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Kocani Orkestar
Alone at My Wedding (Crammed 25)
$17.99
The band of Gypsies that accompanied a recent Taraf de Haiduks adventure are back with their first recording in years. The sound of the brass band of macedonia is unlike anything else you have heard. Minus the infamous Naat Veliov on this outing, they add a vocalist, Ajlur Azizov, and while the sound changes slightly, the attitude is as wild as ever.
Read the fRoots review
Listen:
Siki, siki baba
Oi bori sujie
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The record label says:
In Macedonia they usually involve the participation of two different types of bands. The marching brass band goes all around the village to pick up the main protagonists from their respective homes, and escort them to the house where the (generally extravagant) festivities are to take place. Once the procession has reached its destination, the brass band keeps playing while the guests arrive and start to unpack and present their gifts to the young couple: jewels, clothes, food, kitchen utensils etc. Then everyone settles around the banquet table for a long, festive meal. This is when the second band comes in, generally consisting of a percussionist, a horn player (trumpet, sax or clarinet), a banjo (played somewhat like an oriental oud, and often replaced by a synthesizer nowadays) and a singer. Known so far as a marching brass band, the Koçani Orkestar have now also drawn on the repertoire played by these "banquet combos", sometimes adapting it for their expanded brass band line-up, and sometimes venturing into the intricate interplay typical of these small ensembles.
With their new, expanded line-up, mighty Macedonian brass band Koçani Orkestar are wilder than ever, getting the entire audience up on their feet & dancing at every concert. Their music is still based on Gypsy tunes from various parts of the Balkans and on Turkish/Bulgarian rhythms, with a sprinkle of Latin flavour... but this album is particularly devoted to the repertoire played by Gypsy bands during wedding celebrations in Macedonia. This enables the Koçani Orkestar to transcend the strict boundaries of the brass band genre : half of the tracks showcase the vocal talents of their two new singers (charismatic, young Aljur Azizov and accordionist Zlate Nikolov), and there are several small ensemble pieces featuring instruments such as darbuka, banjo and clarinet. The band's popular trademark thundering style is present as ever, with its powerful rhythm section (drummer + four tubas) which rocks like a mutant Balkan funk band, and its wailing, passionate soloists (Ismail Saliev on sax, Turan Gaberov on trumpet and Deladin Demirov on clarinet).
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