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Brass Menazeri
Other / Metal

2008 SF Weekly Music Award Winner



OAKLAND, California
United States

Profile Views:  93718




Last Login:  1/2/2010
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   Brass Menazeri: General Info
Member Since4/3/2006
Band Websitewww.brassmenazeri.com
Band MembersPeter Jaques: director, clarinet & trumpet
Briget Boyle: vocals & snare
Darren Johnston: trumpet
Larry Leight: trombone & baritone
Rachel MacFarlane: vocals & baritone
Eric Oberthaler: trumpet
Michele Simon: tapan & vocals
Evan Stuart: sousaphone
Alexander Zendzian: baritone horn
Sounds Like

Live at Kafana Balkan, November 2007:





Live at Kafana Balkan, June 2007:

Check out our new CD,Vranjski San:
BRASS MENAŽERI: Vranjski San: Vranje Dream

and from 2007: Brazen!

Buy the CD
album cover
click to order


or on on iTunes

Photos:

Radio:


Listen to us on Stephen Kent's "Music of the World." We play for around 1 hour and 20 minutes.

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Brass Menazeri's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

Olympia Show review!!!  (view more)

March 22-29: Northwestern tour!  (view more)

New songs online  (view more)

Check out this event: Slavic Soul Party + Brass Menazeri @Humanist Hall  (view more)

Check out this event: Brass Menazeri and Gooferman at Amnesia  (view more)

[View All Blog Entries]

   About Brass Menazeri
The Brass Menazeri is the Bay Area's Award Winning Balkan Rom ("Gypsy") style brass band, performing hard driving music of Serbia, Macedonia & Greece.

Long before the current Balkan brass music craze, as iconified by crossover artists like Beirut and NY's Balkan Beat Box, the 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 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.

"Warning: listening to the Brass Menazeri is addictive—once they start, you can't stop." —Dina Maccabee, SF Bay Gaurdian

Brass Menazeri's latest CD—Vranjski San: Vranje Dream. The streets of Oakland, California meet the streets of Vranje, Serbia, and a raucous party erupts. This is Brass Menažeri Balkan brass: on fire with live-wire ecstasy, midnight laments, unstoppable dance beats. The party must never stop. Vranjski San is available at www.cdbaby.com/cd/brassmenazeri2!

Brazen is our first CD, presenting rousing, inspiring, soulful Balkan Rom, Serbian, & Greek-Macedonian tunes with heart-rending improvisations, lush vocals and all the infectious energy of our live performances. Brazen is available at www.cdbaby.com/cd/brassmenazeri or on iTunes!

Booking inquiries

If you would like to book the Brass Menažeri, write to booking@brassmenazeri.com.

Members

The Brass Menažeri is:

  • Peter Jaques (director, clarinet, trumpet)
    has been a fixture of the Bay Area Balkan and Near Eastern music scene since 1995. His playing style combines traditional Balkan Rom, Turkish and Greek idioms with his own, deeply soulful approach. He also plays with Gamelan X, the Balinese-hybrid processional orchestra directed by Eric Oberthaler.
  • Briget Boyle (vocals, snare) started singing music from Eastern Europe in 2000 when she attended the College of Santa Fe as a Music Performance and Composition major. She relocated to Austin, TX, in 2003 where she spent a year as the lead singer for the African drumming, dancing and singing ensemble, Umoya. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2004, Briget has been a vocalist and percussionist with Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble, Kaila Flexer, Mariana Sadovska, Linda Tillery, Dan Cantrell, and Amy X Neuburg.
  • Darren Johnston (trumpet) is our newest addition. Darren is one of the most sought-after trumpeters in the Bay Area jazz & new music scene. See for yourself at darrenjohnstonmusic.com
  • Larry Leight (trombone, baritone horn) brings over 40 years experience on both euphonium and trombone to the band. Larry has played with such Bay Area legends as Mitch Woods and Lavay Smith. In addition to leading horn sections in such clubs as The Gold Dust, Curtain Call and Café Trieste, Larry has backed up singers such as Paula West , Kim Nally and Denise Perier. A much sought after soloist for big bands, Larry has recently been selected as lead trombonist for the Louis Bellson big band.
  • Rachel MacFarlane (baritone horn, vocals) has been involved with Balkan music for over 30 years, a mania inextricably linked with her passion for Balkan languages, music, dance and domestic arts. Fluent in Serbian and Croatian, Bulgarian and Macedonian, she has used her skills to great effect in such groups as Seattle's Radost Folk Ensemble and the Bay Area's Macedonian folk band Debela Macka. She has been director of the East European Folklife Center for 15 years. Rachel has made numerous trips to the Balkans, including two recent excursions to brass band festivals in Serbia, where she had the opportunity to work directly with several of today's hottest Serbian Rom brass bands.
  • Eric "EO" Oberthaler (trumpet, composition) fell in love with Balkan music back in the 90's while at CalArts. He was introduced to this region's amazingly rich musical traditions through Serbian guitar virtuoso Miroslav Tadic and his balkan speed-punk band, Slavster. Upon arriving in the bay area in the early aughts, he discovered the nascent Brass Menazeri and dove right in. It could be the genetic resonance from his mother's side of the family from eastern Slovakia or it could be the irresistibly sinewy melodies and undeniably compelling rhythms. It doesn't matter any more; it's in his blood now. In addition to his work with Brass Menazeri, EO directs and composes for Gamelan X and Chorus of Dreams. You can also check out his myspace page.
  • Michele Simon (tupan, vocals) fell in love with Balkan folk music at age 15 and has never recovered. After a 20-year acting career, she has spent the last 19 years as a vocalist and drummer with a variety of Balkan music groups including Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble, and the dance bands Anoush, Orkestar Sali and Zabava! Izvorno. She has studied with native-born musicians in the USA as well as in Bulgaria, where she has appeared on Bulgarian National Television. She is a popular singing teacher at West Coast music workshops and camps. Her latest non-brass project is the Greek roots band The Helladelics.
  • Evan Stuart (sousaphone) is a native son of Santa Cruz, CA. Evan was convinced by his mom to attend the East European Folklife Center's Balkan Folk Music & Dance Workshop in Mendocino in 2004 and was overcome by the amazing music and community spirit and soon began playing in the Bay Area with groups such as The Brash Punks, Zabava, California Kapela, Top Dog Run, and now Brass Menažeri. Besides tuba, Evan also performs on bass, and anything else he can get his hands on!
  • Alexander Zendzian (baritone horn) first played horns growing up in the Penobscot Valley of central Maine. As an artist based in the Bay Area since 2001 he has studied and performed with dance pioneers Anna Halprin and Sara Shelton Mann, and toured nationally and internationally with Project Bandaloop and Capacitor. Currently he is a member of the Joe Goode Performance Group.

