"On compilations like Transylvania and compositions like Romanian Rhapsody, Cercel’s violin whispered down the spine and seared the heart."
- Mark Tunney, The Telegraph-Journal, Saint John NB
The Roma Swing Ensemble will be touring various jazz and folk festivals this summer - Stay Tuned!
Catch Lache and the band at the Latin Quarter on Commercial Drive every Tuesday
About the Lache Cercel and the Roma Swing Ensemble
The flare and passion of traditional Eastern European melodies with swingin' jazz harmonies... and a little egyptian percussion for good measure...
Lache Cercel and his Roma Swing Ensemble represent the latest chapter in an important movement in Canadian World Music – elite musicians from around the world who settle in Canada and create music that incorporates their own traditions with influences they find surrounding them here.
Before leaving his homeland, Lache Cercel was one of Romania’s premier musicians. From a musical family, he trained at the Academy of Arts in Bucharest, became a soloist with the Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and, in 1986, was awarded the “Artist of the People” Citation by the Romanian government.
Since settling in Canada in 1998, he has furthered his musical studies at Vancouver Community College and collaborated with musicians from a diverse range of backgrounds. Among them are renowned Egyptian percussionist Adel Awad, noted Vancouver jazz vocalist Laura Crema and Latin music virtuoso Sal Ferreras. Cercel’s music is firmly rooted in Roma tradition, styled with Doina Klezmer, Middle Eastern and European sounds, and held together with jazz improvisation. He calls his fusion Roma Jazz or Roma Swing. In the tradition of Django Reinhardt and Stephen Grappelli, Cercel lays classical and improvisational jazz alongside traditional renderings, which makes for a phenomenal sound.
Cercel is a bandleader who lets every musician shine. He plays with the outrageous virtuosity found in contemporary European Roma recordings, and adds his own vision, relaxing the form somewhat. The musicians play with freedom and the listener feels the strong roots and hears the history of tragedy, struggle and ultimate survival that is part of Roma music.
Cercel spent his early years in Canada doing solo performances around BC and teaching Romanian style violin. For several summers, he made annual teaching trips to the Buffalo Gap International Music Camp in Washington, DC and Mendocino Balkan Camp in Mendocino, CA. His early performance highlights include The Victoria Jazz Festival, Mission Folk Festival, the Western Premiers Conference and Victoria First Night Celebrations. Cercel also performed with the Original Balkan Jam, appearing at The Winnipeg Folk Festival and Festival by the Sea in St. John, NB. He even performed at Disneyland with the Ukranian ensemble Vaselka.
In 1994, Cercel returned to Romania to continue his exploration of Romanian music. There, he recorded his debut CD, Rhapsody of Romania with well-known Romanian conductor, Paraschiv Oprea.
He came back to Canada in 1996, settled in Vancouver and has continued since then to build his reputation as a solo performer, session musician, and composer of music for film and TV.
Our Beloved Friend and Colleague Passes Away...
It is with profound sorrow that we inform you of the demise of Adel Awad, who died Sunday morning from cardiac arrest.
Adel was one of the pioneers of world music in Vancouver. Together with André Thibault, he created the "tapas circuit" in clubs and restaurants like Santos Tapas and the Latin Quarter. Those legendary evenings filled with music, dance, food, and unbridled joy, helped to make world music, and especially Arabic and Middle Eastern music, an integral part of the Vancouver scene.
Adel arrived in North America in the early 80's
and built a reputation as a master percussionist in New York City, before
moving to Vancouver, he collaborated with such diverse world music artists
as Alpha Yaya Diallo, Celso Machado, Sal Ferreras, Pepe Danza, and Oscar
Nieto and Rosario Ancer and the Jewish music quintet "Tzimmes". He was
an integral member of the Roma Swing Ensemble for several years.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Adel grew up hearing the haunting calls to prayer and
the percussion rhythms integral to the celebrations and ceremonies of Arabic
culture. His father, who was also a musician and music programmer for Radio
Cairo, encouraged Adel to start playing at an early age. By the time Adel was
in high school he had earned a reputation as a fine percussionist. He graduated
from the prestigious Higher Institute for Arabic Music in Cairo.
Adel was a master of the Egyptian darbouka (Arabic hand drum), riqq (tambourine)
and duff ( a tambourine without cymbals) as well as
Afro-Latin bongos, congas, and djembe . His unique style and dexterity
in using each finger individually, gave him great rhythmic power and nuance.
In his professional lifetime, Adel championed world music in all its aspects
and was a true cultural ambassador – one who bridged the gap between communities.
But for us, Adel was more than a great artist. He was a musical and spiritual
inspiration whose sheer presence brought joy to all who worked with him. He was
a friend, a brother, a humanitarian, and despite severe health problems in recent
years, he showered us with his kindness, his humour, and his indefatigable spirit.
He will be sorely missed by the entire world music community.
Details of a memorial service and concert for Adel will be announced later this
month.
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