Recordings

17 HIPPIES"Heimlich"Hipster

LIKE BRAZILIAN GIRLS, 17 Hippies are doomed to a career's worth of questions about their name: Do they really have 17 members, and are they really hippies? (The answers: no and maybe.) The stylistically diverse Berlin ensemble began a dozen years ago, in revolt against the city's techno fixation but also in opposition to the musicians' own rock and classical experience; one early tactic was to encourage members to play instruments they'd never touched. There's no sign of such conceptual perversity on "Heimlich," the group's latest album. The Hippies, who currently number 13, remain eclectic but are no longer amateurish.

One of the group's major inspirations is Eastern European folk music, and the CD opens with "Schattenmann," a jaunty romp that draws on klezmer and Gypsy music. But the disc also includes "Moving Song," whose vocal melody could have been composed by George Harrison, circa 1966; a version of "Apache," a 1961 cowboy-movie instrumental hit; and two quiet ballads, including the title tune, sung by soprano Kiki Sauer. Although German is the principal language, there are songs in French and English. The musical idioms are far more disparate, yet the mix is never incoherent. The 17 Hippies have learned how to fuse sundry musics into one.

-- Mark Jenkins

Appearing Sunday at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.