Csokolom – Ludo Luda CD 498

Description

CD 498

Modern? Ancient? Pink Panthers and Fools and the Queen with a moustache? All this and more. Csókolom, the quartet led by Jugoslav born Anti, plays the music of Greter Transylvania with raw energy and authenticity. This, their second CD, continues the excitement and improvisation of their debut disc, “May I Kiss Your Hand?” Arhoolie CD 469.

Anti von Klewitz – vocals, violin; Sander Hoving – kontra; Anneke Frankenberg – violin; Gregor Schäfer – double bass

1-4 Live, Freßco, Berlin, November 24, 2000. 7-10 Live, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, October 15, 2000. 12 Live, Freßco, Berlin, November 24, 2000. 13 Live, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, October 15, 2000. 16 Live, Freßco, Berlin, November 24, 2000. 18 Greenfields Studios, Amsterdam, December 2000. (All the rest – Studio recording in Berlin, November 2000).

Special thanks to Rinus Groeneveld of Greenfield Studios for his generous assistance, to the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam for allowing Csókolom to record the concert, and to Freßco in Berlin for offering their acoustically superb stage.

1. Mahala Arpad (Fools Rush Out) (1)
2. Introduction To Ludo Luda (The Fool)
3. Ludo Luda (The Fool)
4. Hochzeitstanz
5. A Csitari Hegyek Alatt
6. Pink Panther Theme
7. Lullaby
8. Gankino Horo
9. Anii Mei (Years Of My Life)
10. Hajnali
11. Jove Malaj Mome
12. Victor
13. Csillagok, Csillagok
14. L’infidele
15. Mult Ma-N Treaba Frunza-Ngusta
16. Gypsy Song
17. Megragjak A Tuzet
18. Khelimasko Shavo
19. Mahala Arpad (Fools Rush Out…) (2)
20. Pink Legenyes
21. Legenyes A Minor
22. Mahala
23. Szapora
24. Jadran
25. Legenyes
26. Dance Tune From Romania

REVIEW

“On Ludo Luda (Fools Fancy), jazz and classical music trained singer, composer and violinist Anti Von Klewitz leads the European-based Csókolom into further musical explorations of Greater Transylvanian blends of folk songs and recent compositions. Csókolom is a band of high end acoustic talent infusing this Balkan dance music of Hungarian, Rom, Serbian, and Romanian traditions, and tossing in just enough of it’s own jazz, classical, and Latin flavors to bend the traditional genres. Ludo Luda is Csókolom’s second album on Arhoolie (May I Kiss Your Hand remains available). “Mahala Arpad” is the blistering opener, followed by the qually rambunctious title track “Ludo Luda.” Klewitz is joined by Sander Hoving, Anneke Frankenberg on violin and viola, and Gregor Schäfer does duty on double-bass. Combined, they rip through these tunes with edge and excitement in a way that ups the stakes for Eastern European world music titles. The traditional klezmer wedding dance “Hochzeitstanz” and the old Hungarian folk song “A Csitari Hegyek Alatt” (“In the Mountains of Csitari”) are well selected folk tunes, and the men’s dance medley built around the “Pink Panther Theme” in enjoyable. English translations of the original Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian, Romanian, or Bulgarian lyrics help the language-challenged appreciate the thrust o these songs. On balance, Ludo Luda gets measured by our true test of time: we have already replayed it frequently in our household. My bet is that you’ll do the same.”

(Richard Dorsett — Victory Review)