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Artist Information
<B>Biréli Lagrène
<br></B>Biréli Lagrène was born September 4, 1966, in Saverne, Alsace, France. The son of Fiso Lagrène, a popular guitarist in pre-war France, Lagrène displayed a prodigious talent as a very young child. Born into a Gypsy community, his origins and his fleet, inventive playing style inevitably generated comparisons with Django Reinhardt, the legendary Belgian Gypsy guitarist. In 1978, he won a prize at a festival in Strasbourg and subsequently made a big impact during a televised Gypsy festival.
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<br>In his early teenage years Lagrène toured extensively playing concerts and festivals across Europe, often accompanying such distinguished jazz artists as Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Stéphane Grappelli, and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen. He also made his first record, <I>Routes To</I> <I>Django</I>, which helped prove that early estimates of his capabilities were not excessive.
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<br>An outstanding technician, Lagrène has absorbed influences other than Reinhardt, incorporating bebop phrasing, rock rhythms, and Brazilian music into his work. By the late 1980s, he had moved substantially away from his early Reinhardt-style to fully embrace jazz-rock and other musical fusions.
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<br>Lagrène returned to his roots with such brilliant recordings as <I>My Favorite Django</I> (1994) and <I>Blue Eyes</I> (1998), as well as appearances on violinist Didier Lockwood’s recording <I>Tribute To</I> <I>Stephane Grappelli</I> (2000) and the highly acclaimed <I>Gypsy Project</I>, which eminent jazz critic Gary Giddins hailed as "electrifying...his best work in years."
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<br>On <I>Gipsy Project & Friends</I>, Biréli burns a blue streak on the knuckle-buster "Babik," a blistering uptempo tune composed by Django for his guitar-playing son, Babik Reinhardt. Elsewhere, Biréli reveals his deep Gypsy soul on the mournful minor key "Ou Es-Tu Mon Amour" and the haunting ballad "Laura," composed by David Raskin and Johnny Mercer for the 1944 film of the same name. He oozes sheer <I>joie de swing</I> on infectious showstoppers like "Djangology," "Les Yeux Noirs," "Minor Swing," and "Artillerie Lourde," reprising the buoyantly swinging spirit of the Hot Club of France alongside the remarkable violinist Florin Niculescu, who reads Biréli’s mind the way Stephane Grappelli read Django’s.
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<br>Philippe Simonin Sound Engineer
<br>Christian Pegand Manager
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<br>Booking:
<br>International Music Network
<br>278 Main Street
<br>Gloucester, MA 01930
<br>www.imnworld.com
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<br><B>Taraf de Haïdouks
<br></B>"Their wild energy is the essence of Gypsy music…Their set seemed like the bubbling source of 20th century rhythm…They spun out cadences that recalled bebop, salsa, and the polyrhythms of Zimbabwe and Nigeria." (<I>The New York Times</I>)
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<br>Taraf de Haïdouks, from Romania, has catapulted to fame since its 1992 debut in the French Gypsy director Tony Gatlif’s acclaimed film <I>Latcho Drom</I>, which won awards at the Cannes Festival. The group’s first CD, <I>Musique Des Tsiganes De Ruomanie</I>, was hailed by the media, topped European World Music charts, and inaugurated a touring schedule that has continued for several years. Taraf de Haïdouks became the first real village band to tour widely and it took Europe by storm, at home on the concert stage or at all-night busking sessions at local bars or on the streets.
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<br>Taraf de Haïdouks ("band of honorable brigands") hails from the village of Clejani, near Bucharest, and represents three generations of musicians. They are extraordinary and colorful characters who have managed to energize the audiences at the biggest world music festivals through their rhythmically complex songs with grace, easy camaraderie, and sense of mischief.
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<br>The older members of the band, who play a more traditional style, interact dynamically with the younger members, who value rapid tempos and new musical elements, sometimes from other Balkan countries. Before becoming touring stars, Taraf de Haïdouks had never performed outside its region. The members are <I>lautari</I> (traditional musicians) who play at village events such as weddings and baptisms. In southern Romania, practically all <I>lautari</I> are male Roma-in Clejani alone, there are numerous <I>lautari</I>, all Roma.
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<br>The oldest typical southern Romanian Rom <I>taraf</I> (the word means "band" or "orchestra") consists of a melody instrument, an accompanying instrument (which varied by region), and a double bass, with singing done by the instrumentalists. Today there are more instruments, of which violin, <I>tambal</I> (hammered dulcimer), accordion (which replaced the <I>cobza</I>, a plucked short-necked lute), and double bass are considered essential.
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<br><I>Lautari</I> highly value improvisation, especially interpretations to fit specific occasions. They have large repertoires because the celebrations for which they are hired are attended by varied groups of people: rural and urban, old and young, male and female, Rom (Gypsy) and Romanian. Dance music, constructed of repeated melodic motifs, is an important part of the repertoire. Musicians string together melodies of contrasting mode and tonality to produce dances of varying lengths.
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<br>Although epic songs are declining in practice, they are the most venerated part of the vocal repertoire. Epics are traditional stories told in song; they are relatively long and describe the struggles of heroes (such as <I>haïdouks</I>) against foreign rulers, nobles, and more recently, greedy politicians. Epic singing entails a mastery of formulaic composition as well as a capacity for originality, combining traditions, and creativity. The melody and text of epics are variable-they are never performed the same way twice. Many Romanian studies insensitively ignore the Roma’s role in performing and composing epics, while hailing epics as national treasures. The most important ritual context for singing is the wedding, during which music heralds every important moment. The head <I>lautar</I> often acts as master of ceremonies.
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<br>During the 1970s, the government’s policy of homogenization under Ceausescu became more oppressive and Rom culture was increasingly targeted. Some Roma were removed from large government ensembles, where they constituted nearly 90% of professional musicians. The Rom ethnicity of musicians was frequently covered up and Roma were not allowed to perform in-group music, such as songs in Romani.
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<br>Since the 1989 revolution, life has considerably worsened for Romania’s approximately 2.5 million Roma. While they can now organize their own cultural and political organizations, they suffer numerous attacks on their homes, possessions, and persons. Groups like Taraf de Haïdouks salute the resilience of Rom music under trying conditions.
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<br>Divano Production
<br>92 Avenue Clemenceau
<br>1070 Brussels
<br>Belgium
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<br>Telephone +32 2 523 09 78
<br>Fax +32 2 523 09 39
<br>e-mail info@divanoprod.com
<br>website http://www.divanoprod.com
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When >
Fri • May 6, 2005 • 8:00 PM
Jackson Hall
General:
$36.00
/ $31.00
/ $26.00
Student:
$18.00
/ $15.50
/ $13.00
Child:
$18.00
/ $15.50
/ $13.00
Ticket prices do not reflect processing fees.
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