The Slav Trade

Many of us are cultural orphans, ethnic mutts at least a generation removed from the music that coursed through our ancestors' veins. We've stood in the shadows at nightclubs, arms crossed, heads nodding meekly, waiting for the sound that would grab us by the lapels, call us kin, and force us to dance. New York's Slavic Soul Party! is our homecoming -- a nine-piece smash-up that draws on the fading pulse of New York's outer boroughs to produce an aural triumph of American life. Comprised of first-tier musicians from traditional jazz, Balkan, and chamber ensembles, this outfit feathers funk into klezmer, and marries "Opa Cupa" to "Ring of Fire" as if it were the most obvious coupling in the world. Your toes can't deny it. Since its inception SSP! has roused crowds in Serbia, Macedonia, and Turkey, won over Warped Tour skatepunks and BBC commentators, and dazzled everyone from Saban Bajramovic to Sufjan Stevens. The group's residency at Barbès -- a small, seminal nightclub in Brooklyn -- has become a gathering for international musicians and the nexus of East Coast gypsy punk, not because SSP! is comprised of scenesters, but because the band is undeniably world class, as upcoming slots at Carnegie Hall and the Genting festival in Malaysia attest. Tonight, SSP! celebrates the release of its fourth album Remixed. The Extra Action Marching Band opens.
Fri., Feb. 29, 9:30 p.m., 2008