The arrangements, varied instrumentation and excellent music editing make sure that this will a record everyone can take pleasure in.

The music was chosen from the Final Hour collection, from six different regions of Transylvania (all located today's Romania): Kővár-vidék (Nagybánya/ Baia Mare), Felső-Maros-mente (Vajdaszentivány/ Voivodeni), Kalotaszeg (Méra/Mera), Szilágyság (Szilágynagyfalu/ Nușfalău), Kelet-Mezőség (Nagysármás/ Sărmașu), Vízmellék (Csávás/ Ceuaș).

This recording pays tribute to the Gypsy musicians and singers that good heartedly shared their traditional knowledge with young people from the dance house movement that wanted to learn. Some of the same singers and musicians came to Budapest to participate in the Final Hour collection project, such as Marcel Covaci (Nagybánya/ Baia Mare), Lunka Erzsi (Csávás/ Ceuaș), the Moldováns (Nagysármás/ Sărmașu), and there were those that hosted interested folks in their own homes such as Toni Rudi or Árus Béla (Méra/Mera). Music editor/director for this recording project was Kelemen László – director of the Hungarian Heritage House.

1. Nyughass asszony (Covaci Marcel’s tunes) - Nagybánya, Kővár-vidék 8:34
2. Ne csókolj meg - Csávás, Vízmellék 13:05
3. Fekete szív (in memory of Emanuel Varga „Moni”) - Nagysármás, Eastern Mezőség 10:20
4. Bánatmalom - Vajdaszentivány, Upper Maros Region 6:42
5. Az urát megcsalja – Szilágyság region, Western Transylvania 9:52
6. Holdszekér - Méra, Kalotaszeg region 12:32

Balogh Melinda – vocals

with:

Hegedűs Máté – violin(1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Szilágyi Tóni – violin (6), vocals, guitar (1)
Bede Péter – alto sax (1), tarogato (3)
Papp Endre – 3 and 4 stringed violas (3, 5)
Réti Benedek – accordion (3, 5)
Bognár András – double bass (3, 5, 6)
Bősze Tamás – drum with cymbal (1)
Szabó Dániel – cymbalom (4)
Tóni Rudolf (Méra) – 3 stringed viola (6)
Árus Béla (Méra) – accordion (6)
Üsztürü Band (2):
Major Levente – violin, Szász József –3 stringed viola, Szász Lőrinc – double bass
Kaszai Lili, Horváth Sára - vocals (5)
Musical sources:
Hungarian Heritage House database (folkloredb.hu)
Balogh Melinda’s folk music collection 2018

Transcription and translation of Gypsy language texts:
Árus Béla, Balogh Guszti, Boros Lóránd

Photos: Gorácz József, Papp Kornél
Music editor, director: Kelemen László
Sound engineer: Dióssy Ákos
Recorded at Barázda Stúdió, 2019
Fonó Music Hall, Budapest

“When I was a dancer in the Jászság Folk Ensemble, on tour in Transylvania we went to the village of Százcsávás (Csávás/ Ceuaș). It was my first time there. I heard Lunka Erzsi sing and the Csávás Band play - and that music warmed me like the sun. The Csávás sunshine washed over me and whenever I thought of it - it warmed my heart.

The next drops of sun came in a bit more round-about way. I learned the songs of Elekes Anna from the village of Méra (Kalotaszeg region, Transylvania) from Bari Károly’s collection. Unfortunately she had already passed away, so I wasn’t able to meet her. But last year I made friends with (traditional musicians from Mera) Árus Béla and Tóni Rudi who took me to meet her husband Elekes János „Pipás”. They deserve special thanks because of all the beautiful songs from Méra that I learned from them, but that is only the beginning, because the Gypsy music from Kalotaszeg deserves a whole separate record. After listening to hours and hours of music collected from traditional singers and musicians, warm rays of sun shone from Sármás/ Sărmașu, Szilágynagyfalu/ Nușfalău, Vajdaszentivány/Voivodeni and Nagybánya/Baia Mare. And that’s when Kelemen László came along to point me toward the warmest drops of sun. Finally those excellent musicians arrived - the ones that made every drop of sun really shine.  I hope these songs will warm others as well.” (Balogh Melinda)