Album Notes

Long before the current Balkan brass music craze, as iconified by crossover artists like Beirut and NY\'s Balkan Beat Box, the nine musicians of the San Francisco Bay Area\'s powerhouse Brass Menažeri Balkan Brass Band were already getting deep into the music. And there is plenty of depth to get into--a tradition, developed over centuries by the Rom (“Gypsy”) communities of Serbia, Macedonia and Greece, which yields music as alive with ecstatic celebration as with despairing laments. It is music that draws on many of the characteristics common throughout the Balkans: odd-metered rhythms, riveting, often close harmonies, soulful improvisations, and a mission to get people dancing. It is a living tradition that is as old as a mournful Ottoman-era melody and as new as American funk and Bollywood movie hits, and Brass Menažeri embraces it all. They are steeped in tradition and yet bring their own 21st century American sensibilities to every arrangement they create, every wild solo they take, every note they play. This is not a museum music, nor a re-creation or an emulation. It is undeniably alive, played with skill and passion by seasoned musicians. Now a wider audience is taking notice, as Brass Menažeri\'s powerful live music drives some of the most fresh and exciting live shows in the Bay Area, including SF Weekly\'s \"Best Crazed Gypsy Brass Band Dance Party\", Kafana Balkan. It is no wonder they have crowded clubs screaming and boogying and begging for more. This new recording showcases their latest work, which they\'ve tightened on the road and expanded to include Indian rhythms and original compositions. In fact, the album is named for a tune that came to bandleader Peter Jaques while he was asleep in the town of Vranje, Serbia, during a visit there in the summer of 2006. The music on this album draws from across regions Balkan and non-Balkan, with songs sung in a variety of languages, including Rromanes, Bosnian and Greek, all exuberantly brought to life and impeccably recorded. “Warning: listening to the Brass Menazeri is addictive -- once they start, you can\'t stop.” --Dina Maccabee, SF Bay Gaurdian