Édessa Music

Raves About ÉDESSA

It must be exhausting to have people fawning up to you all the time gushing about how wonderful you are, but that must surely be the price of being so wonderful. Real musicians are what I consider one of the great miracles of life on earth ... and here I do not engage in hyperbole, it is what I believe ... perhaps because I can only, in this lifetime at least, skirt the fringes of what it means to make music. You are, on the other hand, the embodiment of music ... and perhaps you ought not take credit for it ... it is a natural, you-can't-help-it-sort of thing...
And your music makes me, and I believe everyone within ear shot, intensely happy in a way that probably goes as far as extending life. So even if you were not people who extended real and palpable love and support to your close friends who are facing life's greatest crisis, your position in heaven, if such a place were to exist, must be assured. I know I am being extra good in the hopes that were heaven an even remote likelihood, I should get into it and be able to listen to you there as well when the time comes.
Iona Whishaw, Vancouver B.C. 2002

...Extended Édessa was EXCELLENT as usual; they are the soul and spirit of the camp. Not only are they excellent musicians but they are also the most wonderful people to be around. The amount of energy they have is amazing.
Thank you George, Lise, Dan, Ari, Paul and Brenna.
Ahmet Lüleci—Director, World Camp 2004 (8th camp)

I'm sitting at my computer, but I'm still in Plymouth. Melodies flood my ears unbidden. What a weekend! Was it just me? Or was the music just incredibly gorgeous? This annual weekend is truly the high point of my musical year.

Dancing, good food, pleasant setting, camaraderie—it's all there. But it's topped by the music and the generous musicianship of Lise, George, and their colleagues. In my career as a folk dancer I have had the occasional breakthrough—experiences that lifted me to another level of understanding of what it's all about. In every case, the "teacher" was the music, played in a heartfelt way. This weekend I was able to do dances that used to elude me. What a joy!
Jenny Kilgore, World Camp 2004

Édessa captures the soul of Romani and other Balkan music, with a great deal of sensitivity, respect and authenticity. Édessa plays more traditional Romani music than many Balkan Roma themselves, many of who have lost their authentic music, using synthesizer and electric instruments. Édessa brings a playful energy to the music, keeping the traditions of Romani and Balkan music alive. They have been an invaluable part of the California Herdeljezi Festival for nine years, playing to crowds of dancers, and a variety of audiences from young to old and all over the world.
Sani Rifati Voice of Roma 6/05

Hello all—
This is Marcia Kemble writing from Honolulu. I often feel jealous reading the postings to the EEFC listserv about fabulous concerts or dance parties on the mainland, but Honolulu was recently graced with a terrific dose of high-energy Balkan music in the form of Édessa, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Our group, the International Folk Dancers of Hawaii, has actually been periodically bringing musicians and folk dance teachers out to Hawaii for many years, dating back to the time of our Makahiki Hou Folk Dance & Music Camp, which we ran for about 10 years (1983 to 1994) and which was inspired by the Mendocino camp. Our camp was partially sponsored by an annual grant from the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture & the Arts. After we quit running the camp we decided to keep applying for grants to continue bringing out dance teachers and musicians. So with the support of the SFCA grant, ...we were able to bring the musicians of Édessa, who were here to do concerts just last weekend. And what a great weekend it was!!

Édessa played for two concerts at the Honolulu Academy of Arts last Friday and Saturday (different concerts each night), and then played for our folk dance group on Sunday night. As many of you know, Édessa usually plays for dance parties rather than for sit-down concerts, but for these concerts they were able to expand their repertoire and play some non-dance tunes that they don't play very often. George Chittenden, Lise Liepman, Ari Langer and Tobias Roberson (who was taking the place of Dan Auvil) flew in from the Bay Area a few days before the concerts. Paul Brown actually came all the way from Germany to Hawaii (he lives in Toronto but had just been in Germany)—so when he got here, the poor guy hardly knew if it was day or night. They had to do some intensive rehearsals to prepare for the concerts, and I was lucky enough to have all five staying with me at my house, so I had the great pleasure of hanging out at home (I work at a school and was on spring break) and listening to them play music for the better part of three days, while I puttered around the house doing this and that. The concerts were just superb (they were joined for a few tunes by Kip McAtee, who plays with our local Balkan band, Partners in Time) and the audience response was very enthusiastic. We invited those attending the concerts to join us on Sunday night, and a bunch of them did show up to hear the band again and watch or join in the dancing.

Aloha,
Marcia Kemble—Concert Promoter, Director of Makahiki Hou
Honolulu 5/05