The crosscultural Gypsy

0 Comments | Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), October, 2004

Byline: Paul Denison The Register-Guard

If you'd really like to tour the world but are short on time and cash, the woman to see is Esma Redzepova.

The celebrated Romani (Gypsy) singer will be in town Tuesday with six musicians. Her powerful voice and their virtuoso playing can transport you just about anywhere: the Balkans, India, Russia and all around the Mediterranean, from Turkey to Spain.

"Esma is the Aretha Franklin, the Celia Cruz, the Etta James and the Mother Teresa of her musically brilliant people," says University of Oregon anthropology professor Carol Silverman, an expert on Rom music and culture.

In a Chicago Tribune review, Monika Eng wrote that Redzepova's "still supple and controlled alto blends the acrobatics of Yemen's...