"We all felt that the American audience was very receptive, in the best sense of the word: expressing their appreciation with...much applause...they gave the group a great reception," the group's manager Márk Szász said.
Hungarians in the audience were especially appreciative of Parno Graszt's shows, Szász said. "Even at such a distance away from Hungary...this group represents Hungarian culture the same way as Muzsikás, BeshoDrom and Márta Sebestyén."
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| Parno Graszt |
The American audience sang along with Roma musicians after frontman József Oláh gave them a short lesson in Hungarian.
"We would be glad if people realised that this is Gypsy music because (...) it is music that comes from our roots and has been living with us over the centuries," said Oláh.
The eight members of the group featured at the US tour present not only the music but also the dance culture of the Roma.
The repertoire at the concerts includes old and new songs as well as improvisations, depending on the audience's reactions, Oláh said. "It all very much depends on the audience, if they really want to party, then we play something upbeat and if they prefer to be solemn then we play something solemn," he added.
The group will play 22 shows in 38 days at venues across the country, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York. They will also travel to Canada for one show in Toronto.
The concert in New York will be held at Joe's Pub.
"During the last 20 years the name of PARNO GRASZT (meaning White Horse as symbol of purity and freedom in Romani language) became the equivalent of authentic Hungarian Gypsy music. The band plays traditional Gypsy folk songs collected from North East Hungary and Romania along with their own compositions, thus representing a specific local dialect of Roma music," Joe's Pub says on its homepage.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
