Editor's info:
Made up of legendary guitarist Alexander (Sasha) Kolpakov, his nephew and one of the most renowned gypsy guitar virtuosos in the world, Vadim, and the phenomenal violinist Arkady Gips, Kolpakov Trio made international headlines last year performing as part of Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' tour. 'Grastoro' is previously unreleased and the talent of Sasha and Vadim can be explored further on the Kolpakov Duo bonus CD. Violinist Nikolai Erdenko is one of the most important performers of Gypsy music in Russia and on 'Gori Lubov Ziganski' he combines the intimacy of Russian romance and the passion of Gypsy folk songs. His daughter, Leonsia Erdenko, is also featured on this album playing a Russian version of a Macedonian Gypsy anthem on 'Lumba'.

The trio Talisman is led by the remarkable guitarist Vadim Kulitskii, who has collaborated with the likes of Ravi Shankar, Gidon Kremer and Yehudi Menuhin. He was a member of the renowned ensemble Loyko before founding Talisman which also features Oleg Nehls on bayan (button accordion) and Oleksandr Klimas on violin. Loyko are led by classically trained violinist Sergey Erdenko and they take music from the Gypsy repertoire and give it a magical makeover, fusing timeless folk songs with classical virtuosity. Another musician from the Loyko stable, violinist Oleg Ponomarev performs 'Deda' ('grandfather') as a magnificent tribute to his musical deda.

Performing Gypsy music and regularly appearing on Russian television, Russka Roma had a Russian Top 20 for an entire year in 2000 when they collaborated with the Russian pop star Dmitrii Malikov. Here, they perform the compelling 'Khop Khop'. Producer and singer Nikolay Vasilyev became a star after singing in the award-winning film Zhestokiy Romans (A Cruel Romance) and here his group Ilo combine the traditions of Russia's urban and nomadic Gypsies. The singer and actor Igor Krykunov has starred in numerous films, including Gypsy Woman Aza.......
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