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Occidental Gypsy

Occidental Gypsy features Eli Bishop on violin, Jonathan Hurley, vocals & rhythm guitar, Jeff Feldman on bass, Erick Cifuentes on percussion, and Brett Feldman on lead guitar.

Occidental Gypsy is a nationally touring acoustic act. They have played at the legendary Nighttown in Cleveland, Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and Blue Wisp in Cincinnati among others.

Nationally recognized Occidental Gypsy plays a dynamic, multi-genre mix of original vocal and instrumental pieces along with many notable covers like a "gypsyfied" take of Michael Jackson's Thriller. The Boston Globe has named them a "Best Bet for Weekend Entertainment," and musician David Bromberg said of the group, "great singing, fantastic guitar and violin work, with high energy originals that leave the crowd crazy. An awesome band."

"A typical Occidental Gypsy concert consists of a mix of original pieces, traditional gypsy jazz from 1930s and '40s icon Reinhardt, and covers of songs from other genres the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the theme song from the Harry Potter movies but with a gypsy jazz spin.

And its appeal is turning out to be widespread

"Gypsy music is reminiscent of a retro period; it has a warm sound and an acoustic instrumentation that is easy on the ear. So anyone who has heard it before is a little nostalgic for the sound and likes us because of that. But we also play with a high energy that appeals to younger ears." -Boston Globe Article, August 22, 2012

The name Occidental Gypsy (Western gypsy) embodies the concept behind Gypsy World fusion. The group has taken the Gypsy sound that originated in Eastern Europe and brought it Over Here to blend it seamlessly with contemporary American music. Interestingly, Gypsy Swing was created by taking American Jazz to the East and blending it with the Gypsy Folk tradition. Now almost a century later Occidental Gypsy brings the music back home.