Search - Karma :: Nozata

Karma are a technically deft and engaging instrumental group whose well-crafted and unstuffy arrangements make the most of Brittany's revitalized musical heritage. At times they recall the antic originality and tongue-in-cheek silliness of the '80s supergroup Gwendal. The instrumental forces include guitar, chromatic accordion, fiddle and cello, bass, and percussion, as well as two sizes of biniou (bagpipes) and the ubiquitous bombarde (a feisty local member of the oboe/shawm family). Traditional styles predominate, such as couples de sonneur--where two bombardes exchange licks, joining briefly on the last note of each phrase--and a selection of turbo-charged, lopsided dance tunes and plaintive ballads. But Balkan, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern rhythms also turn up, adding a subversive dash of booty shaking to the more usually straightforward momentum of the Celtic material. --Christina Roden