Tęgie Chłopy – Dansing (Muzyka Odnaleziona, 2015)
Polish band Tęgie Chłopy recreates the traditional dance and wedding music sound of the Kielce region in south central Poland. The ensemble’s sound revolves around a wind section of clarinet, saxophone, tuba and trumpet, fiddles and a call and response technique between musicians and singers.
Dansing is also a tribute to a highly influential musician, clarinetist Stanislaw Witkowski. He participates in the album, bringing together several generations of musicians.
To put together Dansing, the musicians spent time with Stanislaw Witkowski and traveled hundreds of kilometers across the region, seeking other traditional musicians and singers. The result is a set of wedding and dance songs from east of Kielce, near Lagow and Opatow, as well as peasant songs, polkas and once trendy rural-urban tangos, waltzes, and foxtrots.
The hard cover CD booklet contains a fascinating 46-page book with biographical information, credits, photographs and illustrations.
The lineup includes Stanislaw Witkowski on clarinet, alto saxophone; Maniucha Bikont on tuba, vocals; Maciej Filipczuk on violin; Ewa Grochowska on violin, vocals; Mateusz Kowalski on accordion; Michał Maziarz on violin; Dorota Murzynowska on baraban; Szczepan Pospieszalski on trumpet; Marcin Żytomirski on violin; Michał Zak on clarinet. Guest: Wladyslaw Bak on accordion, vocals.
Dansing brings back the cherished dance music of the Polish heartland.
Buy Dansing
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
