Fanfare Ciocarlia are totally metal. Certainly the most metal band at Celtic Connections. Now, it might seem odd to describe a Romanian gypsy brass band as metal, but bear with me here. Lightning speed tempos, colossal low-end riffs, wailing virtuosic solos and the odd Steppenwolf cover? ‘nuff said.
Granted, it’s a bit of stretch, but my point is that a group like Ciocarlia shatter any preconceptions about worthy “world” music with one gulping rasp of their euphoniums. They fuckin’ rock dude, and what’s more, they’re insanely funky, the rowdiest party band around. But as their name suggests – it means skylark – they’re capable of moments of grace and lyricism too.
You may have heard them in Borat, giddily honking their way through ‘Born To Be Wild’. Or you may have heard them on Hawk & A Hacksaw’s ‘The Way The Wind Blows’ bringing colour and fire to Jeremy Barnes’ compositions. Either way, their mightiness is self-evident.
They take to the stage in waves. First come the tuba and euphonium players, lining up against the back of the stage to lay down some quaking basslines. Then come the trumpets and percussionists, before the band leaders, sax/clarinet whiz Oprică Ivancea and trumpet heroes Rădulescu Lazăr and Costică “Cimai” Trifan arrive to decorate the band’s infectious grooves with dizzying leads.
What follows is nigh on two hours of glorious Balkan dance tunes, where Romanian tradition gets down with Macedonian, Albanian and Serbian styles, before hot-stepping across the Mediterranean to shake down with Turkish and Arabic sounds. Ciocarlia owe a great deal formally to the great jazz bands of Ellington and Basie, so it’s apt that they give Sir Duke’s Caravan a Romany makeover.
The encore sees Ciocarlia step off the stage and into the crowd, weaving their way into the centre of the auditorium to play unamplified. Of course, they still blast the roof off. It’s a masterful way to end the show, band members shaking hands and selling CDs as they work the crowd. Lightning Bolt eat your heart out.
- Approximately Infinite Universe - 23 September 2008
- Fanfare Ciocarlia - 13 April 2008
- Bert Jansch / Espers / Eliza Carthy - 13 April 2008