"Hungarian ensemble Vasmalom formed in the early 80’s, but their debut album didn’t come out until 1989. That first album has just been reissued on Periferic, along with the group’s second and third disks. Although differences exist in lineup, instrumentation, and arrangement among the three CDs, the similarities outweigh the relatively minor differences and these three albums can be thought of as all going together.
The music here can accurately be characterized as ‘Hungarian folk’, but only seven of the twenty-nine tracks on these CDs are based on traditional melodies. Rather, the majority are original compositions written in the style of different types of folksong. This includes frenzied peasant dances (such as “Thi-Dli-Dli-Dli Dli-Dli-Dli-Dliii” and “Ludasim, Pajtásim!”), mournful love songs and laments (à la “Gyere Velem Katonának…” and “Testvér…”), and religious chants (e.g. “Add Fel Isten Azt a Napot…”). Vasmalom also draws upon the musical traditions of Hungary’s Gypsies and other ethnic minorities in tunes like “Bolgár Cigány Horo” and “A Cimbalos Moldávai”. With so many different types of folk traditions being used, there is ample variety for the listener’s ear and things never get too repetitive. Moreover, the band regularly mixes up its instrumental palette, so that even songs of the same type never sound too similar. On one track, fiddles and cimbalom (Hungarian mandolin) may be the lead instruments, while the next may feature the gorgeous voice of singer Éva Molnár backed only by duda (Hungarian bagpipes) or tapan (an exotic sounding Czech flute). There are even a few tunes on which non-folk instruments are featured, such as the soprano sax lines in “Viharsarokk” and the harmonica solo in “Keresztutak”. Although Vasmalom is primarily a folk band, they do not adhere rigidly to traditional forms or stylings. A jazzy groove often colors the double-bass playing of both László Nemessányi (1st album) and Tibor Csuhaj-Barna (2nd and 3rd albums). The flautists (three different ones on the three albums) play with an aggressive, breathy tone reminiscent of Ian Anderson. Similar observations could be made, really, about all of the musicians here— they play their instruments precisely and skillfully, but with a raw energy more typical of rock than of folk. The arrangements, furthermore, leave more room for individual improvisation than is typical in folk music— especially the all-instrumental dance tunes, which often serve as occasions for soloing. Still, with the exception of the experimental eight-minute “Porondos Víz.…” (from the third album), there’s no mistaking that this is folk music— and not folk-rock,prog-folk, or the like. Perhaps the best comparison might be to Hungary’s own Kolinda, although it wouldn’t be too far off the mark to say that Vasmalom does the same sorts of things for Magyar music that Northside bands like Väsen and Groupa do for Swedish folk. Personally, my favorite of the three is the first, but that’s just a matter of taste. If you have any interest at all in Hungarian folk— you really can’t go wrong with any of these. Very highly recommended."

Jim Chokey Exposé Magazine 2002.


Vasmalom I.



01. Adj Istenem adj erőt a lovamnak (God Give Strength To My Horse)
02. Hej Tok lányok (Hey Girls)
03. Rab vagyok (Prisoner's Song)
04. Kecsketánc (Goats Dance)
05. Búbánat, Búbánat (Sorrow) Együd Árpád Emlékére
06. Tiii-Dli-Dli-Dli Dli-Dli-Dli-Dliii
07. Gyere velem katonának (Come With Me To Be A Soldier)
08. Hol jártál barjánkám? (Where Have You Been My Little Lamb)
09. Jár a kislány (Goes The Girl)
10.Ludasim, pajtásim (My Companions)

ANDRÁS DÓCZY - violin & vocal,
ÉVA MOLNÁR - lead vocal & kontra,
GÁBOR REŐTHY -mandocello, moldavian flute (bass), darbuka, jews harp, tapan, Roland S 50, vocal,
LÁSZLÓ NEMESSÁNYI - double bass & vocal, FERENC TOBAK - bagpipe, flute, long flute, moldavian flute.

Part I.
Part II.



