-know-members-and-cant-name-a-song/225995>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 25, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-dont-know-members-and-cant-name-a-song/225995 "2004-01-25T14:30:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-dont-know-members-and-cant-name-a-song/225995/1 "2004-01-25T14:30:01Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-dont-know-members-and-cant-name-a-song/225995/2 "2004-01-25T14:40:19Z")

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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](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/index.shtml), as well as archived world music shows from BBC Radio 3.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-dont-know-members-and-cant-name-a-song/225995/3 "2004-01-25T14:54:32Z")

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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](http://half.com), and have been listening to it nonstop since it got here Thursday night.