Gypsy spirit soars at IU

Critically-acclaimed cimbalom player Kalman Balogh and the Gypsy Cimbalom Band will present a concert titled "The Music of Gypsy Spirit" tomorrow. According to www.gypsyspirit.org, the show will feature exotic Turkish music and dances, Spanish Flamenco, Bulgarian footwork and melodies, Romanian tunes performed at breathtaking speed and refined csardases from Hungary and Transylvania. This particular tour of America started in February, and the group has five performances left after its trip to Bloomington.\nLynn Hooker, an IU faculty member in Central Eurasian Studies, attended the band's show in Toronto earlier this month. \n"I'm so glad we could get him to come to Bloomington with his band," she said. "They're a really fun group … they're fantastic."\nOne of the band's biggest appeals is Balogh and his cimbalom. The cimbalom is an instrument resembling the hammer dulcimer, only bigger, according to Hooker. Balogh has traveled to remote locations and studied the indigenous music of the Roma, or Gypsy, people. \nBalogh and his band are finishing their American tour, bringing their unique style of Gypsy music with them. The band plays traditional and folk music from Central Eastern Europe, including Hungary, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia.\nThough the music is international, the band integrates jazz and other styles into the music. The show will trace the route of the Gypsy traditions, depicting some of the styles of music and dance, according to www.gypsyspirit. org. \n"This is a living music," said Kalman Magyar, the band's agent. "It is very creative. Even today, you may hear something new."\nThe band has been together for over 10 years, and this is its fourth time in the U.S. Most members are Gypsies, and many are from musical families. The group has been touring with the Budapest Dance Ensemble, but the ensemble recently returned to Europe. \n"The Music of Gypsy Spirit" will be presented at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the IU School of Music Recital Hall. More information about the group and its tour with the Budapest Dance Ensemble can be found at www.gypsyspirit.org.\n-- Contact staff writer Jenny Kobiela at jkobiela@indiana.edu.