Vasmalom II.



1. Dudanóta (Bagpipe Song)
2. Gergelem (Gergel Dance)
3. Szerelem (Love)
4. Kerekes /Péter Kertje/ (Ring Dance /Peter's Garden/
5. Járd ki lábam (Come On Feet, Dance)
6. Testvér (Brother) Együd Árpád Emlékére
7. Napra Csillag (Stars Follow The Sun)
8. Add fel Isten azt a napot (God Makes The Sun Rise)
9. Keresztutak - Négy Tétel (Crossroads - Four Movements)

KÁLMÁN BALOGH - cimbalom & viola,
TIBOR CSUHAJ-BARNA - double bass & vocals,
ANDRÁS DÓCZY - violin, lute & vocals,
ÉVA MOLNÁR - lead vocals, viola, pecussion bass viola,
GÁBOR REŐTHY - mandocello, tapan, darbuka & vocals,
BALÁZS SZOKOLAY - bagpipe, flutes, soprano sax, tilinkó, mouth harp, mongolian style singing.

Part I.
Part II.

Vasmalom III.



1. Dudanóta II. (Bagpipe Song II.)
2. Veres az ég (The Sun Sets Red)
3. Erdélyes (In Transilvanian Style) Traditional Transilvanian Song
4. Párját vesztett (Lonely Bird)
5. Gergelytánc (Gregory's Dance)
6. Porondos víz (On The Bank Of A Sandy River)
7. A cimbalmos moldvai (The One From Moldva With Cimbalom)
8. Szerelem II. (Love II.)
9. Viharsarokk (Viharsarock)

SZOKOLAY DONGÓ BALÁZS - bagpipes, flute, fujara, soprano sax, mongolian style singing,
BALOGH KÁLMÁN - cimbalom,
NYIRI LÁSZLÓ - violin,
MOLNÁR ÉVA - vocal,
PAPP ÁGNES -vocal,
REŐTHY GÁBOR - mandocello, tapan, tilinko,
CSUHAJ BARNA TIBOR - double bass.

Part I.
Part II.

11 Comments:

Anonymous said...

gracias.link 1 de vasmalon1 no funciona.

Bluesmen said...

The link is good, I checked it now. Test it again...

Anonymous said...

thank you!!
and i'm glad that not all files are hosted on rapidshare
it's too hard to download from rapidshare, they don't support resuming if downloading breaks

Anonymous said...

Hello Bluesmen! Do you know the years of this albums? I can't find anywhere... it's not so important for listening, but i want them for musical catalog

Bluesmen said...

Hello!:)

The date of original editions:
Vasmalom I. - 1990
Vasmalom II.- 1995
Vasmalom III. - 1996

All three were spent on new one in 2000. in one later.

Anonymous said...

thank you

Piribucz said...

Bluesman barátom, köszönöm!
Régi kedvenceim egyike a Vasmalom, de eddig mindenféle szedett-vedett minőségben tudtam csak összekapirgálni. (Tudom, vásároljam meg, de hát...)
Száz szónak is egy a vége, kiváló minőség, kiváló ízlés!
(Ui: a Barbaro második albumát fel tudnád tenni? Engem csak a Czirás felállás érdekel. Köszi!)

Dave said...

Many thanks for Vol I. I have already bought II and III on CD, but have never come across I.

electroym said...

In the Seventies I was a primal fan of KOLINDA.
They came to my place (Switzerland) and I bought their first albums (5 LP's).
With your fantastic blog I can come back to my first musical passion: Middle-Europa folk music.
I'd like to say one more thing, I really appreciate not only the quality of the music, but also all the pictures, comments, names and dates you put on with.
To recognize the musicians and the diverses influences they were coming thru and with wich group they played with is of the most interest for me to follow them along their career.
Thank you for this great blog!

Anonymous said...

Köszönet az alapos ismertetőért és a feltöltésekért!

aranyláz said...

Hello, can you refresh these links/albums? thank you

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