By Michal Shapiro

Hungarian Gypsy Music.....Turkish Gypsy Music..... Flamenco... Gypsy Jazz...Because the Roma have lived and played in such diverse lands, a bewilderingly wide assortment of music can all be lumped into the generic category of "Gypsy Music." For the new listener, a bit of explanation will make the searching and buying process clearer.
Roma are perhaps best known for their musical contributions. There are numerous historical references to Rom musicians holding royalty in thrall with their virtuousic renditions of local music, and among the common people of Eastern Europe the Gypsy has been the player of choice for most traditional celebrations. When the Hungarian ensemble Muzsik?s went to study the roots music of Hungary back in the 1960’s, they went to Transylvania where the Roma were still playing it much the way Bart?k heard it in his famous field trips at the turn of the century. Later, when they researched Jewish music in their landmark CD The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania (HNCD 1373) it was Roma who helped them to piece together the fragments of this nearly obliterated tradition. In these instances, the Roma have acted as repositories of endangered music. But is this music "Gypsy Music?" Is it enough simply for a Gypsy to play it, to claim that distinction?
Some experts hold the position that true Rom music must be that which the Roma play for themselves, sung in Romanes (The Rom language). But there are also those who say that there is no such thing as pure Rom music, because it has all been some kind of adaptation to a host culture...and yet other experts say that on the contrary, there is a distinctive musical style which can always be associated with a Rom player. Let’s take a look at all three of these controversial positions. Each has validity, but each has its limitations in attempting to create a usable definition.
1. The only real Rom music is the music that the Roma play for themselves, sung in Romanes. This would seem to be an easily held position. However, the varieties of music that come under this heading can be quite different from eachother. The recordings by the Romanian Ursari of Clejani that appear on Dumbala Dumba (Cramworld) certainly fits the definition of music "made by Roma for Roma, in Romanes." It is highly rhythmic, improvised a capella music accompanied by hand percussion. But compare this track to the Roma’s pentecostal choirs, or the pop music cassettes sold by Festival Records (mail order 213-737-3500) a label which caters to a Rom demographic, and there is no particular resemblance. While the Ursari track has raw folk power, the pop music is .....pop music. But if one goes by the above definition, it is all genuine Rom music. It is up to the individual listener to decide if it pleases their own personal taste.
Other shortcomings of this definition: Roma of Spain and parts of France call themselves Cal?, and do not in the main, speak Romanes. And there is a vast repertoire of non-Rom music that the Roma play for themselves. Are we to discard all this music for the sake of this definition?
2. There is no such thing as pure Rom music, it is all an adaptation of a host culture’s music. This view sees the Roma as musical bees, crosspollinating various forms across borders. As the Roma went from locality to locality, they learned the music of the people around them, in order to make a living. Thus the music that they absorbed in one country would then be blended with the music of the next country they occupied, giving it a unique and new feeling. There is no reason to disbelieve this, and the fact that music tends to cross borders anyway, regardless of the vehicle, re-enforces this idea. (There is even some evidence to suggest that the Roma who were deported from Portugal to Brazil played a part in the development of Samba!) In recent times, this kind of musical grafting is obvious in Bulgarian Wedding music. The music of Ivo Papasov, Yuri Yunakov, (and in Macedonia, Ferus Mustafov Globestyle CDORBD 089 ) is a wild blending of Turkish, Rom, Rock, Jazz and local elements. On a more acoustic, rootsy level, the Taraf de Haidouks (Cramworld) combine elements from the same sources with traditional Romanian forms. And in Serbia, Boban Markovic’s brass band has a saxophone in the lineup (Ellipsis Arts CD3570 or 3574), a typical Rom innovation. Everywhere the Roma have played music, they have incorporated the local repertoire into their own. So if we listen to the "Gypsy music" of Hungary and compare it to the "Gypsy music" of Spain, one will seem to be Hungarian sounding, while the other will sound Spanish. But would they sound "more" Hungarian or "more" Spanish if played by non-Roma? This question leads us to:
3. There is a distinctive musical style which can always be associated with a Rom player. Here is a tantalizing statement, that invites us to listen to the breadth of Rom music and try to find common stylistic elements. For example, Roma have been credited with bringing the clarinet into the music of Greece, and there are many great players both Gypsy and non-Gypsy. It is possible, however, to tell the two apart. One has to listen for the exceptionally chromatic and fluid approach of the Rom player in the solos. A microtonal effect is achieved with the use of a very soft reed, and the phrasing is markedly free. There is a similar chromatic approach in the playing of Romanian Roma. This melismatic and free style could be a reference to the heritage of middle eastern or Indian music, with its microtones and lengthy improvisations, (improvisation plays an important role in Gypsy music) but there is no way to prove this. Other striking aspects of Rom music have to do with phrasing and vocal timbre. Roma tend to play behind the beat, creating a swinging "fat" feel, and to use chest voice rather than head tones. These elements certainly exist in other cultures, so again, there is no way to confidantly designate these as solely Gypsy attributes. One could just as easily describe these last two elements as "bluesey." And of course, we must mention the emotive aspect of "Gypsy music." Not all people respond to the abstract elements of music. They must have it "acted out" and to this end, the Roma have always obliged with plenty of drama and flash. It’s a living, after all.
After examining all three of these positions one may conclude that there is no conclusion. Perhaps there isn’t. It is always dangerous to try to formulate or categorize art. But the issues that these various viewpoints ask us to consider are fascinating, and serve to enrich our listening experience.