Beskydy

Music with roots in the songs of Moravia, Bohemia and Slovaki

  Function Bands
  London

Dan and the Beskydy band, you made our celebration so much fun and memorable. From the start, you answered every query promptly and were so accommodating to all our needs. We only had the hall for such a short time and you played for as long as you could. You saw when the guests needed upbeat music and when we needed a rest! Thank you so much for giving so much energy and warmth to the party, everyone loved it so much and the music was so beautiful and created the perfect atmosphere.

Gaby - Client

We were absolutely delighted with Beskydy’s commitment, talent, and performance. They learned a piece specifically for my daughter’s wedding march, and their repertoire perfectly matched our guest list for a Jewish wedding which was also attended by family from the Balkans

Dana and Stuart Urban - Wedding Client

About

The music of Beskydy has its roots in the dance rhythms and songs of Moravia, Bohemia and Slovakia, through whose lands the Beskydy mountains run – hence the name. They have expanded their repertoire to embrace the music of the Hungarian plains, the Danube basin and all the way down to the Black Sea, the souks, and coffee-houses of Istanbul and across the sea to the bordellos of Odessa. Across these ancient trade routes, Jews, Gypsies, Ottomans, Celts, and Magyars travelled carrying songs that endlessly re-invented themselves and crossed all political boundaries. Their music is Beskydy’s inspiration.

Beskydy have performed at The Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, at Harrow Arts Centre and have played several Ignite Series concerts at the Cafe Consort, The Royal Albert Hall, and have enjoyed providing Foyer Music at The National Theatre and The Royal Festival Hall. They have toured, played festivals in the Czech Republic, weddings in Transylvania, Womad and were greatly privileged to perform on “Loose Ends” for the late Ned Sherrin. They have shared a stage with The Real Tuesday Weld for their “Propaganda from the State of Love “commissioned by the Victoria & Albert Museum.

They were awarded “Critics Choice: Live Performance” in Time Out Magazine.

  Tracks

1

Choss'n Kalah Mazel Tov (Jewish)

2

Jovano, Jovanke (Macedonia)

3

Ararim (Turkey)

4

Three Songs from Slovakia

Songlist

Chossn Kahal Mazel Tov (Woody) Fun Tashklekh Not Azoy!? Brala Bih Kupusa Dobradanska Paidushko Sednalo Taja Vecer (sung a capella) Tropanka Ej Zito Zela (sung a capella) Karagouna Sirtos Susta Zembekiko Hongu Khossid Wedding Dances Ritka Magyar Verbunkos Erev Shel Shoshanim Iz Dolu (duet with Peter) Jovano Jovanke Makedonska Roznovske Hodiny Muzikanti Co Delate Is Dan Coming? Funked-up Viola Pantalone Hora de la Risipiti + Hora en Due Parte Oriental Hora - Batuta Amari si Vrajanka Jovano Jovanke Ajde Jano Zapevala Karicka/Cardas Slovak Polkas Slovak Waltzes Verbunk Zemplin Hej Zapiskal Janosik/Anicka Dusicka/A Ja Taka To Ta Helpa Uspavanka (Lullaby) Isiel Macek Porque Lloras Ararim Yedi Kule (possbily) Pidmanula Louis Freilach Freilach Odessa Melodies Tanz Tanz Yiddelekh

   Line-up

6 piece live band includes: Vocals Guitar Violin Accordion Double Bass Clarinet

Reviews

Gaby - Client
"Dan and the Beskydy band, you made our celebration so much fun and memorable. From the start, you answered every query promptly and were so accommodating to all our needs. We only had the hall for such a short time and you played for as long as you could. You saw when the guests needed upbeat music and when we needed a rest! Thank you so much for giving so much energy and warmth to the party, everyone loved it so much and the music was so beautiful and created the perfect atmosphere. "
Dana and Stuart Urban - Wedding Client
"We were absolutely delighted with Beskydy’s commitment, talent, and performance. They learned a piece specifically for my daughter’s wedding march, and their repertoire perfectly matched our guest list for a Jewish wedding which was also attended by family from the Balkans "
Thomas and Sarah (Wedding)
"The wonderful musicians that make up the Beskydy band played at our wedding. A big day for us and they did not disappoint! They are easy to deal with and were very flexible on the day, and not to mention, played amazing music! Truly recommend them! "
Louis - Client
"Didn't know what to expect and was completely blown away by these guys, great musicianship, passion, and performance - absolutely superb!!"
Tom Douglas - Client
"Exhilarating, passionate and some... this band will get you dancing, crying and laughing all at once! And what a diva for a singer. Not one to be missed. Love em!"
Folk and Roots (Folk and Roots)
"One of the hidden treasures of London is the range of talent that exists on the folk and acoustic scene that rarely get the acclaim they deserve. Three London based bands that excel at performing Eastern European/Balkan Music are Szapora, Mukka and Beskydy, each of whom are worth looking out for. Nine strong Beskydy perform songs and tunes from across Eastern Europe and beyond, in fact looking at the sources on their cd listing is almost like a tour around that part of Europe, from Macedonia to Hungary via Galicia and Bulgaria and taking a detour through Slovakia. The bands name itself comes from the range of mountains that run through the centre of former Czechoslovakia which according to the band has heavily influenced their musical choices whilst they turn their hand to music from a range of sources (excellantly). The first track is a Macedonian song, Jovano, Jovanke (click here to hear the song) and the range of Joanna Fosters vocal skills are further displayed in the three Slovakian songs that make up track 4, from the slow Janosik to the more up beat cheery Anicka Dusicka and A Ja Taka Dzivocka although Foster and the band manage to intertwine the tunes with sufficient skill so the songs merge as one. Again Track 9 is a duet with Accordian player, Peter Murphy, joining Foster on the Macedonian song Iz Dolu, along with some damned fine fiddling. The range of Beskydys musical skills are illustrated well by the instrumental tracks ranging from the delightful Slovakian Waltzes (Track 5) to the slightly more manic Tropanka from Bulgaria (track 10) and onto the ordered upbeat and furious synthesis between sax, fiddle and accordian that is Tantz, Tantz Yiddelekh (a wonderful Galician Jewish tune), yet again garunteed to result in limb movement, a delightful fusion of fiddles and saxaphone, furiously creating a wonderful atmosphere one that demands a physical response. One very minor complaint is the sleeve of the CD, it would be nice (or do I just lead a very shallow empty life) to have some information/lyrics or even translations of the songs, something about the origins of the tracks. That said its more than possible for bands with large bank accounts to produce nice extensive sleeves but not so easy for bands whose talents lie in their music rather than some slick marketing agencies. It would be impossible to identify one part of this cd that could be said to stand out more than the rest. The band have produced an album that is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish - the question that comes to the fore when listening to this is when is the follow up going to be available? "