Contexts - The Rough Guide to Budapest - page 339

Muzsikás , while her international star has risen thanks to significant contributions to the
Grammy-award-winning Deep Forest album Boheme and the film The English Patient .
GROUPS
Bazseva Első Bekezdés (Fonó). Formed in 2013, Bazseva is a new Budapest band on the
circuit. Its six members want to rid folk of the kitsch image of boots and hats and moustaches
and show what a life force it can be.
Béla Lakatos and The Gypsy Youth Project Introducing (World Music Network). Lively
and refreshing debut album from this talented outfit, with songs pertaining to rural Roma life.
Wonderful vocals and some fabulous instrumental improvisation.
Besh o Drom Vibrant large ensemble that produces a feverish Balkan blend of dance music
with its driving brass and whirling rhythms perhaps at its rawest on their first album, Macsó
Hímzés (Fonó).
BudaFolkBand Magyar Világi Népzene (Fonó). The first recording by “Sons of Muzsi-
kas” band - which includes Sándor Csoóri and Márton Éri - develops traditional Hungarian
folk, drawing on its melodies and instrumentation.
Budapest Bar Budapest Bar 1 (EMI). The first album of the Robert Farkas cabaret band
is their best, with the supreme opening song “Szivemben bomba van” (There's a bomb in my
heart).
CsikEnsemble Ez a vonat, ha elindult, Hadd menjen… (Fonó). Rooted in the folk tradition,
the band works with pop musicians such as Tibor Kiss of the band Quimby, to powerful ef-
fect.
Di Naye Kapelye The band's three albums to date are the eponymous Di Naye Kapelye ,
A Mazeldiker Yid and Traktorist (all Oriente Musik), all terrific, and typically exuberant,
klezmer recordings, which make for immensely enjoyable listening. Traktorist features a
wonderfully jolly Communist-era ode to the Yiddish tractor.
HerczegFlóraésaPéldaulIgen Very enjoyable collection of songs by this young singer
from Eger and her group, led by trumpeter János Hámori.
Muzsikás The Bartók Album (Hannibal). Featuring Márta Sebestyén and the Romanian
violinist Alexander Balanescu, this manages to set the music of Bartók in its original context
- three of Bartók's violin duos are presented alongside original field recordings and record-
ings of his transcriptions by Muzsikás.
Morning Star (Hannibal) is another fine Muzsikás volume - interestingly, their record
company recommended slight changes and a softening of edges for this foreign edition of
Hazafelé (Hungaroton), the original Hungarian recording. Their latest release, 2004's Live
at the Liszt Academy of Music , which again stars Sebestyén, is a compilation of recordings
taken from successive appearances at the Budapest Spring Festival.