Kočani Orkestar
The brass band that initiated the current Balkan Brass fever is called
Kocani Orkestar. The Underground director Emir Kusturica introduced them
in his Balkan epic Time of the Gypsies. They also influenced the soundtrack
composer Goran BregoviĆ and played on the anniversary album of their
Romanian fellow virtuosi Taraf de Haidouks.
Almost
half of the estimated eight million gypsies in Europe live in the Balkans,
which gives the region the densest concentration of Roma people anywhere
in the world. This has led to a rich culture of gypsy music which, in
western Serbia and Macedonia in particular, manifests itself in some
spectacular brass band orchestras. Such ensembles have demonstrated
a remarkable creativity in transforming the original style of the Turkish
military bands into something fresh and exciting.
In Macedonia the strength of the brass band tradition led the director
Emir Kusturica to shoot his famous film Time of the Gypsies in the capital
Skopje's satellite town of Shuto Orizari, the largest Roma settlement
in the world. Kocani Orkestar, Macedonia's most accomplished gypsy brass
band, were featured in the film and take their name from their home
town of Kocani.
The group's international recognition came after they were discovered
by Michel Winter and Stephane Karo, the same team responsible for first
bringing Romania's much-loved gypsy troupe, Taraf de Haidouks, to world
attention. Both acts are signed to Crammed Discs, which led to the Kocani
Orkestar guesting on the Taraf's Band of Gypsies album.
The Kocani's critical breakthrough came with their acclaimed album L'Orient
est rouge, a thrillingly unpredictable showcase of gypsy eclecticism,
integrating original pieces into the traditional brass band repertoire,
all played in a dazzling array of complex time-signatures. The title
song came from China and there were Hindi film songs alongside local
Macedonian dance tunes, as well as a terrific version of the Roma anthem,
Djelem, Djelem.
The line-up consists of two trumpets, one clarinet, one saxophone, four
tubas and one tapan, a large double-skinned cylindrical drum, beaten
in complex rhythmic patterns with a heavy stick in one hand and a thin
switch in the other. Their latest album, Alone at My Wedding, explores
the music that accompanies the three-day traditional gypsy weddings
that still take place regularly all over the Balkan region. With typical
gypsy diversity, Turkish and Bulgarian rhythms are married to local
folk dances, with even a dash of Latin flavour thrown in for good measure.
The record also finds the Orkestar transcending the strict boundaries
of the brass band genre by showcasing the talent of their new vocalist,
the charismatic young Ajnur Azizov, who sings variously in Slavic, Turkish
and Roma.
Kocani Orkestar has been touring extensively throughout Europe and even
Japan. They've created a sensation at major events such as the Roskilde
Festival (Denmark), Womad (UK), Sfinks (Belgium), Festival Jazz de La
Villette (France), Lucerne Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Megaevento delle
FAO Roma (Italy), Royal Albert Hall London (UK) etc., and more recently
Les Mediterranees de Ceret (France), where they've also performed pieces
together with Khaled.
Web:
www.divanoprod.com
Music:
Siki,
siki baba, Ederlezi Avela, Kerta Mangae Dae
Download:
 |
|
JPEG
150 x 110 mm
300 dpi
|
 |
|
JPEG
150 x 110 mm
300 dpi
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
JPEG
150 x 100 mm
300 dpi
|
 |
|
JPEG
150 x 100 mm
300 dpi
|
<back>
|