I ventured to Word on the Street on Sunday, Sept . 27th as I normally do every year. This year, however, I made it a point to check out a couple of musical numbers part of the Small World on the Street series. First, I heard Nomadica (pictured left) play. The band plays a blend of Gypsy, Balkan and Middle Eastern sounds. They warmed up the crowd enough to try a bit of belly dancing… Later on, I came back to hear the sounds of Njacko Backo from Cameroon. They also had us on our feet. The sound of drums is too hard to resist… that was a great way to end my day at Queen’s Park.

On Friday, Oct. 2nd, I walked over to Lula Lounge to take in the sound of Parno Graszt. It was great! I have not heard of Parno Graszt before. This Hungarian band plays authentic Gypsy music. Their concert had everyone on their feet clapping and dancing. It doesn’t matter if you understand the words; the music moves you. They have played all over Europe and they’d been in New York the night before this concert. Here is a short video of them live at Lula… I just love the sound of the accordion. The slide show in the background usually includes members of the band’s family. Absolutely great live!

The same night, at the same venue, I also got to see Max Pashm. He’s a UK-based DJ/musician who blends Balkan/Gypsy & Klezmer music with drums and electronic beats. This was part of his solo tour; normally he travels with a five-piece band. With his laptop and a small drum, he was more than enough. He had people on the dance floor going wild, I mean undulating left and right… He knows how to read the crowd; no matter how big or small.

If you can, check out Small World Music events throughout the year. For more info, go here. A big thank you to Beverly Kreller from Speak-Music for sending me updates and hooking me up.