Just had a great visit with bandura virtuoso Julian Kytasty.  Ever since I heard him play this celestial instrument I've been wanting to spread the word, so on this particular installment of the blog I kept my mouth shut and just let Julian do his thing.

I hope you enjoy it; it's gonna be in two parts because it ran rather long, and I couldn't bear to cut it all down. The first post here is just one composed piece, and the second part is to come; it'll be more about the traditional repertoire. The meeting was also fun because he lives in what used to be the predominantly Slavic section of Manhattan, has lived there for 30 years and so knows where you can still get the best potato pirogy. (Which turns out to be a weekend church kitchen run by some sprightly elderly ladies.) And yes, we went there and had some mighty FINE home-made borscht and pirogy!

UPDATE on the Lost Fingers:  for those of you who got hooked on the band from my last post, Sony will be bringing them back to the US for an official PUSH in July. They're up for a Juno award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy.

UPDATE on the NY Gypsy Festival, the next event will be taking place at Le Poisson Rouge with Slavic Soul Party and Scott Kettner's Forro Brass band. Scott Kettner is a true Brazil Nut, who fronts  his own Nation Beat band, fusing the music of Northeastern Brazil with -gulp- Country classics.

Don't laugh, Willie Nelson loves them! Hmmmmm...Maybe it's time to vlog the guy. (Scott, not Willie.)

On April 21, 2009 I went to see "The Lost Fingers", a trio from Canada who do Django-esque covers of 80's hits. The guys were amiable as you'll see in my hyper interview... they took my needling in good stride.

I confess I have a low tolerance for an evening's worth of even a master like Birelli LaGrene, but these guys put on a good show. Tight tight tight, and great arrangements. Plus they all sing, the backup harmonies are excellent (accurate falsettos) and they don't take themselves all that seriously. Highlights were a fabulous cover of "Belleville Rendez-vous," and Kool and the Gang's "Fresh, Exciting."

But of course, I still have to ask (since I think it is open to debate) is Gypsy Jazz really world music?  I know, I know, he's got his own chapter in the "Rough Guide to World Music," but we'll never know how Django's being a gypsy influenced the music he made. And yes, by now there are thousands of Roma out there who claim the music as their own. But there are equally as many gadjé who play le jazz hot.  Feel free to weigh in on this one, folks.