Kocani orchestra
In the ex-Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia the Romany people are regarded as the uncontested kings of the music field, with a tradition that dates back to the 1400s, when the population left the Indian lands of Rajasthan to settle in the Balkans. For centuries Rom artists have animated festivities, marriages and other rites, and with their different styles continue to exercise a considerable influence on contemporary Balkan music.
In the Balkans region, brass band orchestras have a particularly Rom style. From western Serbia to Macedonia these orchestras demonstrate remarkable creativity in their transformation of the original, static style of traditional brass bands. These brass bands were created in the 19th century in imitation of the Turkish military bands which replaced the Mehterhane formations of Janissary Turks beginning in 1828. Apparently, as in Turkey, they dethroned the ancient traditional oboe (zurna, zurla, or mizmar) and double-membraned drum ensembles. Today these ensembles that had formerly been imported from Turkey and played by the Roms, are dying out, in part because of modernity, but also because of the growing Macedonian and Serbian nationalism.
In Kochani, a city in the Republic of Macedonia, the Rom brass band music is called Romska Orientalna Muzika. Naat Veliov's Kocani orchestra is made up of a trumpet (trompeta), a cornet (kornet), and a saxophone (saksafon), which alternates with a clarinette (klarinet), 3 baritones, a tuba, and accordion (armonika), and a large drum (tapan), which itself alternates with a darabuka. A popular figure in his country Veliov, thanks in part to his role in Emir Kusturica's film The Time of the Gypsies has managed to gather a considerable following abroad, quickly becoming the most well-known and appreciated Macedonian artist on the international scene. The Kocani Orchestra which he founded has over the years undergone many line-up changes, yet has managed to maintain unaltered the freshness and spirit of its early years, demonstrating itself on disc after disc to be one of the most innovative and original Balkan brass bands around. Their latest excellent recordings confirm Veliov and his cohorts passion for playing music, uniting mastery of their own traditional heritage with a number of influences from neighbouring cultures (Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey).
In the Balkans region, brass band orchestras have a particularly Rom style. From western Serbia to Macedonia these orchestras demonstrate remarkable creativity in their transformation of the original, static style of traditional brass bands. These brass bands were created in the 19th century in imitation of the Turkish military bands which replaced the Mehterhane formations of Janissary Turks beginning in 1828. Apparently, as in Turkey, they dethroned the ancient traditional oboe (zurna, zurla, or mizmar) and double-membraned drum ensembles. Today these ensembles that had formerly been imported from Turkey and played by the Roms, are dying out, in part because of modernity, but also because of the growing Macedonian and Serbian nationalism.
In Kochani, a city in the Republic of Macedonia, the Rom brass band music is called Romska Orientalna Muzika. Naat Veliov's Kocani orchestra is made up of a trumpet (trompeta), a cornet (kornet), and a saxophone (saksafon), which alternates with a clarinette (klarinet), 3 baritones, a tuba, and accordion (armonika), and a large drum (tapan), which itself alternates with a darabuka. A popular figure in his country Veliov, thanks in part to his role in Emir Kusturica's film The Time of the Gypsies has managed to gather a considerable following abroad, quickly becoming the most well-known and appreciated Macedonian artist on the international scene. The Kocani Orchestra which he founded has over the years undergone many line-up changes, yet has managed to maintain unaltered the freshness and spirit of its early years, demonstrating itself on disc after disc to be one of the most innovative and original Balkan brass bands around. Their latest excellent recordings confirm Veliov and his cohorts passion for playing music, uniting mastery of their own traditional heritage with a number of influences from neighbouring cultures (Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey).
posted by O.marian at 18:16
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