San Francisco-based Inspector Gadje Balkan Quintet brings the beautiful and bumpin’ brass band music of South-Eastern Europe to Wanderlust. This nimble ensemble is swift on their feet, taking sharp melodic turns as they ignite the dance floor with tight grooves of celebration! In their form as a large ensemble, Inspector Gadje is a fixture of the Bay Area music scene, selling out event after event and keeping the people dancing.

With much of their repertoire hailing from Romani communities, Inspector Gadje believes music to have cultural significance beyond simply entertainment. The term gadje itself is a Romani word meaning outsider, hence the ensemble name “Inspector Gadje” is not only a playful reference to the popular 1980’s cartoon show, but also to the bands identity as non-Roma allies.

The members of Inspector Gadje are dedicated to a model of music that deals openly with issues of cultural appropriation, encouraging audiences to look more closely at the ways in which we as Americans can contribute to healthier cultural awareness through the process of respectfully learning and sharing music as a social touchstone. As the nature of the world changes, and the world is literally our neighborhood, this type of approach is relevant in Balkan music and beyond.