Cimbalom virtuoso plays some Jewish tunes

Fans of Gypsy (Rom) and Jewish music should check out the Kálmán Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2 at the Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis. It should be a highlight of the 2009 musical calendar.
Balogh is descended from a renowned dynasty of Hungarian Gypsy musicians. He is one of Hungary’s premier artists on the cimbalom, an oversized hammer dulcimer that is played with mallets like a vibraphone.
You can listen to a selection of the group’s music, including a lovely version of “Erev Shel Shoshanim,” on their MySpace page. — Mordecai Specktor