Nothing can better warm the spirit on a cold, winter’s eve than Megitza’s fiery energy and expressive vocals. The Megitza Quartet is a Chicago-based world fusion group founded by vocalist/bassist Malgorzata Babiarz, who derives her inspiration from an upbringing in the villages of Poland. The quartet’s other members include Andreas Kapsalis on guitar, Marek Lichota on accordion, and Jamie Gallagher on percussion. Their December 30th show at Katerina’s in Irving Park enjoyed a full house, and the quartet had audience members singing, clapping, and dancing to their mixture of gypsy, Balkan, Mediterranean, Central and Eastern European styles—a majority of which are original compositions. Megitza, or “Maggy” for short, presented songs from the group’s debut album “Boleritza” (2008) that included languages and sounds from Roma (gypsy), Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, Macedonian, and Greek traditions.
While the group revisited some well-known gypsy tunes, such as “Opa Cupa” (Serbian) and “Chaje Sukariye” (Macedonian), their eclectic interpretations included Andreas’ flamenco and jazz guitar stylizations, Jamie’s claps and other impromptu rhythms, and Marek’s light and fluid trills on the accordion. Best of all was Megitza’s frequent exclamation “Opa!”, an expression of joy and encouragement common in Mediterranean and Balkan countries. As the group tours throughout the country, be sure to catch the Megitza Quartet locally or elsewhere for an unforgettable musical experience.
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