Gypsy Folk Songs from Hungary

This is an interesting and very listenable record of Hungarian Gypsy songs adapted for performance by the four young members of Kalyi Jag. Their approach to the Gypsy legacy is analogous to the treatment of folk material during the American folk music boom of the early '60s — to quote the liner notes, "the music they play is traditional, yet not quite: once folk music has been uprooted from the medium that produced and fosters it, once it is performed as an artistic production rather than used, it automatically alters, adjusting to its new (stage) function and setting." The end result is an album of 19 lovely vocal pieces, including energetic renditions of uniquely Gypsy singing techniques, with understated strings and percussion accompaniment. Compared to most field recordings, these three men and one woman sound almost too polished, but this fine studio recording is sure to delight many of you, especially fans of European folk song. ~ Roots & Rhythm, Rovi