Contexts - The Rough Guide to Budapest - page 336

UnquestionablyHungary'sfinestfolksinger,andoneofthebestinEurope,Sebestyén'sgor-
geous and distinctive voice has seen her become firmly established on the world music scene
in recent years, a reputation that was sealed after she featured on the soundtrack to the film
The English Patient . Aside from her regular appearances with Muzsikás, Sebestyén has also
sung with Vujicsics , a seven-strong ensemble from Pomáz near Szentendre who specialize in
Serbian and Croatian folk melodies. As both of these bands grow older, they have spawned
a second generation of bands: two of the top new ensembles are the Buda Folk Band and
Söndörgő , formed respectively by the sons of Muzsikás and Vujicsics members.
Two dance house specialists that play regularly in the city are the Ökrös and Tükrös bands,
while other bands upholding folk traditions are István“Szalonna”Pál and his band, Róbert
Lakatos and the Rév - Lakatos's viola ( brácsa ) gives the music a wonderfully mellow
sound - and three Roma ensembles from Transylvania, the Szászcsávás and Magyarpal-
atkaiBand bands and the brilliant violinist KisCsipás and his band. The Csík Ensemble has
moved away from its folk roots towards folk-style cover versions of pop songs - though they
alienated some followers by backing the Fidesz electoral campaign.
Three artists to look out for are MiklósBóth , a guitarist who sounds like Jimi Hendrix jam-
ming with Muzsikás; the American violinist BobCohen , whether with the Budapest klezmer
outfit Di Naye Kapelye or in other configurations; and perhaps the best known of the three,
Félix Lajkó , a Hungarian virtuoso violinist and zither player from the Vojvodina region of
Serbia, whose eccentric fusion of folk, Gypsy and jazz inspires a devout following.
The new generation of female singers is a very strong one: Bea Palya , who spans Hun-
garian, Roma and Jewish music traditions, Ági Szaloki , who has sung with the Ökrös Band
as well as performing solo, Ági Herczku , Éva Korpás and Szilvi Bognár , who sing with a
range of bands.
Gypsy music
Played on anything from spoons and milk jugs to guitars, Gypsy or Roma music ranges
from haunting laments to playful wedding songs. The band that pioneered this sound in the
1980s was Kályi Jág , whose success transformed the way Roma communities played their
own music. For a primer check out Tony Gatliff's excellent film Latcho Drom , which ex-
plores Roma music from India to Spain. The next generation of Hungarian Roma musicians
includes the groups Romengo , Vojasa , Parno Graszt and the Karaván Familia - all of
whomtourextensively andarethefocalpointofmostRoma festivals inHungaryandabroad.
The Transylvanian dance house bands are from a different Roma tradition, but they are also
worth catching. The distinctive voice of Mónika Juhász-Miczura, or Mitsoura , is featured on
many CDs - she has also recorded albums as a solo artist.
Three of the best known Roma artists are KálmánBalogh , one of the world's foremost ex-
ponents of the cimbalom, a hammer dulcimer (stringed instrument) played with little mallets,