On Friday, February 5th, the Yugoslavian Student Club at UMass Boston, also known as “YUMASS Boston,” organized a concert for the group called “Baltic Fusion Band.” YUMASS aims to celebrate the shared cultures of the peoples living in the Baltic peninsula in Europe with an emphasis on the region within the former nation of Yugoslavia.
The band members were Jozef Nadj on the violin, Predrag Simovic on guitar, Gogo Daskalov on the alto saxophone, David Mihaljević with drums & vocal, and Pera Krstajic playing the bass. During the set, the group had two separate portions where they performed with special guests. During the first, they added Miran Tikvicki playing the tamburitza and Vasilis Kostas playing the lauto, both instruments native to the Balkan area.
Kostas also had a solo performance of a traditional Greek piece. During the second, they added New England Conservatory student Farayi Malek for a medley of songs such as Poker Face, Smooth Criminal, Play That Funky Music, and Superstition.
The songs played ranged from old folk to more modern from all over the Balkan Peninsula. The style was a mix of folk, classic rock, funk, and jazz.
The music was catchy and fun to listen to. It was also deceptively simple: all members of the band were playing complicated and complex riffs at various points in time. However, the band members made the music seem effortless, including joking with each other on stage while they traded solos.
For more information, find the student club on Facebook by searching “YUMASS Boston.”