Global Gypsy party, From being persecuted to celebrating their roots, old and new Roma musicians

NorthJersey.com ^ | 09.27.06 | MARTY LIPP

[Coleus]

Romanticized and persecuted, celebrated and shunned, Gypsies have become a growing presence in the world music circuit since the fall of Communism -- yet the everyday prejudice they face across Europe has persisted, and sometimes worsened. Even the word "Gypsy" is a misunderstanding, based on the notion that they are descended from Egyptians, though their ancestors actually migrated in the 11th century from Rajasthan in northwestern India. In recent years, the name they call themselves in the Romani language, Roma, has been increasingly embraced. By the 15th century, there were Roma communities in Eastern Europe, as well as the Iberian peninsula. Over time, the Roma adopted the culture of their new homes, losing touch with other cousin communities.

During the Soviet era, Eastern European countries promoted folk music, much of which was played by Roma, but did not allow it to be identified as Romani. In Bulgaria, the Romani language and music were banned, yet the creators of the popular "Bulgarian wedding music," Ivo Papasov and Yuri Yunakov, were Roma. Yunakov was harassed and his family threatened, and was granted political asylum in the U.S. in the 1990s and now lives in Bloomfield, playing for parties for a wide variety of ethnic groups and is featured in the New York Gypsy Festival. (See schedule).

In its second year, the festival, which ends Oct. 8, brings together traditional European musicians and young American groups, and has helped to raise awareness of the Roma/Gypsy culture in the region. In many European countries, Roma made up the majority of musicians who animated baptisms, parties and three-day weddings. Aside from a penchant for improvisation and adaptability, Romani music differed with each country. The composer Liszt said Roma were "the sources and creators of all that is good in Hungarian music."

[Coleus]

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