tomorrow: Klezmer Defiance! The Jumbo Knish Factory, aka the Tufts Klezmer Orchestra, is playing in Fisher Hall in the Granoff Music Center. Free! http://www.tufts.edu/musiccenter/ ****** Klezwoods is playing at Toast Lounge May 8 and 22. more details to come. myspace.com/klezwoods1 http://www.toastlounge.com/ ***** The Victor Olah Gypsy Band will be playing at Johnny D's on Thursday, May 8, showtime is 9:00 PM. http://www.johnnyds.com/ ***** Hungarian/Transylvanian music/dance: For more info call Clare Stanley 9-5 617-253-7708 clares@mit.edu Online at http://people.brandeis.edu/~gessel/forgas/ _____________________________________ MIT Folk Dance Club and Forgas Boston Hungarian Dancers present: Concert and Táncház (dance party) Hungarian Dance Workshop with NYC MetróFolk Band MetróFolk is a hot new band playing traditional Transylvanian folk music. For this event, MetróFolk will be joined by virtuoso Romani musicians Alexandru Ciurcui (violin) and Iuliu Gheti (bass & accordion) from the village of Soporul de Cimpie, playing Romanian village Gypsy, Hungarian, and Transylvanian music. Saturday, June 14, 2008 Workshop, 3 to 5 pm, $10 suggested donation Concert, 8 pm / Dance Party, 9 to 11 pm $15-$20 concert/dance suggested donation $25 for workshop / concert / dance all events free for MIT/Wellesley students MIT Stratton Student Center W20 Lobdell Dining Room 2nd floor/84 Mass Ave, Cambridge __________________________________________ Learn Hungarian Dancing! Inprovisational Hungarian Couple Dance Classes taught by Dénes Tákáscy Sundays 6:30 to 8:30 The Kalotaszegi dance cycle will be taught from May 4 probably until June 11. $10/class No partner necessary Church of Our Saviour, 21 Marathon St., Arlington, just off Mass Ave near Capitol Theater. Please do not park on Warwick, the side street to the left of the church.

tomorrow: Klezmer Defiance! The Jumbo Knish Factory, aka the Tufts Klezmer Orchestra, is playing in Fisher Hall in the Granoff Music Center. Free! http://www.tufts.edu/musiccenter/ ****** Klezwoods is playing at Toast Lounge May 8 and 22. more details to come. myspace.com/klezwoods1 http://www.toastlounge.com/ ***** The Victor Olah Gypsy Band will be playing at Johnny D's on Thursday, May 8, showtime is 9:00 PM. http://www.johnnyds.com/ ***** Hungarian/Transylvanian music/dance: For more info call Clare Stanley 9-5 617-253-7708 clares@mit.edu Online at http://people.brandeis.edu/~gessel/forgas/ _____________________________________ MIT Folk Dance Club and Forgas Boston Hungarian Dancers present: Concert and Táncház (dance party) Hungarian Dance Workshop with NYC MetróFolk Band MetróFolk is a hot new band playing traditional Transylvanian folk music. For this event, MetróFolk will be joined by virtuoso Romani musicians Alexandru Ciurcui (violin) and Iuliu Gheti (bass & accordion) from the village of Soporul de Cimpie, playing Romanian village Gypsy, Hungarian, and Transylvanian music. Saturday, June 14, 2008 Workshop, 3 to 5 pm, $10 suggested donation Concert, 8 pm / Dance Party, 9 to 11 pm $15-$20 concert/dance suggested donation $25 for workshop / concert / dance all events free for MIT/Wellesley students MIT Stratton Student Center W20 Lobdell Dining Room 2nd floor/84 Mass Ave, Cambridge __________________________________________ Learn Hungarian Dancing! Inprovisational Hungarian Couple Dance Classes taught by Dénes Tákáscy Sundays 6:30 to 8:30 The Kalotaszegi dance cycle will be taught from May 4 probably until June 11. $10/class No partner necessary Church of Our Saviour, 21 Marathon St., Arlington, just off Mass Ave near Capitol Theater. Please do not park on Warwick, the side street to the left of the church.

