Bingara Roxy Theatre: The Horny Cumbia and other Tantalizing Tunes

November 24, 2008

Explosive energy. Heated passion. Wild rhythms. These are just some of the words used to describe the exhilarating performance delivered by Marsala at The Roxy recently by a group made up of some of the finest international musicians performing today.

Marsala delivered one of the best nights of music, dance and fun that the Roxy has ever experienced. With a powerful line up of highly skilled musicians from around the world, Marsala presented a cultural smorgasbord of music that had everybody dancing.

The performance featured music from Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Brazil, Spain, Russia, (even a little French rap), and included Italian love songs, gypsy music, tangos and everything in between.

The audience immediately embraced lead vocalist, Jose Zarb who captivated the audience from the outset, recounting personal tales and musical experiences that were wonderfully insightful and amusing.

Jose is a songwriter who pens truly original "Australian" songs which he performs with a tongue firmly planted in his cheek and "a big fat Australian accent."

His recent single "The Horny Cumbia" is about the Brazilian dance called the ‘cumbia,’ which would normally be accompanied by a horn section. Jose told the audience that he recorded the song with guitars instead of horns, making the title just a little ironic.

Jose gave away copies of the song on CD throughout the evening which delighted the audience.

Jose had recently returned from a trip to Yugoslavia where he performed with a great variety of musicians in a number of concerts. As promised, Jose came down on the dance floor to teach The Roxy audience some Yugoslavian dancing which was warmly and widely embraced by all those who took to the floor.

The wonderful vibe enjoyed by audience and band alike ensured that band were thrilled with the event, describing the performance as being in the "top ten gigs" they had ever performed.

Marsala performed as the final live show presented by The Roxy for the year. What a way to end what has been a truly amazing year full of some extraordinary entertainment!