Boban I Marko Balkan Brass Fest
In listening to the Boban Markovic Orchestra's musical tapestry of Balkan brass music, Gypsy fiddling, Middle Eastern-sounding melodies and washes of funk drumming, it's tempting to think of Boban I Marko as a self-conscious bid for world fusion. The truth, though, is that the seamlessness with which flugelhornist Boban Markovic knits these disparate influences together only proves that in skilled hands such as his these styles were never very far apart to begin with. Hailing from the Gypsy brass tradition of Southern Serbia, Markovic is such a legend that the annual Serbian Guca Festival (the Woodstock of Brass Music) asked him not to compete anymore--he had already won the competition for Best Trumpet too many times. OnBoban I Marko, Markovic adds his 15-year-old son Marko to the enormously talented lineup of brass and drums that makes up his Orkestar, and the result is a thrilling disc that passes a torch while turning up the flame even higher. Markovic's ensemble is capable of stunning range--flowing easily from the enormous-sounding brass orchestrations of "Sat" and "Mundo Cocek" to the silky "Magija" that features Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars to the otherworldly Balkan funk of "Od Srca." The crowning jewel though, is the title track, a beautiful showcase for Markovic and his young son where the pair trade lines over a bed of percussion and meticulously arranged brass lines.--Ezra Gale