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| Left: One of the dazzling dancers from the group, Maharaja (formerly known as Musafir). Top: The troupe of musicians from Maharaja, who hail from the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan, the original home of the Gypsies. Bottom: Spain's mesmerizing Antonio El Pipa Flamenco Ensemble. |
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| A 1,000 Year Journey Brings The Gypsy Caravan Tour Back To North America Music And Dance From The Roma People Energizes Our Concert Stages "..splendid...pays tribute to the Roma as concert artists of wide range and supreme virtuosity... dazzling." - The New York Times Gypsy Caravan 2, which follows the huge success of the Gypsy Caravan Tour in 1999, features over two dozen musicians and dancers in an incredible display of Roma (Gypsy) traditions from Rajasthan, Macedonia, Romania and Spain. The 15-city tour provides North Americans with an opportunity to learn about and compare some of the diverse traditions that have been nurtured and maintained by Gypsies. These concerts, which can be described as Latcho Drom on stage, use a similar format to Tony Gatlif's critically acclaimed film, which follows the migration of the Roma people from Rajasthan (India) to Western Europe. This tour is organized by World Music Institute, the nation's premier producer of traditional music and dance from around the world The four featured groups are: Maharaja (formerly known as Musafir), the dazzling troupe of musicians and dancers from the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan, the original home of the Gypsies; Macedonia's passionate vocalist Esma Redzepova, the Queen of the Gypsies who has performed worldwide for over forty years, and who will appear with Ensemble Teodosievski; the 10-member Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia, which creates a musical fireworks display with its dizzying tempos and intricate rhythms; and Spain's mesmerizing Antonio El Pipa Flamenco Ensemble, featuring the formidable Antonio El Pipa and his aunt, Juana la del Pipa, who were singled out for brilliant performances in the acclaimed Gypsy Passion on Broadway. The Gypsies constitute a people with little written history whose roots are subject to controversy and whose culture has had a profound effect throughout the world. From the time of their earliest migrations from the Rajasthani desert nearly a thousand years ago, the Roma people have been persecuted and reviled, sometimes for their beliefs, sometimes for their nomadic way of life, and sometimes just for being different. They were cast out as heretics from 15th century Spain, hunted down like animals in France, England, and other parts of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries, and almost annihilated by the Nazis and their allies. Currently, with the demise of communism, they are treated as less than human under some of the nationalist governments of Eastern and Central Europe, and have become scapegoats of skinheads and village mobs. Without a united political or religious front, Roma have been forced to live on the fringes of society. Today a political and cultural mobilization movement is emerging all over the Roma diaspora. Throughout all the centuries of persecution, Gypsy culture has not only flourished, but also has made a significant contribution to European culture. Above all, in the world of music and dance we are indebted to the inventiveness, power, and sheer joy provided by Gypsy musicians the world over. It is virtually impossible to imagine a wedding in Central Europe without a Gypsy band; in the Balkans, many professional music genres have been greatly impacted by Roma; Roma have played a significant role in preserving older layers of rural instrumental music, including tunes collected in Romania and Hungary by Bartok and Kodaly; and Roma music is the heart of the flamenco tradition in southern Spain. At a time when Gypsies are beginning their long road towards emancipation in Central and Eastern Europe, when Roma leaders are beginning to emerge and when Roma history and culture are finding their way into the annals of scholarship, it is fitting that we celebrate this rich and varied culture. The Artists Maharaja (formerly Musafir) ".their devotional songs uplift and mesmerise as players come together in a frenzy, palms uplifted in supplication." - The Independent, London Maharaja, the acclaimed ensemble that captivated audiences across the U.S. as part of the first Gypsy Caravan tour, comes from the windswept Great Thar Desert in Rajasthan ("the land of kings") in northwestern India. One of the busiest touring ensembles from the Indian subcontinent, Maharaja is composed of musicians from different backgrounds who would not ordinarily play together, but here create an exciting fusion. Maharaja is composed of Hindus and Muslims from the colorful Langa, Manghaniyar, and Sapera (snake charmers) groups, defying traditional barriers of caste and religion. Their diverse repertoire focuses on folk and popular music and sinuous dances from Rajasthan, the original homeland of the Roma people. Their instruments include sarangi (bowed lute), pungi (snake charmer flute), aloogoza (double flute), manjira (small cymbals), khartal (wooden castanets), and dholak (barrel drum). With their boundless musical energy, Maharaja has played more than five hundred concerts in