The nexus in between two cultures — the Jews of Eastern Europe and the Roma (known as Gypsies) of Romania, Moldova and the Ukraine — is where the experience that is The Other Europeans Band occurs. The 14-person strong group brings together some of the finest musicians playing in both the klezmer tradition and the long-standing lautari tradition of the Roma. Their performance Friday night on the Railroad Stage at the American Folk Festival shined a light into a world few Americans traditionally get to see.
It’s intoxicating, heady stuff, and the symbiosis of the two styles is nearly seamless — though in reality, the musicians from both traditions are far more alike than they are different. Led by pianist and accordionist Alan Bern, the crowd of flute, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, clarinet and tuba players made a propulsive brass and woodwind engine, gathering steam as the performance progressed.
Full coverage of the festivalReviews, recaps, video and photos from the American Folk Festival’s sixth year.
Hungarian cymbalom virtuoso Kalman Balogh dazzled audience members with his lightning fast playing, hammering the tinsel-like strings with dizzying precision. The performance was equal parts sad, sweet dirges and explosive party music, setting an alternately festive and contemplative tone for the cool Maine evening. One of the many joys of both klezmer and Roma music is that it sometimes feels like a train going faster and faster down the tracks, dangerously close to losing control — until there’s a moment of slowed-down, heightened emotion, to bring it all back together into a beautiful whole.
