Eklektika

I guess that’s a made-up word, but it seems applicable to last night’s performance at the local First United Church.

Billed as “Roma Swing”, the event featured Romanian-born Lache Cercel, a maestro of the violin, along with his ultra-talented ensemble. As might be expected, the presentation included a few traditional-sounding Romanian melodies, including ones that featured Albanian accordionist, Ben Mati. Whew, his fingers flew!

But the event went farther afield, including jazz interpretations of a spectrum of music, from Rachmaninoff to Django Reinhardt. There was even a flamenco singer/guitarist. He was accompanied by a dancer whose pounding feet made me worry for the church’s polished wood floor.

A highlight for the White Rock audience may have been those spots featuring vocalist Wendy Bollard, who offered standards such as “Blue Skies” and Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ after Midnight.”

Eclectic? Absolutely. But with enough trans-European spice to warrant the made-up name, Eklektika.