   Brass Menazeri's Friend Space (Top 24)
Brass Menazeri has 2633 friends.
 THE GROUNDSCORE™ MASONIC STAGE 


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 The Hornucopia Festival 


 AphrodesiA 


 Great American Music Hall 


 Elizabeth 


 The Indigo and Le Serpent Rouge on tour March 2010 


 AMNESIA 


 Black Olive Babes 


 Kitka Womens Vocal Ensemble 


 Gamelan-X 


 Dan Cantrell’s MegaBand 


 Rupa & the April Fishes 


 Slavic Soul Party! 


 Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band 


 Pangeo 


 Sol 


 Rachel Brice 


 Tim 


 tommy cappel 


 peter 


 Briget 


 E O - Eric Oberthaler 


 Darren Johnston 





Brass Menazeri's Friends Comments
Displaying 25 of 358 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
iDolphin

iDolphin



Feb 4 2010 12:12 AM

Rossita Dove, iDolphin from The Ice Hotel in Canada wishes you a creative rest of the winter and a blissful St-Valentines!

Balkan Big Brother aka SuperStereo

Balkan Big Brother aka SuperStereo



Jan 25 2010 4:09 PM

Hola,big hello from Hungary!



Charles Xavier

Charles Xavier
Online Now!


Jan 22 2010 9:01 PM

Thanks for the Friendship,

 

Please support independent music & local non-profits by posting our bay area bulletin message.

 

..Happy Note Records poster for Bread & Roses..
LAS BALKANIERAS

LAS BALKANIERAS



Jan 16 2010 2:41 PM

LAS BALKANIERAS

LAS BALKANIERAS



Jan 16 2010 2:41 PM

Sekhmet and the Goddesses

Sekhmet and the Goddesses



Jan 14 2010 7:56 PM

Thanks our ears are pleased;D
Lily Taylor

Lily Taylor



Jan 13 2010 12:31 AM

Photobucket
Claudi

Pina Colada



Jan 10 2010 1:18 PM

Mutant Bass

Mutant Bass



Jan 6 2010 11:04 PM

happy new year!

hope your finding time to yourself and staying warm! it's freezing over here!

---posido

www.mutantbass.com

Powers that free up your musicality...

Trouba Ch'ti Orkestar - nouveau 5 titres

Trouba Ch'ti Orkestar - nouveau 5 titres



Jan 4 2010 2:56 PM

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APPARATSCHIK · Russian Live Music Party

APPARATSCHIK · Russian Live Music Party



Dec 22 2009 8:40 PM

APPARATSCHIK - Dezember/Januar 2010 - The Original Russki Dance-Party
Taiga Tunes & Soviet Grooves from Machorka Tabakistan


A week-long music-party trip to Switzerland 2009/10




Video: POLJUSCHKO POLJE - Live @ Provitreff, Zürich (CH)

...more videos at:
http://www.apparatschik.com/youtube
31. Dezember 2009 - DACHSTOCK(REITHALLE)/BERN (CH) - 23:00 Uhr
02. Januar 2010 - HELSINKI KLUB/ZÜRICH (CH) - 20:15 Uhr
07. Januar 2010 - KULTUR KREUZ/NIDAU (CH) - 22:30 Uhr
08. Januar 2010 - KONZERTHAUS SCHÜÜR/LUZERN (CH) - 22:00 Uhr
09. Januar 2010 - SUDHAUS/BASEL (CH) - 22:00 Uhr
...cu ;-) there ...for further informations see:
Paracumbé

