Okros Ensemble: Gypsy Folk at Williams College

by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Oct. 8, 1999) - There is much talk these days about the so-called global village, the shrinking of borders and the development of one world culture. The increasing popularity of "world music," attested to by the standing-room-only turnout for a Hungarian folk music concert at Williams College on Thursday night, is but one manifestation of this trend. And as such, the concert provided plenty of opportunities to ponder the many thorny issues raised by globalization, folk-culture "revival," and cultural appropriation.

Thursday's [Oct. 7] concert in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, the first in a new "Widing World Music Series," consisted of two parts. The first half featured the Okros Ensemble, a leading Hungarian revivalist group with roots in the 1970s "tanchaz," or dance-house, movement, which saw young, classically-trained musicians such as Csaba Okros and Laszlo Kelemen scour the countryside in search of examples of village folk music, which had been neglected or suppressed by the Communist authorities as counterrevolutionary in spirit. Okros was followed after a brief intermission by Kalman Balogh and the Gypsy Cimbalom Band, a Budapest-based group that played contemporary Hungarian fusion music with one foot in the villages and the other in the urban nightclub.

Suffice it to say that the concert was a rousing success. The music of both groups was for the most part lively and happy, with occasional poignant moments balanced with a healthy portion of humor. Several of the musicians, including cimbalomist Balogh and violinist Laszlo Major, were clearly virtuosos on their instruments, and the show was well-paced and accessible, all the more so for the helpful explanations of the material provided by the respective leaders of the groups.

With five violins, the seven-piece Okros Ensemble was a rich, miniature orchestra. On some numbers, three of the five fiddlers would play the melody in unison, while the other violinists provided the sekunda parts, or the rhythmic counterpoint. The result was a deeply propulsive, driving quality, no doubt indicative of the music's origins as major-key dance music.

Okros's featured attraction was the 77-year-old Transylvanian village fiddler, Sandor Fodor "Neti," who is evidently one of the last surviving musicians of his ilk. With his full shock of white hair, his impish grin and his fair share of showmanship, "Neti" served as a kind of talisman or fetish, presumably intended to lend the proceedings an air of authenticity.

There was a hint of the sideshow in the presentation of "Neti," just as there was in the comic gypsy fiddling by Sandor Budai of Balogh's group. Perhaps this clowning-around aspect is part of the tradition itself, but clearly it had a more base effect on the audience.

Again, it is hard to fault the musicians, who were skillful and inventive. Balogh's brand of "gypsy jazz" builds modern improvisations atop traditional folk and dance forms. The Romanian-derived "Calusul Dance" emphasized speed and virtuosity, and bassist Csaba Novak's slap technique gave the number a slight rockabilly feel. "Gypsy Colours" began with a flamenco flavor, with Budai strumming his violin like a mandolin or guitar, and transformed into an all-group vocalese number. Another piece gave a Hungarian folk tune a bossa nova twist, and "Hora de la Bim-Bim" mined the heretofore unknown relationship between Romanian folk and boogie-woogie.

In sum, it was music that was highly suggestive and resonant of the native spirit of its land. It was music that stood on its own and didn't need the aid of gimmickry nor the air of authenticity on loan - nor the promotional claims to be "the music that inspired Bartok" - to convince listeners of its inherent beauty and value. It was music that clearly has a place in the global village, however tainted its presentation was by the global marketplace.

Search by Artist Name Album Title