THE POLKA: Serba “Serba” is a Klezmer tune in 2/4 that fits right in with Oktoberfest revelries. I first heard this tune at an Eastern European music workshop presented be SF Bay Area musician Nada Lewis. I brought it back to the band and we’ve been playing it ever since.…
THE POLKA: Up North This straight-ahead, medium tempo polka was the first track on our debut album “Crazed and Enthused”. We have opened many a show with this tune. I chose the title thinking of travelers coming from south of the US-Mexican border, heading north to “where all the…
THE POLKA: Rumba Tziganeasca Though not, strictly speaking, a polka, nor a rumba, this high energy traditional piece suits a polka party perfectly. It has the danceable feeling of 2 /4, and is simply irresistible. I first heard this played by Fanfare Ciocarlia, the fantastic brass band from Moldova…
THE POLKA: Mad Mod Vlad Polka At a rehearsal, early in the Mad Ms history, we got to talking about great TV theme songs. The Mod Squad Theme written by Earl Hagen is one of the best. It has a great use of mixed meters, wild horns and percussion. So…
THE POLKA: Where’s Diana? My close friend Diana is a world traveler. There was a time, years ago, when she was on the road for many months. Friends would constantly asked me “Where’s Diana?”. I didn’t always know the answer. She could be crewing on a sailboat from Spain to…