Paracumbé



Dec 22 2009 12:12 PM

Hello and thank you for adding us. Happy holidays. Your music is excellent. Paracumbé de Puerto Rico. 
Laurin

Laurin Garcia



Dec 19 2009 9:51 PM

Christmas

Christmas

TAMMY THE ISLAND WARRIOR

TAMMY THE ISLAND WARRIOR



Dec 4 2009 7:11 AM

HI, IM TAMMY THE ISLAND WARRIOR. IM WISHING YOU MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010
PIRATE SHIP RESTAUANT IN RENO



TAMMY THE WILD ONE TRIBAL FEST 9
..
Laurin

Laurin Garcia



Nov 24 2009 9:38 PM



Thanksgiving

APPARATSCHIK · Russian Live Music Party

APPARATSCHIK · Russian Live Music Party



Nov 17 2009 6:48 PM

APPARATSCHIK - November - The Original Russki Dance-Party
Taiga Tunes & Soviet Grooves from Machorka Tabakistan



Video: UKRANISKI DISCO - Live @ Zytanien Open Air (sunday 4:00am), Lehrte (DE)




Video: UKRANISKI DISCO - Live @ SCHÜÜR, Lehrte (DE)
...more videos at:
http://www.apparatschik.com/youtube

20. November 2009 - GARE DE LION/WIL (CH) - 21:00 Uhr

21. November 2009 - PROVITREFF/ZÜRICH (CH) - 23:30 Uhr

27. November 2009 - GIG/HANNOVER (DE) - 21:00 Uhr

28. November 2009 - FARMERS INN/UETZE (DE) - 21:30 Uhr

26. Dezember 2009 - FRUCHTHALLE/KAISERSLAUTERN (DE) - 22:00 Uhr

31. Dezenber 2009 - DACHSTOCK(REITHALLE)/BERN (CH) - 23:30 Uhr

...cu ;-) ...for further informations see:
http://www.apparatschik.com
Thompkins Marketing LLC

Thompkins Marketing LLC



Nov 12 2009 4:21 PM






Cosmic Ordering

Cosmic Ordering By Stephen richards



Oct 24 2009 8:46 PM

Bless you for your support, and thank you for being my friend. We are, all of us, connected by the universal threads. What you desire is what I also desire for you. Best wishes in all that you do, and if you wish to follow up on Mind Power then please see my site: http://www.cosmicordering.net

Wishing you all that you desire,

Stephen Richards
Phil Jackson.

Phil Jackson.



Oct 24 2009 11:39 AM

Hello.
Thank you, for responding.
Kindest Regards, from UK.
Phil Jackson,
Songwriter/blues artist
Parthenopes

Parthenopes



Oct 24 2009 9:24 AM

Thank you for the add, nice music  
Cosmic Ordering

Cosmic Ordering By Stephen richards



Oct 24 2009 1:56 AM

So nice to have you as a Friend. Even though we not be near, our
thoughts are never far apart. Sending you Cosmic blessings in all that
you do. See more about Power of the Mind here:
http://www.cosmicordering.net



Best wishes ever,



Stephen Richards

Always A Friend
APPARATSCHIK · Russian Live Music Party

APPARATSCHIK · Russian Live Music Party



Oct 21 2009 7:12 PM

APPARATSCHIK - November - The Original Russki Dance-Party
Taiga Tunes & Soviet Grooves from Machorka Tabakistan



Video: UKRANISKI DISCO - Live @ Zytanien Open Air (sunday 4:00am), Lehrte (DE)
...for more see: http://www.apparatschik.com/youtube

05. November 2009 - Kampnagel/Hamburg (DE) - 22:00 Uhr - TANZKONGRESS 2009 - Eintritt frei !!!

06. November 2009 - AK44/GIESSEN (DE) - 23:00 Uhr

20. November 2009 - GARE DE LION/WIL (CH) - 21:00 Uhr

21. November 2009 - PROVITREFF/ZÜRICH (CH) - 23:30 Uhr

27. November 2009 - GIG/HANNOVER (DE) - 21:00 Uhr

28. November 2009 - FARMERS INN/UETZE (DE) - 21:30 Uhr

...cu ;-) ...for further informations see: http://www.apparatschik.com
Charles Xavier

Charles Xavier
Online Now!


Sep 28 2009 10:40 PM

Thanks for the friendship,

 

..Happy Note Records poster for Bread & Roses..

 

Available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/charlesxavier and at http://www.itunes.com
Fanfara Kalashnikov

Fanfara Kalashnikov



Sep 26 2009 9:44 AM

Letztes Open Air in dieser Saison!



Samstag, 26. September 2009, 20 Uhr
Josetti Höfe
Rungestrasse 22-24
10179 Berlin
www.josettihoefe.de
Deep Schrott

Deep Schrott



Sep 26 2009 12:22 AM




Thank you very much for adding!
DEEP SCHROTT - the bass sax quartet.
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