Baba Yaga, as well as being a
witch from Russian folklore, is the name of a unique international
group consisting of Irish and Hungarian rock musicians, and 4 Russian
folk singers. This highly unusual formation combines British pop music
with Russian folk. The band has written music which blends authentic
Russian folk tunes and instruments seamlessly with rock/pop sounds and
harmonies.
The members first met on a starry night in Agrigento, Sicily in 1989.
Jamie Winchester, (the Irish singer/guitarist), was living in Budapest
at the time, and had travelled to Sicily with the members of the
Hungarian rock group KFT, amongst them Tibor Bornai. Also performing at
the festival that year was the Russian folklore group Karagod, and by
pure chance Jamie and Tibor heard four members of that group singing
spontaneously at a late night party in the courtyard of their hotel.
Neither will ever forget the effect this soulful music had on them.
Without a moments hesitation they asked the Russians whether they would
be interested in creating a band, and Baba Yaga was born.
Their first album was recorded and released independently in Hungary,
and this, in addition to some early showcase concerts in Budapest and
Berlin, was enough to gain the interest of international record
producer Leslie Mandoki, and the German record company DSB. The result
of this collaboration was the album Baba Yaga, which was recorded in
Munich and Budapest, and released throughout Europe.
The success of the album helped the group to tour extensively in
Europe, performing solo gigs as well as festivals, including
Glastonbury (GB), Arezzo Wave(I), Rudolstadt, Köln, Open Ohr Mainz
(G), D'Ete Nantes (FR), Tilburg, Terschelling(NL), Kaláka
Festival (HU) and tours in Germany. The power of the music, as well as
the infectious fun which the members are obviously having when they
play together, ensure that Baba Yaga are favourites wherever they play,
and almost always recieve invitations to return.
The latest album, Secret Combination, contains songs and recordings
dating from 1995 until the present day, and was recorded in Budapest
and Moscow. It shows how the combination has matured, and how the
members' understanding and respect of eachother's music has developed
over years of travelling and performing together. But above all it
demonstrates how the members feel the same excitement and sense of fun
which has characterized the band since that first night in Sicily. Baba
Yaga pairs together folk music from the depths of the russian soul with
some serious rock 'n' roll.
