Until I heard the new Teknochek Collision (Barbes), I thought of this New York nine-piece as a pretty good simulacrum of a Balkan brass band that would never be able to go head-to-head with its models—Gypsy groups like the Boban Markovic Orkestar and Kocani Orkestar. Turns out I was wrong about that. The group, led by percussionist Matt Moran, has toughened up its sound, giving it a visceral punch missing on previous efforts. Ron Caswell's pumping tuba now has a ballsy metallic rip to it, propelling the tunes like a locomotive, and the five horn players on the front line—who include killer jazzers like trombonist Jacob Garchik and trumpeter Shane Endsley—slice and swing with muscular precision, whether in unison or in puzzle-piece counterpoint. The music throbs with pure Balkan funk on traditional songs and tradition-minded originals alike, and Moran and company make some room for the New Orleans brass-band sound too, especially in a sassy, swaggering version of "Occapella," an Allen Toussaint number that Lee Dorsey sang with the Meters. Mucca Pazza and Stone's One Man Band open.
- Peter Margasak
9 PM, Martyrs', 3855 N. Lincoln, 773-404-9494 or 800-594-8499.
05/11/07 >> 
