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Your Email Address:Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos
NU POWER ETHNO MUSIC
Contact:
Alejandro Toledo
(0044) - 0 - 793 5703492
[email protected]
London-based band "Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos" is a six-piece group which is currently conquering the UK. The band is made up of travelling musicians from different parts of the globe (Argentina, France, Australia, Greece, UK, Slovakia), who bring together their backgrounds and experiences in a celebration of music with no regional boundaries.
Though the band has only been around for a few months, they are becoming very popular amongst London's underground party scene, and have played at leading venues including The Union Chapel, Cargo, Vortex, The Troubadour, Bardens Boudoir, The Quecumbar, The Dex, The Buffalo bar, Inn on the Green, and many more around London and the UK.
Led by the Alejandro Toledo (Fanfare Ciocarlia student; PhD in Balkan Gypsy Saxophone Performance), this high energy band stylishly serves up the most intricate and fun performances Oriental Ethnic music has to offer.Please click on 'friends' links for the individual band member's information.
Alejandro Toledo - Alto and Soprano Saxophones (and Vocals)
Augustin Colette - Bass
Dimitris Koufogiorgos - Guitar, Bouzouki
Nuno Brito - Drums
Josef "Jose" Berk - Percussion
Tom Baker - Accordion
With very special guests:
Elizabeth Nott (Percussion)
Shirley Smart (Cello)
Lili Davis (Vocals)
The following is a review from Gina Boreham for the Vortex Club. Please click on the link for to see full web page:
http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/special-features/gypsy-jazz-nigh t.html
"Alejandro and his Magic Tombolinos burst on to London's thriving Gypsy/Balkan music scene at the end of 2007 and arrived with something of a bang in Dalston this January.
They provided the live music before the Rio Cinema's late night screening of the film Gypsy Caravan and the band and the film managed to entice 250 people out at 11.30pm on a freezing January night. The sight of this huge cinema audience dancing (almost helplessly) into the auditorium was a joy to behold and it did seem that there was some magic at work.
Alejandro himself had studied and toured with one of the film's featured bands – Fanfare Ciocalia – so it was a perfect prelude.
Two weeks later the Vortex was heaving with delirious Balkan music fans dancing their socks off to Alejandro's mesmerising saxophone playing and the wonderful driving beats of his band. The audience's reaction to the music was instant and electric and probably best summed up by a rather dazed but happy punter who told me, 'I don't really dance – but I couldn't help it.'
That Alejandro and his band were able to sustain this intensity from the first note to the last without sacrificing any of their wonderful musicianship is incredible. Above a solid, emphatic rhythm section supplied by Agustin Collette on bass and Elizabeth Nott and Joe Granieri on percussion we were treated to some virtuoso performances on guitar and bozouki (Dimitris) and Accordion (Tom Baker).
Alejandro led the band with great verve and charm together with matchless performances on both Alto and Soprano saxophone - sometimes played simultaneously. In another's hands this could seem simply a gimmick but for me Balkan Tango - with it's final soaring alto sax solo was the highlight of the evening.
Five days later they sold out the club for a second time."
Alejandro and the Magic T's at Bern Festival (August 2008)
By alechkoist