István Nagy
(vocal, guitar, blues-harmonica)
István
Nagy is the leader of the Karavan
Familia and the head of the family. He was born in 1969 in Budapest (Hungary).
He started to playing music
as an autodidact and was influenced by various kinds of folk music and the
afro-american blues. When he was 15 he was already performing as a
blues-musician (guitar & blues-harmonica). At the end of the 1980’s he
connected to the Hungarian Gipsy folklore movement. In 1989 joined the
Romanyi Rota ensemble, with which he worked for 13 years. (He did
different arrangements, wrote lyrics in Gipsy/Romani language, and he was one
of the main singers of the group, he played guitar, bouzouki, mandolin,
tambura and tambouritza.) As a member of the band he was awarded the Hungarian
distinction of Young Master of Folk Arts in 1995. He made two
CDs with the mentioned group which are till nowadays the most authentic Gipsy
folk records. (Romanyi Rota: O cerhariko, 1994; Romanyi Rota: Phiravelman
kalyi phuv, 1999)
Simultaneously he was one of
the founded members of the Gipsy band of Romano Kokalo with the
famous Gipsy cimbalom player Kálmán Balogh. The two musicians
combined their artistic manner and so Romano Kokalo was
converted the most progressive Hungarian Gipsy band in the end of the 1990’s.
(Romano Kokalo: Gipsy Colours, 1999)
In 1998 István was a guest
artist on Transglobal Underground recording (Rejoice, Rejoice,
1998). He is between the best Gypsy language song writers in Hungary.
The Karavan was formed
in 2002 which has been István Nagy’s own new band with his wife. Their first
CD entitled „Gipsy Flamenco” was released by EMI in the end of 2002. The
Karavan was the first band in Hungary, which has been worked together with
the world famous Gipsy artist Boban Markovic. (Boban
participated as a guest musician in the Karavan’s CD and in their
videoclip.) In 2003 the Karavan group enlarged with the two children of
the artist-couple. They have grown up with the music of their parents - this
is a well-known tradition in the Gipsy culture. The Karavan Familia was
formed in this manner.
Ica Farkas
(vocal, dance)
She
is István's wife. She was born in 1972 in Vásárosnamény, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg
county (Hungary).
The Gipsy songs, dances and
customs of this region are her own heritage. She joined the Romanyi Rota
and Romano Kokalo in 1998 (vocal and dance). From 2002 she plays
with the Karavan. The children István and Niki played concert in 2003
first with their parents. Since then Karavan Familia the band's name.
Guest performance:
In 2005 she was a guest
singer in "Szakcsi Hungarian Gipsy Show" with the excellent Gipsy
jazz artist Béla Szakcsi Lakatos.
István Nagy Jr.
(vocal, guitar, cajon)
The
son of István and Ica. He was born in 1991 in Budapest (Hungary). The music
plays a determining role in his life since the small age. When he was 7 years
old he started learning classical guitar in a music school through more years.
The folk music and the other styles he learned from his father. The soul and
the R&B interests him the best beside the Gipsy music. In the Karavan
Familia he's the most important musical partner of his father.
He's a creative man, he planned the
Karavan Familia's website.
Niki Nagy
(vocal, dance, guitar)
She
is the daughter of István and Ica. She was born in 1993 in Budapest (Hungary).
She's dancing and singing since her little childhood. Their parents always
took her and his brother with themselves onto the concerts and onto orchestral
tests. With her brother she learned classical guitar in a music school.
Beside the Gipsy music she likes many music: the arabic, the indian music, the
american soul and R&B. The talent of Niki and her brother define the
Karavan Familia's sound in a big part.
