Bluesmen's World(Music)

The names of Nikola Parov and Ágnes Herczku should not be introduced as their common work started 10 years ago and the several edited CDs prove that their work hasn’t lost interest and lead to new ways. Three years ago their solo CD entitled ‘I’ve got a lover’ showed that the folk songs are capable to revive in new conditions. Nikola Parov has selected the music in this CD from his existing and ever improving repertoire. It was recorded when the songs were fully developed and proved timeless based on the audience’s feedback. Thus, the Hungarian version of a composition of Richard Thompson is also on the CD, in addition to folk songs from the Balkan, Greece and Hungary.
An interesting feature is the song ‘To the woman’. As a difference from the other songs, the singer is the composer himself: Nikola Parov. The composition has been in the drawer for 2-3 years waiting for a male singer. Finally it was the song that has made the decision: it showed that it’s the composer who can sing it more honestly.

01. KataKata
02. Virágok vetélkedése
03. Szívet szívért
04. Télben szamár, nyárban ló
05. Történet a Múzeum utcában
06. A nőnek
07. Utolsó tánc
08. Fodo
09. Megéred még
10. Troitza bratya
11. Ya stani
12. Rabszolgád lettem
13. Rustyuluj

Ágnes HERCZKU - vocal
Nikola PAROV - guitars, kaval, mandolin, buzuki, gayda, violin, vocal, flutes

Featuring:
Sándor FÖDŐ - piano, percussion
Szlobodan WERTETICS - accordion
Dániel SZABÓ - cimbalom
Andreas LEHOUDIS (Sirtos Band) - vocal

Link

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com

Big thanks Frankie for the CD!

"Whenever I listened to vocal performances of Bartók's folk adaptations, I was always disturbed by the manner of the performance. I had the sense that I have to overcome the obstacle of convention in order not to be separated from the genuine Bartókean message. (...) Therefore I made up my mind to re-publish these adaptations in such a way that they retain both their etnologic and artistic authenticity. (...)
In the course of rehersals for tis CD, I became increasingly convinced that the musical world - the exploration of which Bartók called the happiest time of his life - entirely dwelled not only in his soul but also in his mind and in his music from note to note, though much of it has not been recorded in his scores. (...) He simply knew that he has no opportunity to have these tunes performed on stage the very same way he had collected them and how they echoed in his mind and in the imaginary ideal performances of his compositions. I am almost certain that if he could, Bartók would have followed the style and ornamentation of the collected folk tunes in the most faithful way, paying careful attention to even the slightest minutiae. By assembling this CD, we pursued this Bartokean dream. This very same dream was what had previously motivated the foundres of the dance house movement, I consider it fairly appropriate to fulfill Bartók's dreams through the publication of his adapations also. Beside Bartók's sheet music, the present record is based on the contemporaneous vocal performances of the original folksongs he had collected and composed adaptations of. Except from the emphatic first and last pieces, the pieces on the present record have been grouped according to the three already published cycles, with special attention to the order Bartók himself had assembled for his concerts. The spelling of the Hungarian lyrics is based on the spelling of the sheet music."

