Cocek Brass Band, Bad Buka, Raya Brass Band, Elena Andujar, Balti Mare

Cocek! Brass Band is the brainchild of trumpet player Sam Dechenne. The band performs original music by Dechenne based on the sounds of Eastern European brass bands. They are a 5-piece group (2 trumpets, trombone, tuba and bass drum) that rocks the house on a very regular basis. The band's members come from internationally touring ensembles like John Brown's Body and Itzhak Perlman and bring a blend of dance music with stellar improvisation and melodies that evoke crazy dancing, contemplative thoughts and good times.


Bad Buka is the kind of band that defies explanation – they bring their lively Balkan roots to NYC with the richness of world music, punk rock attitude, and even the spunk of ska. Their energy is so PURE that listeners are immediately converted. Theirs is the kind of music that any person of any musical background or taste can absorb, dance to, lose themselves in, and commune with. At a Bad Buka show, you truly become part of a shared experience – a transfer of energy from band to crowd and back again, over and over and over. This band is simply one of a kind.


Raya Brass Band (pronounced "RYE ah") is the sort of brass band that gleefully mashes up the music of Eastern Europe with funky American dance grooves. Featuring odd meters, unusual scales and a fine helping of gorgeous Balkan and Romany (Gypsy) melodies played on reeds, trumpet, accordion, tuba and drums, Raya Brass Band slakes the thirst for something old and new at the same time, unusual and funky, spiritedly played by some of NYC's finest Balkan folk musicians.


Elena Andujar, born of a Sevillana and a New Yorker, uses flamenco to bridge the cultures that she represents. Her work includes festivals, self-produced espectáculos, master classes and even early-stage plans to make a movie of her life story, set here and there. Her bigscreen career began when she was cast in the movie Devil’s Advocate along with flamenco great, Tomatito, to perform with Al Pacino.


Balkan Gypsy Brass
Balti Mare has performed at the following venues and events:
Artscape 2009, The Patterson Theatre '09-13, The Great Halloween Lantern Parade,
Mehanata (NYC), Red Maple, Joe Squared, The Art Whino, The Sidebar, The Walters Museum of Art,
the Baltimore Farmer's Market, and has been featured on University of Pittsburgh WUPJ,