Kolinda - 1976 - Kolinda

Kolinda

1976

Kolinda

01. Kantata (Cantate Populaire)
02. Szerelem
03. Duda Notak (Airs De Cornemuse)
04. Menyasszony (Airs De Noces De Szék)
05. Somogyi Ugros (Danses À Sauts De La Transdanubie)
06. Gyongy Virag/Kerek A Szőlő (Airs Csángós)
07. Gymesi Dalok Es Tancok (Air Csángó)
08. Peter Barna
09. Szeki Tancrend (Ordre De Danses De Szék)
10. Rabenek (Chant Des Prisonniers)

Vocals, Bass, Gardon, Oboe [Turkish], Bagpipes [Pied De La Cornemuse], Percussion – Iván Lantos
Vocals, Flute – Agnes Zsigmondi
Vocals, Tambura, Guitar, Strings [Gardon], Strings [Alto], Zither [Hungarian], Bells – Péter Dabasi
Vocals, Violin, Oboe [Turkish] – Ferenc Kis

When talking of the renewal of interest in folk music in Europe, most investigation tends to be centered on the Anglo/Celtic area, and the myriad gypsy traditions of the Balkans, lately with a coating of rather superficial trendiness (as exemplified by the bathetic outpourings of Beirut and his Electric Gulag Orchestra - I wasn't aware that Solzhenitsyn was a Rom - and those dodgy "Balkan Beats" compilations): call it the Emir Kusturica effect, or the Borat effect if you want to be more cynical.

Somehow the contributions of other countries (Mediterranean and Central European alike) get overlooked, so a quick flashback to that particularly fertile period for the renovation of folk tradition, the mid 70's, is in order. Let's use Kolinda as our guides. Formed in 1974 in Hungary, they quickly moved to France to record a set of ground-breaking albums, starting with this one, where the basic components of their own musical tradition were reassembled in the most intriguing way. Breathtaking vocal interplay and tricky time signatures already present in their raw material (but which always fall back on their feet, no self-indulgence is involved) make this listener almost giddy with pleasure. Fans of Steeleye Span and Gentle Giant's earlier recordings will probably find a lot to their liking here. Likewise, those in thrall to the acoustic jazz/folk wonders of Oregon (the band) could consider Kolinda as kindred spirits. Like Béla Bartók's more directly folk-inspired material (an obvious influence), this is gorgeous music, as adventurous as almost anything recorded by John Fahey or Jack Rose, but accessible to all but the most blinkered citizens of our kaleidoscopic planet.