Gypsy Killer

Romanian singer Sanda Weigl went from being a famous child singer to an imprisoned adult political dissident before finally being exiled to West Germany. When the Cold War ended, she emigrated to the United States, where she became known as the Gypsy Queen of New York City's downtown music scene. Here, on Gypsy Killer, her debut, Weigl's strong, wavering voice dramatically projects (in her native tongue) gypsy music's inherent sense of loss and hope with the steely resolve of someone who has lived through tragedy. A large cast of downtown music's finest (including guitarist Marc Ribot, keyboardist Anthony Coleman and saxophonist Roy Nathanson) join her, taking a more open and improvised approach that is unique while still maintaining an authentic gypsy feel. The album is on the short side, at a brisk 39 minutes, but Weigl programmed it carefully to include Romanian standards like "Lume, Lume" and Ciuleandra" as well as personal favorites like "Recrutii", which is a father's lament over his son joining the army. --Tad Hendrickson

Label: Unknown
Studio: Knitting Factory
Released: 2002-07-02
Format: Audio CD

Extras/Features:
Import