Kelemen László

01. Juhászcsúfoló / Shepherd's mocking song
02. Elindultam szép hazámbul / Far behind I left my country
03. Általmennék én a Tiszán ladikon / By the river I will take a little boat
04. Nem messze van ide kis Margitta / Lies a village hidden in this valley
05. Végigmentem a tárkányi sej, haj, nagy uccán / Brisk and early, long before the noise of day began
06. Fehér László lovat lopott / László Fehér stole a stallion
07. A gyulai kert alatt, kert alatt / In the summer fields a fine harvest groves
08. Fekete főd, fehér az én zsebkendőm / Snow-white kerchief, dark both field and furrow show
09. Istenem, istenem, áraszd meg a vizet / Coldly runs the river, reedy banks o'erflowing
10. Töltik a nagy erdő útját / All the lads to war they've taken
11. Ha kimegyek arr'a magos tetőre / If I climb the rocky mountains all day through
12. Asszonoyk, asszonyok, had' legyek társatok / Women, women, listen, let me share your labour
13. Eddig való dolgom a tavaszi szántás / Spring begins with labour; then's the time for sowing
14. Annyi bánat a szűvemen / Skies above are heavy with rain
15. Olvad a hó, csárdás kis angyalom, tavasz akar lenni / Snow is melting, oh; my dear, my darling...
16. Pár-ének / Pair-song
17. Régi keserves / Old Lament
18. Bujdosó-ének / Wandering Song
19. Panasz / Complaint
20. "Hatforintos" nóta / "Six-forints" Song
21. Pásztornóta / Sheperd's Song
22. Székely "lassú" / Székely "Slow"
23. Székely "friss" / Székely " Fast"
24. A tömlöcben / In Prison

Herczku Ágnes - voice
Djerdj Tímea - piano
Kincses Margit - piano

Link

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com

Big thanks Frankie for the CD!

Ökrös, undoubtedly one of the leading folk music ensembles today, play mainly Transylvanian folk music. Led by the brilliant violinist Csaba Ökrös, they are one of the best interpreters of this type of folk music and on this new release are joined by other musicians of equal excellence: Kálmán Balogh on Cimbalom, Aladár Csiszár on violin, and Ágnes Herczku on vocals.

The theme of this recording is one of the most famous Hungarian folksongs. The song "I Left My Sweet Homeland" became the most important symbol and "song of belonging" to Hungarians living in Hungary. Also to the millions of emigrants who were forced to leave their homeland; and to other millions who, due to the turbulent border changes of the twentiest century, found themselves in their own homes as "citizens" of an alien land.

"The Ökrös Ensemble, led by the brilliant violinist Csaba Ökrös, are probably the finest interpreters of Transylvanian village music in the world. On I Left My Sweet Homeland, the five regular members of the ensemble are joined by Aladár Csiszár, a Gypsy violinist who is one of the last great players of traditional village music; Ágnes Herczku, a young singer who is one of the leading figures in the Hungarian folk music revival; and Kálmán Balogh, one the most accomplished cymbalom players in Europe. On tracks such as "Rábaközi Karéj, dus, Csárdás és Friss," a collection of dance tunes that features the ringing tones of Balogh's cymbalom, or the "Máramarosi Román és cigány Dallamok," a medley of Gypsy tunes, the band navigates the intricate rhythms and complex melodies with aplomb. But the finest moments on this collection come when Herczku steps up to the microphone. Whether she is singing a lively melody like "Csingerálás (The Gypsy Jumping Dance)" or the moving a cappella lament "I Left My Sweet Homeland," she infuses the music with a passion that is rarely equaled."

1. Gyimesi keserves
2. Csabai (Mezőség) keserves, szökős, ritka és sűrű magyar
3. Magyarszováti, széki csárdás
4. Rábaközi karéj, Dús, csárdás és friss
5. Csiszár Aladár nótái (Asztali és forduló)
6. Máramarosi román és cigány dallamok
7. Kalotaszegi mulató nóták, invirtita és cel iute (forgatós és sebes), szapora és keserves
8. Csigány csingerálások
9. Elindultam szép hazámból...

Csaba Ökrös - violin
Miklós Molnár - violin
László Mester - violin, violas, drum
László Kelemen - 3 stringed viola
Róbert Doór - double bass, guitar

Guests:
Ágnes Herczku - voice
Aladár Csiszár - violin
Kálmán Balogh - cimbalom

Link

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com

A unique project from Fonó Records in Hungary featuring Ágnes Herczku, members of Hegedős, Vándor Vokál and others.
Singer Agnes Herczku and band with an enthralling collection of folk songs from the diverse Hungarian repertory: traditional folk songs, gipsy dances, shepherd's songs, wedding marches and even some drinking songs. Intelligent and inspired music which is articulated around some splendid elaborate vocal harmonies with a significant number of guests. Song topics range from The Wheat Must Ripen to The Tears of Women all of which are eloquently rendered. The instrumentation is precise and effective (violins, percussions, flute, accordion and dulcimer). A complex heritage organized around a talented and impressive group of musicians.

