For a change of pace, I offer three of my many longtime musical favorites for your enjoyment. Click to listen to them on YouTube.

1. To Tragoudi Ton Gyfton by Greek singer, Eleni Vitali. “Eleni was born into music … Her father Takis was a gifted santur player and a composer who had given music for the most important singers of the time. Her mother Loucy Karageorgiou used to sing in festive events in the evenings, and in the mornings she cleaned houses. They were of gypsy origin, with the tradition of music full of sadness and joy”. The music is beautiful enough but see the following “interpretation of this song (with some liberty taken for the sake of rhyming)”.

“I’ve no place and nothing to look forward to
No homeland for me, what’s there to do
With a heavy heart and trembling hands
I dream of setting up my tent in distant lands

“Leave me alone, leave me alone
You only care about your own
I dont belong, I must go alone

“And when our women dance
They put you in a trance
As their fragrances surround you
With their arms around you”

2. Mamo Marie Mamo by Maria Karafizieva, who has one of the most amazing voices you’ll ever hear. She was part of Ivo Papasov & His Orchestra, which is apparently well known in the Bulgarian Gypsy folk musical tradition.

3. Douha Alia by Cheb Mami. He sings Raï, “folk music that originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s.” Camus fans might recall Oran as the site of his novel, The Plague.