Boban I Marko

Crazy good Balkan brass music in the gypsy folk tradition, but also w/ bits of jazz, middle-eastern and even Latin. The newest band member is Marko, Boban’s 15-year old son who plays nearly as well as his dad. The whole band is incredible and great guest stars add to the mix. A wonderful CD w/every track worth playing.

1. A lively march that picks up Serbian vocals. Cool.
2. Bright, trilling trumpets/tubas/percussion. Delicious.
3. Stately w/a percussive/brassy mix, sudden stops & drama.
4. Fast perc/horns w/a slightly klezmer-esque feel. Great clarinet.
5. Serbian gypsy funk? Vocals/horns/perc. Very cool.
6. Slow and halting w/a melodic sadness.
7. A big, brassy wall of oom-pah w/a samba flair & energy.
8. A mix of Latin/funk/jazz and college marching band. Wow.
9. Midtempo klezmer w/a catchy bounce & strong harmonies.
10. Starts off fast & keeps going nice counterpoint w/tuba/trumpet.
11. Father & son w/dueling trumpets against percussion.
12. A big fast romp with a fun sound & high energy.
13. Solo trumpet, almost a lament. Lyrical & evocative.
14. A 10-minute epic that builds on #13. Eventually gets fast & bouncy w/sparkling horn work/strings.
6/2004