friday night, march 7:

Mark Your Calendars: Special Event March 7th At Sabur Restaurant and
Lounge


Sabur Restaurant is hosting a special night of music on Friday, March 7th in anticipation of Boston's Balkan Music Night on March 8th in Concord, MA. Music will be provided by a quartet led by Walt "Vlado" Mahovlich. Walt is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist in a variety of Eastern European styles. He has played for Macedonian and other Eastern European communities since his teenage years, originally
playing clarinet with traditional musicians from the Lake Prespa region of Macedonia who imigrated to his hometown of Cleveland. He has appeared on concert stages throughout North America and Europe and
currently leads the East European folk group Harmonia and Macedonian dance band Turli Tava.


Walt Mahovlich: clarinet
Sasho Dukovski: accordion, voice
Tev Stevig: guitar, cumbus=20
Vesselin Nedeltchev: percussion


No cover! Feel free to get up and dance! The music starts at 9 pm but you
will want to arrive early to reserve your table. Please call Sabur
Restaurant at 617-776-7890 for dinner reservations and more info.


Don't miss this Balkan music event!


Sabur Restaurant and Lounge
212 Holland St.
Somerville, MA
617-776-7890
http://www.saburrestaurant.com/=20

BALKAN NIGHT:

see previous blog entry for details!

This Sunday, 2/24, the MIT FDC is planning on a full day of programming with Daniela Ivanova, accompanied by accordionist Vlado Mollov. Come have an exciting Balkan good time, much more fun and stimulating that sitting and watching a so-called "Academy" render judgments on mainstream movies... 1:00-2:30: Balkan singing workshop, Lobdell Dining Hall, $10 3:30-5:30: Balkan dancing workshop, Lobdell Dining Hall, $10 8:00-11:00: Dance party with Daniela and Vlado, with reviews and more, Sala de Puerto Rico, $8 Both halls are on the 2nd floor of MIT's Stratton Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA. http://mit.edu/fdc/www/index.html#Daniela For snow cancellation info (gods forbid!!!), check the above URL.

2/23/08

Alec Speigelman (clarinet) and Joe Kessler (violin) return to Sabur to
play alongside Tev Stevig (cumbus) and Vesselin Nedeltchev (percussion)
in an evening exploring music from Greece, Macedonia, and Turkey.

the music starts around 9pm, but come early for the excellent food or to reserve a table. See you there!


Sabur Restaurant and Lounge

212 Holland St.

Somerville, MA

617-776-7890

http://www.saburrestaurant.com/

No cover charge. ID required for the purchase of alcoholic beverages.
 

Boston's 23rd Annual
                                     BALKAN MUSIC NIGHT
                                     CONCERT and DANCE PARTY

                                     March 8, 2008
                                     (International Women's Day)

at the FRIENDS OF THE PERFORMING ARTS (FOPAC)
51 Walden St., Concord Massachusetts

                                 Concert: 7:00 pm
                                       (note NEW start time!)

                                 Dance Party: 9:00 pm - 3:00 am BST*
                                      (note SAME stop time - we're just
                                       partying longer!)

                                      *(Daylight savings time starts
                                       during the party, but we aren't
                                       willing to "spring forward" and
                                       lose an hour of music and dancing -
                                       so we are establishing our own time
                                       zone - Balkan Standard Time)

                                 Music and dance from:
                                       ALBANIA
                                       BOSNIA
                                       BULGARIA
                                       CROATIA
                                       GREECE
                                       MACEDONIA
                                       SERBIA
                                       TURKEY
                                       ... and more

A CONCERT
followed by a wild dance party

PLUS
acoustic music in the cozy KEF-ANA

Performances by:
(in alphabetical order, more or less)

