Editorial Reviews

The Balkan gypsy groups provide some of the most intoxicating styles of music available on the world music market. This compilation, one of only a few that can stand in the same light as some of the more recent albums put out by the bands themselves, shows off both the breadth and the depth of the genres. The album opens with a pair of Romanian pieces, one featuring the masterful Taraf de Haïdouks. Two of Serbia's greatest stars, Boban Markovic and Saban Bajramovic, each provide a piece for the collection. Bulgaria is represented by the team of two of its greatest exponents in Ivo Papasov and Yuri Yunakov, known for their mixes of jazz, rock, and wedding music with the traditional styles. The up-and-coming Fanfare Ciocarlia has a rousing piece in combination with Angelite (aka Mystere des Voix Bulgares), and contemporary ursari-come-hip-hoppers Shukar Collective provide a beat-heavy piece. Armenia is represented by Richard Hagopian, there are North African, Macedonian, and Greek ideas, and even klezmer motives make themselves known. The album is an extremely mixed bag, but by hitting on many of the important recent groups it makes a decent starter album for someone curious about Rom music styles in the current day. Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide

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