Kleztory and Warsaw Village Band revive eastern European music with a modern twist

World Tracks this week goes to Mexico City to meet two artists steeped in eastern European music, double bass player Mark Peetsma of the Canadian quintet Kleztory and the lively hurdy gurdy player Maciek Cierlinski, who fronts for the Warsaw Village Band.

Village Band

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Poles are awash with the worst of western commercial music, so Cierlinski's band is fighting a rearguard battle to bring out indigenous music awash with contemporary rhythms.

Meanwhile, Peetsma's band Kleztory and its instrumental klezmer sounds recently returned from a tour of China, proving their rare cultural schmorgazborg is catching on just about everywhere.

Albums played by World Tracks on Radio France International.

1) Laru Beya, Aurelio Martinez (Stonetree Records/Real World), Honduras.
2) Chemsi, Hijaz ((Zephyrus), various, based in Belgium.
3) Bahamas: Goombay 1951-59, compilation (Frémeaux & Associés, Bahamas. .
4) Makenba, Majid Bekkas (Sowarex asbl), Morocco.
5)Studio 105, Mayra Andrade (Sony Music), Cape Verde.
6) Tirtha, Vijay Iyer (Act Music), USA/ India. .
7) Songs of Freedom, Nguyen Le (Act Music), France/ Vietnam.
8) Efemera, Tulipa Ruiz (Totolo), Brazil.
9) Las 7 Salves de La Magdalena, Raquel Rivera & Ojos de Sofia (self-produced), USA. .
10) Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & the Big Band (Soundway), Colombia. .