forty countries since 1995. The group performed at many festivals across Europe, including WOMAD; some of the members appeared in Tony Gatliff's film Latcho Drom. Maharaja's most recent CD, Dhola Maru, is on the Sounds True label. Esma Redzepova "Esma has the belting chops of a Big Mama Thornton." - sonicnet.com Esma Redzepova, from Skopke, was the first Rom singer to become a commercial success with non-Rom audiences. Raised in a poor Jewish/ Muslim Rom family, she went on to become a great diva of Macedonian song and an acclaimed ambassador of Rom music. She has performed since the age of twelve and was discovered by the renowned musician/ composer/ bandleader Stevo Teodosievski who became her mentor, musical partner and later her husband. Their ensemble became one of the most popular groups in the Balkan region. They made hundreds of recordings together, several of which became "gold." They toured extensively, filling concert halls and stadiums in Europe, Australia, China, Pakistan, Africa and the Middle East. During their life together, Stevo and Esma adopted 47 orphans and street children into their home, which evolved into a school of folk music. Esma continued her career after Stevo's death in 1997, continuing to perform with the Ensemble Teodosievski. Composed of members of Stevo and Esma's music school, the group is composed of Simeon Atanasov (accordion), Elvis Huna (bass accordion), Tasko Grujovski (contrabass), Zekiroski Sami (clarinet), Zahir Ramadanov (trumpet) and Elama Rasidov (tarabuka - drum). Esma can be heard on Songs of A Macedonian Gypsy (Monitor) and the recent Chaje Shukarije (Times Square/World Connection), as well as the Gypsy Queens and Road of the Gypsies Network compilations. Fanfare Ciocarlia ". generates high-energy tunes without using a volt of electricity. ...this fast and fun folk music is surprisingly accessible and listenable." - Newsday "We're one of the last ensembles of our kind where we come from and we're the fastest of them all." - Ioan Ivancea (clarinet) The Fanfare Ciocarlia brass band, composed of 10 musicians ranging in age from 22 to 68, perform traditional dance melodies and rhythms from Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria and Macedonia - music handed down through generations - on a wide array of clarinets, trumpets, euphoniums, tubas, and bass drum. The band hails from Zece Prajini ("ten fields"), a secluded village in northeastern Romania that lies in the shadows of the Carpathian Mountains and borders the former Soviet Republic of Moldavia. Fanfare Ciocarlia is one of the last representatives of the Gypsy brass band tradition in Romania. (The tradition has declined in recent years, with large brass bands giving way to smaller, more portable bands.) In addition to traditional pieces with its own distinctive flair, the band adapts melodies from Bollywood to Hollywood and international radio hits to its extensive repertoire. Its high-spirited, propulsive music can be heard on the soundtrack of Emir Kusutrica's film Underground and on two acclaimed recordings, Radio Pascani and Baro Biao - World Wide Wedding, on the Piranha label. The band has performed at hundreds of festivals and concerts throughout Europe and currently has a CD in stores titled, Iag Bari - The Gypsy Horns from the Mountain Beyond. Gypsy Caravan 2 will be its first U.S. tour. Antonio El Pipa Flamenco Ensemble "The Antonio El Pipa Flamenco Ensemble from Spain brought down the house.." - The New York Times The Antonio El Pipa Flamenco Ensemble includes some of the finest Gypsy musicians and dancers of Andalusia in southern Spain. The ensemble, which was part of the first Gypsy Caravan, has been acclaimed throughout Europe and the U.S. for its soulful performances in the traditional Gypsy flamenco style. Antonio El Pipa (dance), is joined by his charismatic aunt, Juana la del Pipa (dance, vocals), who "sings with an indomitable, gravelly voice that conjures age-old melancholy and resolve (The New York Times)," and dancers and musicians on guitar, percussion and vocals. Antonio El Pipa, from Jerez, comes from a dynasty of Gypsy artists, which includes his late grandmother, the legendary Tia Juana la del Pipa. He has appeared with Manuel Moreno, Cristina Hoyos and Juana Amaya, among others, and received many dance awards, among them two of the highest awards in the XVI National Contest of Flamenco Arts of Cordoba. Remaining North American Tour Dates for November, 2001 Gypsy Caravan 2 Featuring. Maharaja (formerly Musafir), India Esma Redzepova, Macedonia Fanfare Ciocarlia, Romania Antonio El Pipa Flamenco Ensemble, Spain 11/1 THU Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts 11/2 FRI Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Kalakendra Organization 11/4 SUN Medford, OR - Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, One World Series 11/5 MON Eugene, OR - Silva Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts 11/6 TUE Arcata, CA - John Van Duzer Theatre, CenterArts/Humboldt State University 11/7 WED Berkeley, CA - (concert) Zellerbach Auditorium, Cal Performances, UC Berkeley 11/8 THU Berkeley, CA - (children's program) Zellerbach Auditorium, Cal Performances, UC Berkeley 11/9 FRI Austin, TX - Hogg Auditorium, Performing Arts Center UT Texas 11/11 SUN Houston, TX - Jones Hall, Theater District (Downtown), Indo-American Association
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