BARO BANDA

‘Caz a la turca’ bölümünde sahne alan, Murat Yücel, Savas Zurnaci, Utku Kirca, Faruk Giley, Ataç Ülker, Ismet Sute, Mustafa Uysal ve Saffet Yildirim’dan olusan Baro Banda Grubu, klasik Türk enstrümanlari ve modern elektronik seslerin yer aldigi dogu, bati, caz, hip-hop eserlerden olusan muhtesem bir konser verdi. - Hurriyet, Avrupa

Baro Banda
Festival Gardens
Apart from being a whole lot of fun, the Turkish/Australian gypsy band Baro Banda's exuberant show at the Festival Gardens taught us a lot about the music that inspires these six peripatetic musicians.
The trick is in the rhythm, the "beat of nine", which the band's charismatic lead singer Murat Yucel demonstrated before leading us in clapping and then dancing. This nine-beat rhythm is behind much music for the belly dance, as well as Turkish and Greek folk songs.
It's a quite distinct feel from the rhythms of Western Europe and Africa in our musical DNA, and it evokes a different physical response from the blues and rock 'n' roll beats we're used to.
That's the driving wheel of the music. Its magic is the insinuating melody that weaves through and above the rhythm.
In the hands of the band's gypsy clarinet master Savas Zurnaci, those tunes led us away to different places and times.
And the crowd was eager for the journey. By the end of the first number, the tables in front of the stage were swamped with dancers, some of them unmistakably from Perth's belly dancing schools, along with many who'll wake up wondering what strange impulse suddenly made them try to reclaim their youth.
Yucel got eight of the best dancers down to the stage for a chaotic and enthusiastic competition (well done Sonya). A great time was had by all.
I'd love to see Baro Banda on a cramped stage in the corner of a small venue with cooking smells and spilt drinks. Their infectious liveliness would be irresistible.
David Zampatti - The West Australian

I think I’m still grinning. And my feet are stomping. And all sorts of silly jumpy, musically inspired twitches are going on. This is seriously the fault of Baro Banda, appearing at the Festival Gardens for Perth Festival on Tuesday Feb 28.
Hailing from Turkey, Baro Banda play a rollicking Romany inspired fusion of Turkish music with a hint of jazz, funk, hip hop and a little bit of rock. If I’ve lost you there, think; the elan of Good Morning Baltimore, with a little rocking from a
great eighties rock cover band and the virtuosity of seasoned jazz improvisers and blend til smooth. Or more simply...the shameless joy of a peaking dance album, minus the cheese. Although the disco lighting rig on the drum kit possibly smacked of a fine sprinkling of parmesan, nevertheless this was one of those nights where the genuine love for music and community overruled percussive instruments clearly moonlighting from a day job at Eurovision.
Although definitely not a capacity crowd for the venue, it is rare to see a Perth audience having such an obviously great time as the crowd that turned out for Baro Banda. By the end of the second track, the dance floor was full – with talents on show ranging from accomplished belly and flamenco dancers to those who were not tooo bad at merely jumping up and down. For those of us lazy enough to stay in our seats, the complex rhythms that shifted and swirled were a challenge to clap along to but it certainly didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of either the band or the dancers.
With improv, original music and traditional favourites in the play list for the evening, this was a mix that pleased both newcomers and fans alike. The repartee between audience and crowd spoke of a more community based approach to music – where audiences are participants rather than simply spectators which contributed no end to the charm of this energetic and accomplished ensemble.
Baro Banda’s Perth performance eloquently illustrated the benefit of taking a chance during Perth Festival and exploring some of the great international artists on offer. I was reminded tonight how grateful I am for what I think has been a well curated and exciting program for Perth Festival. The only irony of course being that in the midst of loving the awakening of a truly vibrant cultural calendar in Perth, the joy that some of the international artists have brought have me calculating just how fast I can spring myself from this most isolated of cities to get me a year round immersion in the kind of fun the rest of the world is clearly up to over there.
Zoe Carter - Out in Perth