World Beat > Gypsy Roma > Music CD details

Karandila Brass Band and others

Music from the film
'Gypsy Summer - Tales of Surviving'

Musicians:
Children from the neighbourhoods in Rakitova and Draginova, Bulgaria
Anita Christi - voice
Milan Alvazov-Mutzi - cymbal
Ventzislav Takev - violin
The Carandilla Brass Orchestra
Angel Tichaliev - trumpet, conductor, arrangements

Label - Kuker Music
Released - 1999

Music from the film 'Gypsy Summer' directed by Milan Ognanov

'As a well-known gypsy story goes, when allotting musicians to each country, God forgot all about Bulgaria. An angel asked: "What about dropping one down there?", to which God replied: "Shut up, you silly! We're takin' em from down there!"

Although not very popular throughout the world, Bulgarian gypsy music has something of the universal nature of time. The musical repertoire of Balkan gypsies is unique in its variety and it's played with an inimitable feeling of freedom and imagination, sensuality and talent. It unites time and space within the multi-coloured canvas of world music and thus builds up a symbolic dialogue between different cultures.

This CD presents the music from the film "Gypsy Summer - Tales of Surviving" (1998), directed by Milan Ognianov. The film is a journey through the life of gypsies - "the children of fire and love", as named by Anita Kristi, gypsy singer and guide in the camera rovings on the road in Bulgaria. The songs are a powerful reverberation of the misery and the joyfulness of the gypsy people who have always been persecuted and have come to find their ethnical identity and their strength to survive within the space of music. 

This musical "Gypsy Summer" represents a colourful bunch of fiery music, joining musicians of different ages (5 to 75) coming from different corners of Bulgaria, as well as combining various genres and styles (from Anita Christi's European ballad and romance to a more Balkan and Oriental mood in the music of the Carandilla Orchestra). Anita's duende, the vibrations of her deep and sensual voice might well rival with the sweet sound of the not-so-popular-in-Bulgaria cymbal, played by Milan Aivazov (aged 75). Similarly, Ventzislav Takev's "golden violin" meets the lively rhythms of the Carandilla Wind Orchestra from Sliven, headed by trumpet player Angel Tichaliev, descendant of a famous family of musicians. The result is a sparkling mix of Balkan fusion, Oriental kucek and overseas jazz, which takes you to another dimension - that of the ever-bustling gypsy funfair…

'With brass instruments the ten-person gipsy band Karandila presents traditional as well as modern gipsy rhythms - an expressive experience of oriental tradition.'

'The music radiates joy and tragic at the same time - a bittersweet taste. In the different symbols of the play - wedding party or travel, landscape or colour pictures of melancholy develop - a song without words. In the freedom and virtuosity of these musicians the emotional lyrics of nomads is awakening. In the summer of 2000 Karandila made a tour with GORAN BREGOVIC in Italy.'

"Karandila is a wedding band which lasts out extremely long. And they play more lively, agile and more jazzlike than traditional bands. This brass orchestra mainly plays its own compositions. With ist drum metres reminding of the „second line" rhythms of the New Orleans Jazz Karandila is celebrating a Balkan music which makes you believe jazz was not invented in America but on the weddings of the Balkan."
Günther Huesmann

"We have walked many ways already - sometimes we even met some good people then." The sad refrain of „Djelem Djelem", the inofficial hymn of the Roma, witnesses centuries of suppression and prosecution. But when Michailov Ticheliev, head of the Bulgarian brass orchestra Karandila starts to play his trumpet you might think the song had been made in Bourbon Street in New Orleans. 

The world is coming together, also in music. Karandila, the wedding orchestra from Sliven, was certainly the most folkloristic contribution at the „Jazz Across the Border" festival in Berlin ... Even with this traditional gipsy orchestra some phrasation is obvsiously taken from jazz. The ten-man band has concert experience; the CD with the title „Stories of the Survival" - excellently produced - has recently been released. On stage, however, little is felt about this programmatic claim to point out to the situation of an ethnic minority. Here pure love of life is ruling. Karandila is playing what they mainly earn their bread with - wedding music. And this makes the audience absolutely excited.

The term „Blues of the Balkan" is really true. Despite the impetuous, nearly anarchistic temperament there are overtones of some melancholy. The musicians are merrily improvising ... a firework of speedy runs."
Uwe Sauerwein / Berliner Morgenpost 

£

Karandila Brass Band and others

Music from the film
'Gypsy Summer - Tales of Surviving'

This symbol  indicates an mp3 sound clip for that track. Click on the symbol and wait for the clip to start. For more information click here. Tracks

1. Na mrykvane (At dusk) 2. Malina Malina (Malina Malina) 3. Chakam da doidesh (I’m waitin for you to come) 4. Orient Ekspres (Orient Express) 5. Strast (Passion) 6. Tarikat (Tarikat) 7. Zabulvaneto (Zabulvaneto-bride’s veiling) 8. Kiucheka Lechkov (Kiucheka Lechkov) 9. Tsigansko lyato (Gypsy Summer) 10. Himn (Hymn) 11. Nie sme po garite (Railway stations live) 12. Strav (Greed) 13. Shotlandska gaida (A Scottish bagpipe) 14. Bedniya Ali (Poor Ali) 15. Ot malak do golyam (From little to big) 16. Fiesta (Fiesta) 17. Sledobyad v mahalata (Afternoon in the neighbourhood) 18. Amerikanskoto (Amerikanskoto)

Duration (63'19")