Music Review

Saurday, 11 July 2009, Toni Kitanovski and Cherkezi Orchestra performed at the Barbican Concert Hall, London, together with the Boban Markovic Оrchestra.

It was an evening of Balkan Brass music at Barbican.

The TK & Cherkezi Orchestra is formed by three jazz musicians joining forces with a renowned gipsy orchestra called Cherkezi, all of them from Skopje, Macedonia. The leader of the band is Toni Kitanovski, a prominent Macedonian jazz-guitar player and a professor of the Jazz Academy in Stip.

The music of the Cerkezi orchestra is a subtle fusion of Delta Jazz and Balkan moods. Toni Kitanovski told me that his great artistic interest in life is one with a rhythm pattern known as “clave”. In Toni's words, this pattern has travelled from North Africa to the Americas as well as to the Balkans. In South America, it took the form of Rumba Clave and in North america it became the basis of the New orleans Rock'nRoll and Jazz sound. In the Balkans it became known by the name of Cocek.

The band played their Clave variations with a great mastership. Their sound is unique and interesting. They put many layers in their music, Jazz and Balkan and North African and perform them with subtle gentleness.

Toni Cherkezi have released one album so far named “Borderlands”.

Links:

• Wikipedia (info)
• Myspace (info & music)
• Youtube (video playlist)
• Toni Kitanovski website
• Album Borderlands on amazon.co.uk

 | Виктор Масторидис |
Viktor.Mastoridis.co.uk