A MESSAGE FROM ZOË AQUA:
The first time I heard Transylvanian folk music about 8 years ago, I was totally hooked! The propulsive rhythms, the unpredictable chord changes, the badass fiddling— I wanted more! As a klezmer fiddler, I was captivated by the Transylvanian string-band sound which reminded me a bit of old European klezmer fiddle recordings— a sound which is hard to find nowadays, as the klezmer we often hear today reflects the changes that occurred since Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe brought it to the “new country.”
Wanting to learn more about this fascinating style, I first visited Transylvania in 2018. To those who may be wondering: yes, Transylvania is a real place— it’s now in northwest Romania; and no, I didn’t find any vampires there. I found a region rich in multi-ethnic mix of traditions and warm, hospitable people. I kept coming back to continue learning folk music, leading to a 2-year stint living in Cluj, Romania (the capital of the region of Transylvania) as a Fulbright grantee starting in 2021.
While I was living there, musicians in the folk music scene kept telling me about a young Transylvanian fiddler named Attila Dezső, who was studying in an exchange program in America. “He’s like you!” they said, “but the other way around!” Attila was studying American roots music— bluegrass and country— in Kentucky.
I finally met Attila when he returned from Kentucky, and we shared plenty of stories of culture shock. Upon his return, Attila and another musician from the exchange program, Lőrinc Mohácsy, started a band called Katlan. Attila (violin) and Budapest-native Lőrinc (bass) are both virtuosic players with infectious energy who seem equally at home playing Transylvanian folk or Nashville blues.
Attila and Lőrinc rounded up some of their longtime collaborators from the ethnic Hungarian community in Transylvania (the region used to be part of Hungary, and the Hungarian ethnic minority is fiercely dedicated to preserving village styles) to round out Katlan’s sound. Their lineup includes multiple fiddles, bass, and brácsa, a chordal viola not often seen outside of Hungary and Transylvania.
Not only can Katlan bring the rhythmic propulsion and harmonic individuality of the traditional Transylvanian music they’ve grown up with, but they have also deeply synthesized American country music. In fact, they can play country better than I, a born-and-bred American, can play it! Their entertaining sets mix and match both styles in surprising ways. I’m very excited to help bring Katlan on tour to my home state of Colorado, and to join them onstage as a guest! This will be a unique musical meeting you won’t want to miss.
The first time I heard Transylvanian folk music about 8 years ago, I was totally hooked! The propulsive rhythms, the unpredictable chord changes, the badass fiddling— I wanted more! As a klezmer fiddler, I was captivated by the Transylvanian string-band sound which reminded me a bit of old European klezmer fiddle recordings— a sound which is hard to find nowadays, as the klezmer we often hear today reflects the changes that occurred since Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe brought it to the “new country.”
Wanting to learn more about this fascinating style, I first visited Transylvania in 2018. To those who may be wondering: yes, Transylvania is a real place— it’s now in northwest Romania; and no, I didn’t find any vampires there. I found a region rich in multi-ethnic mix of traditions and warm, hospitable people. I kept coming back to continue learning folk music, leading to a 2-year stint living in Cluj, Romania (the capital of the region of Transylvania) as a Fulbright grantee starting in 2021.
While I was living there, musicians in the folk music scene kept telling me about a young Transylvanian fiddler named Attila Dezső, who was studying in an exchange program in America. “He’s like you!” they said, “but the other way around!” Attila was studying American roots music— bluegrass and country— in Kentucky.
I finally met Attila when he returned from Kentucky, and we shared plenty of stories of culture shock. Upon his return, Attila and another musician from the exchange program, Lőrinc Mohácsy, started a band called Katlan. Attila (violin) and Budapest-native Lőrinc (bass) are both virtuosic players with infectious energy who seem equally at home playing Transylvanian folk or Nashville blues.
Attila and Lőrinc rounded up some of their longtime collaborators from the ethnic Hungarian community in Transylvania (the region used to be part of Hungary, and the Hungarian ethnic minority is fiercely dedicated to preserving village styles) to round out Katlan’s sound. Their lineup includes multiple fiddles, bass, and brácsa, a chordal viola not often seen outside of Hungary and Transylvania.
Not only can Katlan bring the rhythmic propulsion and harmonic individuality of the traditional Transylvanian music they’ve grown up with, but they have also deeply synthesized American country music. In fact, they can play country better than I, a born-and-bred American, can play it! Their entertaining sets mix and match both styles in surprising ways. I’m very excited to help bring Katlan on tour to my home state of Colorado, and to join them onstage as a guest! This will be a unique musical meeting you won’t want to miss.
Photo by David Weihnacht