Balkankan (Macedonian & Serbian music for dancing)
Bashcharshia (Bosnian music - sevdah & more)
Beth Bahia Cohen (Greek music in the kef-ana)
Bez Granica (Balkan Brass from New England)
Divi Zheni ("Wild Women" Bulgarian choral music)
Druzhina (Balkan music from the center of the floor)
Turgay Erturk (Turkish folk music)
Gogofski Trio (gutsy Macedonian music for dancing)
Grachanitsa (Serbian and Balkan dancing)
Horo na Pesen (dance to your singing!)
Hye Fusion (Turkish music)
Jeni Jol (Ottoman-influenced urban Macedonian music)
Mladost (new young dance group!)
Nateli (Georgian singing)
Pajdashi (Croatian tamburashi and chorus)
Poludaktoulos Orchestra (Macedonian brass)
Rakiya (electric Rom music)
Shining Moon (Balkan music for dancing)
Skordalia (Greek island music)
Trei Arcusi (music from Transylvania, Romania, Hungary)
Turli Tava (Macedonian music - Walt Mahovlich, Sasho Dukovski &
              special guest Rumen "Sali" Shopov)
Xopo (Balkan music for dancing)
Zdravets (Bulgarian/Macedonian vocal music with Bitov ensemble)
Zhok Therapy (Balkan & East European inspirations)
Zlatne Uste (Big Balkan Brass)
Zornitsa  (Bulgarian/Macedonian men's singing)
Zurli Drushtvo (indescribable winds from Macedonia)
... plus more ..
                                          (program subject to change)
......................................................................
free refreshments!  dance walk-throughs! singalongs!

                                 CDs, tapes, music and related items
                                 will be available for purchase from
                                           "The Little Shop of Horas"
......................................................................

Check out our web site for more information about the musicians
and the event:     http://www.balkanmusicnight.com

Tickets are available from the Folk Arts Center (FAC) of New England
(BUT the concert usually sells out, so buy now!)

phone orders with credit card - 781-662-7475
for ticket info by email, <fac@facone.org>

PRICES: (cheap!)
Concert & dance party:
$20  FAC members - $19 Seniors 65+ & kids<12 - $18
Dance party only:
$15  FAC members - $14 Seniors 65+ & kids<12 - $13

This is a great event!  Don't miss it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought it was worth posting something about some of the issues involved with my word choices with respect to the show.  Back when I originally announced the show, I was met with criticism over the show's name, as well as my use of the word 'Gypsy.'  i want to address these concerns here.

As far as the 'KGB' moniker, it was meant to a be tongue-in-cheek reference. Besides referencing Eastern Europe and being a succinct and humorous (at least, that was the intention) way to convey these types of music -- rather than conjuring up images of terror, it was intended to produce quite the opposite effect. Music and art have long been integral sources of cultural resistance to oppressive regimes throughout history. By re-appropriating these initials in a new context -- in particular, the context of music that historically (and presently) has been made by people marginalized by mainstream society and people subjected to oppression by totalitarian regimes -- I hope that this can serve as a reminder of the power of music to play defiantly in the face of oppression, bring people together, soothe the soul, and promote peace on this planet. Music is one of the few things that has such a power.

As to the issue of the word "Gypsy" -- while it is mostly true that the term has fallen out of favor to describe the people, it is still an accepted term for the music itself.  I don't feel completely comfortable using it, to be quite honest.  I've done quite a bit of academic and personal research on the topic, and my personal opinion is that the word has come to be a symbol for a mythological figure that has little bearing in reality.  I don't desire to perpetuate such a stereotype; however, I hope that in being conscious about using the word and educating people to its issues, there will at least be more understanding around it.

I encourage people to learn more about the issues surrounding the Roma people.  One very excellent organization, Voice of Roma, is worth checking out.  You can find them online at voiceofroma.com. 

*rachel may

KGB radio is entering its second semester of existence.  check out the only show in Boston devoted solely to Klezmer, Gypsy & Balkan music in all its permutations!  from traditional folk sounds to avant-garde and modern electro/dancehall, you can hear it all every Tuesday from 1-3 pm.