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Global Hits
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PRI's The World, Global Hits >>
For today's global hit, we turn to a gypsy brass ensemble from Serbia. The Boban Markovic Orchestra has just released their 10th recording. The band has been around for more than 20 years. But now there's a new kid on the block . The World's Adeline Sire reports.
The music of the Boban Markovic Orchestra is distinctive in Serbia because it often ventures out of the gypsy repertoire. But it's still a traditional band. It's an all-male ensemble, thirteen in total. And it's a family business. Four of the musicians are close relatives of band-leader and trumpet virtuoso Boban Markovic. Including Markovic's own son. Like his father, Marko is an ardent trumpet player. In this tune, father and son share the spotlight.
Father and son, with duelling trumpets, in a tune aptly entitled "Boban and Marko." It's also the name of the album. Marko just turned 16 years old. But band manager Bojan Djorjevic says Marko likes to think of himself as much younger.
Djorjevic: He's only 4 years old because his birthday is on the 29th of February and he has only had four 29th of February so far.
Marko was a precocious trumpet player. He began to play the instrument at the age of seven and joined his father's band at 14. That was a turning point in Marko's life. Djordjevic says Marko didn't even take lessons from his father. He would absorb as much as he could from the orchestra's rehearsals. And then he would go home to practice. Something he does 10 hours a day.
Djorjevic: Marko really adores his trumpet so most of the day he's practicing his trumpet. Now he's practicing clarinet and saxophone.
And Djorjevic says this compulsive practicing canive even his father Boban nuts.
Djorjevic: Sometimes even Boban say OK come on, stop, go out play football, do something else, forget about the trumpet.
Intensive practicing is not the only area where Marko is known to push the limits. He tries to spread his eagerness to the band as well.
Djorjevic: Sometimes he even has the problem with Boban's band because these are elder guys and when he has a new song he wants to rehearse it immediately and if you're in the middle of the tour, the band doesn't want to rehearse. In the middle of the tour, it's maybe time to rest and play concerts, no, he wants to rehearse it immediately. But of course in the end he has his way because he is the guy who brings new freshness to the band.
This tune is called Mere Yaara Dildara. It's a Bollywo une Marko arranged for his father's band with jazzy solos.
Marko likes to mix up styles. For this album, he collaborated with American trumpet player Frank London and his Klezmer Brass Allstars.
It's hard to say whether Marko will venture out on his own. For the time being, Djorjevic says Marko's sticking to his musical roots. And more than anything else, he enjoys being close to his father.
Djorjevic: He's willing to perform with many musicians but at this moment, he's very happy to be with his father because that's what he was missing in his childhood. His father was touring or playing weddings or any kind of stuff and he was a baby, sitting at home so now he's happy to be with his father. And then he will see, he just has to be a little bit more grown-up and decide for his own.
Boban and Marko Mrkvi keep a busy schedule with their group. They just recorded a soundtrack for a Czech movie. And they're featured in a documentary about Eastern European Gypsy Music. The orchestra plays an average of 100 concerts a year, some of which will bring them to the United States in the Fall.
For The World, I'm Adeline Sire. 03/17/04 >> go there
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