Slice Me a Bigger Piece: Mahala Rai Banda and "Morceau D'Amour"

Today's tune is by the Mahala Rai Banda, a gypsy band based in Bucharest, Romania. Formed by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, the band plays in several styles and genres. They are often cited for their innovative and inventive arrangements that position them at the intersection between traditional popular music and club oriented music. They have played over 200 concerts in 26 countries and they have released at least two albums. Their music was featured in the movie Borat. This song, Morceau D'Amour, can be found on their debut album Mahala Rai Banda, released in 2004.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahala_Rai_Banda

Did Someone Say Crawdad: Fanfare Ciocarlia and "Crayfish Hora"

Today's random tune is by Romani brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia. Known as one of Europe's most popular contemporary Romani bands, and noted for their high energy and fast sound, their sound is ultimately rooted in Austrian and Turkish marching bands. The ensemble was formed in 1996 in northeastern Romania by musicians from that area and Moldova. Their music easily crossed over, pleasing world music audiences and rock and rave fans, who took to its speed and Eastern style. They are also pioneers of the dance music genre known as Balkan Beats. You can find this song, Crayfish Hora, on their 2016 album Onwards to Mars!, which is a return to their roots as a high speed Balkan party band.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanfare_Cioc%C4%83rlia

Monkey Business: Ada Milea with Dorina Chiriac and Radu Banzaru and "In Oaza"

Our randomly selected song today is called In Oaza. It is a fantasy story for children sung by Romanian singer and actress Ada Milea with the help of Romanian actors Dorina Chiriac and Radu Banzaru. Ada Milea began her career in the Transylvanian city of Târgu Mureș and after starting in theater she became a singer. She has released 11 albums. Dorina Chiriac is described as one of the most beloved Romanian actresses of her generation, and received an award for her work in the film Terminus Paradis. Radu Banzaru is best known for his roles in the movies The Whistleblower, Amen, and Restul e Tacere. In Oaza tells the story of Apollodorus who, in a desert oasis, is approached by a sad monkey who wants to marry him. Unfortunately for them, the monkey's parents will not let it happen. I guess that's the lesson kids - don't ever marry a monkey! In Oaza can be found on Ada Milea's album Apolador, released in 2004.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Milea;

Gypsy Brass: Mahala Raï Banda and "Colindat"

Romanian group Mahala Raï Banda brings us the random tune for today. Mahala Raï Banda is a gypsy band based in Bucharest, Romania. Formed by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, the band plays in several styles and genres. They are often cited for their innovative and inventive arrangements that position them at the intersection between traditional popular music and club oriented music. They have played over 200 concerts in 26 countries and they have released at least two albums. Their music was featured in the movie Borat. This song, Colindat, can be found on their debut album Mahala Raï Banda, released in 2005.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Eat the Wings First: [dunkelbunt] with Raf MC and Fanfare Ciocarlia and "The Chocolate Butterfly"

Today's random tune is by Ulf Lindemann, who goes by the stage name [dunkelbunt]. A German freelance musician, producer, bandleader and DJ, he is considered a pioneer in the fusion of electronic music with South European music, klezmer, jazz and swing. He is joined by Tanzanian artist Raf MC and Fanfare Ciocarlia, a 12 person Roma brass band known for their rendition of Born to be Wild on the film Borat. You can find this song, The Chocolate Butterfly, on the CD The Balkan Club Night (2011).

Traditional Club: Mahala Rai Banda and "Kibori"

Today's tune comes from Romania. Mahala Rai Banda is a gypsy band based in Bucharest. Formed by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, the band plays in several styles and genres. They are often cited for their innovative and inventive arrangements that position them at the intersection between traditional popular music and club oriented music. They have played over 200 concerts in 26 countries and they have released at least two albums. Their music was featured in the movie Borat. This song, Kibori, can be found on their debut album Mahala Rai Banda, released in 2005.

