SLAVPHONIC DANCES:

Slavic Soul Party: The Bayou Meets Bratislava (Banning Eyre, 10/20/09, NPR)

Slavic Soul Party is a New York brass band that takes inspiration from Balkan and gypsy music, but also funk and New Orleans traditions. Its members play with punk-rock energy and have won fans all across the country. Their fifth album, Taketron, is just out, and it's a brass-band fusion tour de force.

Anytime musicians study traditions deeply and then free themselves to follow their own whims, it's a beautiful thing. But when it comes to the brass-band fusion of Slavic Soul Party, that's just the beginning. With razor-sharp precision, juggernaut force and a healthy dose of playfulness, these guys start out in overdrive and never let up.