“Balkan Swing” every Thursday in El Arco de la Virgen

On the 2nd of October, as with every Thursday, musicians from all corners of the globe take to the stage in the culture association El Arco de la Virgen, in the Raval district, to offer those present their particular fusion of sounds, a genre that has earned the title Balkan Swing and which includes jazz manouche, gypsy swing, Balkan rhythms, klezmer, Eastern Mediterranean sounds, blues, rockabilly and a lengthy etcetera.

The show takes the form of a jam session in which musicians step in and out as the mood takes them and without a fixed repertoire, leaving the door open to improvisation. What keeps the session ticking along, however, is the rapport that exists among the more permanent members of the band, all of whom form part of well-known Barcelona Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra, with Robindro Nikolic (clarinet) and Mattia Schirosa (accordion) providing the melodic foothold.

While every session is different, those in attendance are guaranteed a unique fusion of fatalism, joie de vivre, romanticism and abandon.
Balkan Swing sessions take place every Thursday in the Culture Association El Arco de la Virgen. Entry is priced at 5 €, which includes a drink, and more information is available of the association’s website.