Popular Lautari: Taraf de Haïdouks and "Cintec de Dragoste Si Joc"

The random song for today is by Taraf de Haïdouks, a Romanian troupe of lautari (traditional musicians) who have risen to be one of the most prominent such groups in the post-communist era. Their music is described as polyphonic, created by use of violin, double drum, accordion, flute, cimbalom, double bass and wind instruments. They released their first album in 1991, and have since toured worldwide and released a popular DVD. Although they count among their friends and fans such luminaries as Johnny Depp, they still maintain their lifestyle, all living in their home village of Clejani, Romania. This song, Cintec de Dragoste Si Joc, can be found on their album Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses and Evil Eye (1995) and on their CD/DVD live album Taraf De Haïdouks: Live At Union Chapel (2006). Note: Even though the name of the song is different on the video, it's the right song and I show it so you can see them singing and playing. The only thing that is missing from this version is an additional instrumental ending played at a faster tempo.

Gypsy Swinging: Mahala Rai Banda and "Romni Latci"

Today's tune comes from Romania. Mahala Rai Banda is a gypsy band based in Bucharest. Formed by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, the band plays in several styles and genres. They are often cited for their innovative and inventive arrangements that position them at the intersection between traditional popular music and club oriented music. They have played over 200 concerts in 26 countries and they have released at least two albums. Their music was featured in the movie Borat. This song, Romni Latci, can be found on their debut album Mahala Rai Banda, released in 2005.

In the Zone: O-Zone and "Dragostea Din Tei"

We go a bit pop in our random tune with Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone. O-Zone was a Moldovan-Romanian pop trio formed in 1999 in Moldova. They moved to Bucharest in 2002 and became an instant hit with their first single. Their second single, this song, was a hit in Romania and faded from attention, but then an Italian group covered the song without permission and saw success with it. The cover led to more interest in O-Zone, and the re-release of O-Zone's version became a smash hit in Europe. Americans learned of the song through the YouTube video Numa Numa Dance, but only knew of the song as the Numa Numa song. In 2005, O-Zone disbanded due to personal reasons at the height of their popularity. Around this time, the group's major hit CD DiscO-Zone was released in Japan, and the song and album enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in that country. Dragostea Din Tei (Beneath the Linden Trees) can be found on O-Zone's 2004 DiscO-Zone.

Kid Stories: Ada Milea, Dorina Chiriac and Radu Banzaru with "In Oaza"

Last evening, I went to a party. At some point in the party, the only child there, a sweet and beautiful little girl of 8 or 9 named Lily asked me to sit with her on her blanket in the back yard. From there, she took me into her world of fantasy that involved fairies, science, clouds, and a mean and nasty character named Hookman. While the adults were waging verbal wars about important things happening in the world, Lily and I were quietly battling Hookman. She went to great lengths to get us into the house unseen by Hookman, because he was roaming around in the dark. She told me that we had to be quiet so that he didn't hear us. She also told me that we had to defeat him because the other adults outside needed our protection. So, she made me repeat a saying after her upholding good in the world, and then to finish off Hookman once and for all (who apparently couldn't stand laughter and happiness) she led me in about an hour of dancing. It was a kind of You've Been Served kind of thing, where she would make up steps for me to imitate, and then I would make them up for her.

As I grow older, sometimes it feels like it's harder and harder for me to enter worlds that I so easily inhabited as a child. Worlds of fantasy that I wandered in and out of on whatever whim I had now seem somewhat closed to me, or at least aren't as easy to access as they were 40 years ago. At least, until I am with a child, who believes so earnestly in the worlds that they create that you cannot help but go there with them. I don't have any children of my own, and therefore I treasure these types of moments when they occur because they bring me to alternate realities that I rarely get to anymore.

Besides sharing some time with a child, there are some other ways that help me approximate fantasy in my life, and one of those is music. The tune that has been randomly selected today is In Oaza, and it is a fantasy story for children sung by Romanian singer and actress Ada Milea with the help of Romanian actors Dorina Chiriac and Radu Banzaru. Ada Milea began her career in the Transylvanian city of Târgu Mureș and after starting in theater she became a singer. She has released 11 albums. Dorina Chiriac is described as one of the most beloved Romanian actresses of her generation, and received an award for her work in the film Terminus Paradis. Radu Banzaru is best known for his roles in the movies The Whistleblower, Amen, and Restul e Tacere.

In Oaza tells the story of Apollodorus who, in a desert oasis, is approached by a sad monkey who wants to marry him. Unfortunately for them, the monkey's parents will not let it happen. I guess that's the lesson kids - don't ever marry a monkey! In Oaza can be found on the Ada Milea's album Apolador, released in 2004.