Roby Lakatos was born into a Gypsy violin dynasty begun in the 18th century by Janos Binari, a man known as the "King of the Gypsy Violinists" and the "Hungarian Orpheus" to two of his admirers, Franz Liszt and Ludwig van Beethoven. Lakotas has recently applied those inherited traditions to the world of film music.
"A movie with bad music is dull, without soul," he says. "Music is the main element in a movie as it underlines the action throughout a movie, generates and/or reinforces most emotions and feelings."
The Lakatos Ensemble, which features another violin as well as guitar, cimbalom, acoustic bass and piano, recently released "As Time Goes By," an album of film music. Overall, the band has a loose, friendly sound but manages to effortlessly turn some rather tight corners, plumb the depths of sadness as well as riff exuberantly. "Love Theme from 'The Godfather' " has an especially heart-rending sway that makes way for a tasty guitar solo, the guitarist vocalizing his notes as he picks them. "Minor Swing," on the other hand, is lively, with a strong western swing feel, the violin and guitar trading solos at lightning-fast speed.