Kocani Orkestar & Orkestar Zirkonium

Kocani Orkestar photo by Carlos Muñoz Yagüe

Thursday, May 2, 8pm
Town Hall Seattle
1119 8th Ave, Seattle

Kočani Orkestar’s thundering rhythm section – tapan drummer Saban Jasarov and four tubas Redzai Durmisev, Mendu Saliev, Esat Saliev and Ismail Jasarov – absolutely rocks Balkan 7/8 and 9/8 signatures for wailing melodists Ismael Saliev, sax, Deladin Demirov, clarinet, Turan Gaberov and Sukri Kadrievi, trumpets, and Ajlur Azizov, vocals.

From the city of Kočani, Republic of Macedonia, Kočani Orkestar is the premier exponent of that region’s brass band tradition, originating in 19th-century imitation of Turkish military bands. Founded by trumpeter Naat Veliov, the band has expanded their early Gypsy-tune repertoire to include music of street parades, weddings, village celebrations (Alone at My Wedding, 2005) and Balkan pop and retro-surf (The Ravished Bride, 2008).

Kočani Orkestar has performed music festivals around the world, collaborated with Italian singer Vinicio Capossella, with jazz trumpeter Paolo Fresú, and with Taraf de Haïdouks’ Band of Gypsies. Innovators and rock stars – they’re a brass band on the frontlines of an evolving folk music with deep cultural threads, now around the world – 7/8 is the new waltz.

Orkestar Zirkonium, Seattle’s own mobile, thirteen-member brass-and-drum street-party ensemble, drawing from that Eastern European and Roma brass tradition – and klezmer, Bollywood, Ethiopian jazz, punk, funk, hip-hop – opens this explosive show at Town Hall. Orkestar Zirkonium is Stephen Lohrentz and Eric Padget, trumpets; Whitney Neufeld-Kaiser, alto horn; Jeff Walker and Scott Rinnan, trombones; Jerry Neufeld-Kaiser, tuba; Donn Cave, baritone sax; Ivan Molton, alto sax; Kevin Hinshaw, clarinet; Sari Breznau, percussion; Matt Manges, snare; Anne Mathews, bass drum; and Greg Bumpus, snare and percussion.

– Schraepfer Harvey

Tickets available at kocani.brownpapertickets.com and 1-800-838-3006. Tickets are $22 general; $20 Earshot members and seniors; $12 for students.