JULIAN CALENDAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION 2008!

The Gypsies

"Polyethnic" best describes The Gypsies, Houston’s award winning European-style strolling and ethnic dance band. Voted "Best Traditional/Ethnic" band by the Houston Press, they have dominated this corner of the city’s live music scene since 1974.

This versatile band plays Eastern European, Swing, Klezmer, French, Italian, British Isles, German, Polish-American, Czech, Norteno, Cajun and Zydeco, Country, Solid Gold Oldies, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean, and Tropical styles of music. They play balalaikas, accordions, violins, mandolins, guitars, banjos, bouzouki, a full array of horns and ethnic percussion, and a wide variety of other folk instruments, The group ranges in size from a strolling quartet to a twelve-piece dance band.    

Greg Harbar, the band’s founder and leader unearthed much of the band’s repertoire from his collection of several thousand vintage records and books and sheet music from around the world. "I felt there was a real need for people to experience their ethnic roots in music," says Greg, a former radio-advertising executive who had played accordion in his immigrant community as a child. Disillusioned with the standard musical format of Houston’s radio stations and live entertainment at restaurants and parties, he instituted his own long-standing show "The Gypsy Caravan" on KPFT. He successfully pioneered Houston’s only band that is equally welcome at Wortham Center or a Gypsy picnic! As full-time professional performer since its inception, Greg is dedicated to preserving and furthering the band’s musical traditions.

From wild parties with Russian ballet dancers and jam sessions with members of the State Folk Ensembles of Russia and Hungary, to cruises down Buffalo Bayou, The Gypsies play an intriguing assortment of engagements. They regularly play galas, balls, fund-raisers, grand openings, Opera and Symphony festivities throughout Texas, and parties entertaining visiting royalty. Their ethnic jobs have included weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Gypsy Slavas (feasts), Octoberfest and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and Cajun crawfish boils. Their travels include appearances in Austria, on a U.S. tour with the Bulava Cossack Dance Ensemble, an extended engagement on a Caribbean cruise, and appearances at festivals throughout Texas.