Songs
Balkan Speed Brass / Jazz / Funk / Flamenco / Polka / Romanian / Russian / Bulgarian / Greek
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- country:Romania
- region:Balkan
- style(s):Folk, Funk
- label:not signed
- type:Band, Solo, Composer/Songwriter
- gender:male, female
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
- artist posted by:Jungle Town Productions
Line up
- Cristinel Manole (RO) (trumpet)
- Florin Badarau (RO) (vocals, saxophone)
- Gigi Hayat (BG) (dance, artistry)
- Ionel Chiriak (RO) (baritone horn)
- Luca Artioli (IT) (vocals, guitar)
- Nikolaos Chassirtzis (GR) (vocals, bouzouki)
- Philipp Kullen (GER) (drums)
- Rares Zamfir (RO) (baritone horn)
- Sergiu Nastase (RO) (bass tuba)
- Sinél Manole (RO) (percussion)
- Viktor Skála (UA) (vocals, guitar)
- Vladimir Karparov (BG) (saxophone)
Links
Fanfara Kalashnikov, originally from the region of Moldau in North East Romania, is a famous extravaganza of brass music. Since they were children the musicians have been playing at family and village celebrations, including weddings, birthdays and naming ceremonies. They learned from the cradle to play an extraordinary mixture of speed brass in the Balkan-Oriental style, with strong jazz and funk influences.
Kalashnikov plays klezmer, bossa, polka, waltz, flamenco and even mambo in the Balkan style. Their music is an extremely modern interpretation of centuries-old music traditions; however as most of the band members are under 30 years old, their sound reflects not only the Romani nomad culture, but also a variety of fresh and quirky influences.
Since spring 2007, this collection of enthusiastic, exceptional musicians has been constantly delighting audiences in concerts, festivals and private events outside of Romania, blowing upon horns, trumpets and a tuba and delighting audiences at sweat-inducing tempos of well over 200 beats per minute.
In summer 2007 the ensemble appeared as a horde of brass playing vampires in the video "Frauen und Maenner" by Berlin punk combo Panda, they jammed with New York ska legend Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers), and Rupa & The April Fishes from San Francisco, blew the wedding march for Balkan R'n'B queen Miss Platnum, and performed in the supporting programme for Germany's number one dancehall act, Seeed.
One of the most energetic, surprising and exciting contemporary music projects from Eastern Europe is currently developing some of the hottest, freshest, and wildest brass sounds ever heard. Who wouldn't dance on the tables to these rhythms?
"The funkiest brass band I've ever seen."
(Ecki Huedepohl, It's M.E.)