01. Oh, secret love (Folk song from Magyarbőd)
02. It begins secretly (Csárdás from Magyarbőd )
03. So that I don't need paint on my cheeks (Lament and „Hungarian” from Magyarszovát)
04. On the corner of her rosemary pillow (Dawn song and lads' dance from Kalotaszeg)
05. Three nights, three days (Csárdás and swift from Kalotaszeg)
06. Memory of Josko Kura (Bagpipe songs form Zoborvidék)
07. The wheat must grow ripe (Gypsy dance and „orphan song” from Nyirvasvári)
08. I lost my horse (Shepherds' songs for stick dance from Gömör)
09. When I go out to the hill in Daróc (“Hallgató” and melodies from Nagydaróc)
10. „Whose soul is wine” (Drinking songs from Bodrogköz)
11. My sweetheart, you took my sense away (“Oláhos”, csárdás and „fogás” from Bodrogköz)
12. Tears of women (Ruthenian chorovods from Sáros)
13. Huculka (Ruthenian music from Técső)
14. In memoriam Bohumil Hrabal (Wedding march from Jóka)

Fonó Folk Band:
Ágnes Herczku – vocals
Gergely Agócs – vocals, flute, bagpipe, tárogató
Tamás Gombai – vocals, violin
Gábor Szabó – vocals, violin
Sándor D. Tóth – vocals, second violin, viola, guitar, drum
Zsolt Kürtösi – vocals, double-bass, accordion

With the contribution of:
Balázs Unger – dulcimer, little dulcimer

Vándor Vokál band:
Katalin Bakó – vocals
Szilvia Bognár – vocals
Tünde Farkaš – vocals
Katalin Izsák – vocals

Ágnes Szalóki – vocals
Adrienn Buzássy – vocals
Júlia Zsákay – volcals
Ádám Pettik – water can, oral bass

Link

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com

"When you come from a country whose musical tradition has already been covered so well by the huge talent of Márta Sebestyén, you certainly need a very good reason to find the courage to put out a similar record.

Ágnes Herczku has every right to feel vindicated by her decision to do just that. In Gold and Blue is reminiscent of Sebestyén but is different enough and personal enough to allow Herczku to claim a part of that tradition as her own.

So, this album which is: "...not only about love, though it is mainly about that" and which speaks of: "...love's pleasures and miseries - things we would rather just sing to ourselves", as she says in the introduction, is venturing into familiar territory, albeit discovering in the process unfathomable levels of sorrow and passion in those traditional songs. Sorrow so heart-wrenching that even reading the translated lyrics asks for nerves of steel and passion so strong that it leads one into questioning the open-mindedness of our so-called 'progressive' times.

Passion and sorrow, however, are often the two sides of the same coin, a low-valued one that speaks of crushing poverty and soul-wrenching fatigue. Of women forced to marry just to combine the cattle of the two families into a substantive flock, of resilient mothers who cannot support their children's emotional needs, of young boys and girls who break every rule in order to make do in an inhospitable environment. And although on a surface level those stories seem like tales from a vicious past, soon you realize how many people face the same kind of problems today. The Brazilian girls looking for a sugar daddy abroad over the Internet, the Eastern European girls following their consumerist dreams to sexual slavery in the Liberal West, the Albanian, Mexican and Nigerian men crossing the frozen Mediterranean and the punishing desert to the American Dream or to the European Welfare State.

