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Legend has it that the Devil likes to lay in wait at crossroads, all the better to pilfer the innocence and souls of unsuspecting travelers. But not all deals forged at such spots bring ruin and death. Indeed, Fanfare Ciocarlia’s latest musical pact approaches brilliance, a far cry from fire and brimstone.
The brass band legends from the remote Romanian village of Zece Prăjini have simmered in countless concert halls around the world. At the end of the 1990s their unique style of play made famous a musical genre that almost no one had ever heard of. Ever since, these Romanians have been constantly on the road, bringing their audiences in Berlin, Memphis and Tokyo to new levels of frenzy. On their dented and beat-up instruments, they make it crystal clear what it’s all about: passion and the willingness to take musical risks of any kind. This globetrotting, 12-necked, brass-band hydra has already turned the planet on its head with breathtaking collaborations: legendary shows like “The Gypsy Queens & Kings” and the “Balkan Brass Battle” are just two examples.
Together with their new touring companion – the Canadian guitar and banjo virtuoso Adrian Raso – a different story is now being told, and fêted with consistent and consistently erratic style!
The Romanians and the Canadian first found one another in 2013 at the Metal Works Studio in Toronto, where they proceeded to produce an album over a series of nighttime recording sessions. Since its spring 2014 release the album has been an international sensation. Adrian Raso’s background in Western music and Fanfare Ciocarlia’s unmistakable Balkan sound fuse into hearty Rock’n’Roll, persistent swamp grooves and nostalgic 30s swing, very much in the spirit of Django Reinhardt. A wild ride from New Orleans, over the Atlantic and onto Paris, and then, untiringly, deep into the Balkans, through the derelict streets of Detroit and back to urbane Toronto. All the while, Fanfare Ciocarlia follows guitarist Adrian Raso on the remotest stylistic tangents with remarkable ease. They assist, heighten the pressure, take the lead, soften the energy, intensify the plethora of sounds and elaborate the ironic diversions. The guitar holds the reins while the tuba and trumpets lead the way. The heart of the music is king!
Listen up! The charm of Devil’s Tale could bewitch even old Mephisto himself!
Live
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Reviews
The Guardian (UK)
Balkan brass bands, who compete fiercely among themselves, are prone to blow away anyone who comes near. Credit, then, to Toronto guitarist Adrian Raso, who has tamed Romania's Fanfare Ciocarlia for a winning collaboration rooted in the "Gypsy swing" of Django Reinhardt. Raso is an eclectic talent; the title track carries the twang of electric surf guitar, the languid Leezard's Lament finds him improvising on banjo, and Spiritissimo dips into flamenco flavours. The 12-piece band are splendidly restrained, swelling gently behind waltzes, contributing accordion and clarinet and only occasionally ripping into their trademark supercharged intricacy. All instrumental and all delightful.
New York Music Daily (USA)
Both Cafe Con Leche and Spirtissimo venture toward Gipsy Kings territory, the first with hints of a bolero, the second more of a flamenco-flavorred tune. Birelli’s Waltz starts out as an elegantly moody theme and then warms as it moves into more straightforward guitar jazz. The album ends with the briskly marching, playful Django, with its gritty horn pointillisms and wry quotes from famous themes from across the ages. Delarue
ox-fanzine (D)
FANFARE CIOCARLIA haben sich längst zu einer international bekannten Balkanbeat- und Gypsy-Band entwickelt, was liegt da also näher, als in Toronto mit dem (von Django Reinhardt beeinflussten) kanadischen Gitarristen, Banjo- und Gypsy-Jazz-Spieler Adrian Raso ein Album aufzunehmen? Auch wenn die Blechblasvirtuosen aus dem kleinen Dorf in Rumänien hier etwas von ihrer schrillen Art abgelegt haben (vielleicht liegt es auch an der Produktion?), mit „Devil’s Tale“ und Stücken wie „Quattro cicci“ oder „Charlatan’s waltz“ (im Klezmer-Stil) werden wohl noch mehr Ohren und Herzen geöffnet.
Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (D)
In Toronto kreuzten sich die Wege des kanadischen Gitarristen Adrian Raso und der zwölfköpfigen rumänischen Fanfare Ciocarlia. Der eine wie auch die anderen zählen zur crème de la crème des internationalen Gypsy-Sounds. Kunstvolles Gitarrenspiel im Manouche-Stil und wilde Offbeat-Blechblaskaskaden gehen hier wie selbstverständlich zusammen. Gitarre oder Banjo stehen immer im Zentrum, harmonisch getragen, geschoben, umwoben und liebkost von den Bläsern. Mal leicht, mal schwer, mal langsam, mal schnell werden hier mit Stil und Charme teuflische Geschichten rein instrumental erzählt. Chapeau! Jo Meyer
Jazz Weekly (USA)
As for Raso, he’s got the gypsy blood and makes his guitar sing like a midnight crooner. This is my kind of party, and bring the lampshade for your head! George W. Harris
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