You think of those things while the "gypsy" violins play out their usual tales of "Hungarianess." We all know what to expect: Bartók has already showed the way and Márta Sebestyén has sung about it. Yet the fire that burns inside this music transcends all stereotypes and melts all our expectations. The recording is of such detail that small musical structures fill the room. The stories leap out of the speakers. And Ágnes Herczku sings beautifully, in a way that is both full of feeling with just a touch emotional detachment. These stories are meaningful to her, but are not her own and she points out the difference, lest we are misled into believing we know how it is to feel like that.

This is a demanding, difficult record that points the way to the greater mysteries of life, and particularly love; a journey more than a recording."

1. Prológus / Prologue
2. Hazám, hazám... / My Home, My Home…
3. Költözik a vándormadár... / The Wandering Bird Moves On…
4. Mikorjára menyecske lesz... / When Will A Bride Be Of This Girl…
5. Egy menyasszonyé / A Bride’s
6. Felvidéki párosítók / Match Making Songs
7. Volt nékem szeretőm... / I Had a Lover…
8. Verd meg, Isten... / God Strike Down…
9. Bánjad, asszony, bánjad... / Deplore It, Woman…
10. Arany és kék / Blue And Gold
11. Epilógus / Epilogue

Ágnes Herczku – voice
Gergely Agócs – wooden flute
Kálmán Balogh – cimbalom
Róbert Doór – double bass
Pál Dsupin – wooden flute
Sándor D. Tóth “Satya” – viola
Géza Fábri – Moldavian lute
Tamás Gombai – violin
Zsolt Kürtösi – double bass
László Mester – viola
Miklós Molnár – violin
Csaba Ökrös – violin
Gábor Szabó “Suvi” - violin

Part I.
Part II.

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com

Perhaps the greatest musical surprises of recent years have been those musical experiments which approach the most beautiful songs of the treasure of Hungarian folk music in an unexpected way, that is, not with the accompaniments of authentic folk music, but rather within quite different musical environment. As a result, many musical phenomena have been accepted which might earlier have seemed inconceivable. Now we know that folk songs can be accompanied just as wonderfully by a stylishly composed jazz arrangement, in a similar way to world music, which gains inspiration from the instrumental traditions of other peoples and places emphasis on their spiritual affinity. The album ‘From Mouth to Mouth’ is sure to attract attention both in Hungary and further afield and bring yet more success to all those involved in the project.

01. Somogyindia
02. Sem eső / No Rain Falls
03. Tűzugrás / Fire Jumping
04. Elmegyek / I'm Leaving
05. Jólesik / It Feels Good
06. Apókáé / For Grandpa
07. Anyókáé / For Grandma
08. Lidlidli
09. Édes kicsi galambom / Sweetest Little Dove Of Mine
10. Gyújtottam gyertyát / I lit A Candle
11. Betlehem / Betlehem
12. Paradicsom / Paradise

Ágnes Herczku, Ági Szalóki, Szilvia Bognár - voice
Gábor Juhász - guitar
Nikola Parov - kaval, nickelharpa, low whistle, whistle, gadulka, gayda, bouzouki
László Mester - violin, viola, hit cello
Zoltán Kovács - double bass
András Dés - percussion

Link

The music on the album is a fusion of Hungarian, Irish and Bulgarian folk, presented with an authenticity and ease that forges the different traditions into a unified work of art. The arrangement makes use of the traditional instruments of the three cultures, surprising the listeners with a multicultural swirl of music. The album shows Parov’s vision clearly: even though nations and cultures are different, the music offers an universal way of expressing human feelings; we share our feelings of love and sadness with each other and a music expressing these feelings is addressed to every one of us. That’s the way Nikola’s music becomes everyone’s music.

01.Ha te tudnád
02.Shto Kaszmete
03.Bánatra
04.Volt nékem szeretőm
05.Édes voltál, kedves voltál
06.Férfiszívről
07.Átkozott gyötrelem
08.Két ragyogó szép szemedért...
09.Se nem eső
10.Tavasz után
11.Ha te tudnád [Remix]

Link