Kocani Orkestar

The Ravished Bride

(Crammed Discs)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

On their last album, Macedonian brass band Kocani Orkestar contemplated being Alone At My Wedding.  This time around, they’ve moved forward in the evening a little bit with The Ravished Bride.  The last album marked a big transition for the band, as they welcomed two new singers – one of whom, Ajnur Azizov, is a dominant presence on The Ravished Bride.  The band has also survived some internal drama, as trumpeter and band leader Naat Veliov either quit or was forced out after some contractual disagreements (Veliov now plays with “The Original Kochani Orkestra”).

The Ravished Bride is another jubilant offering, based around classic, impassioned love songs.  Azizov’s undulating vocals may be an acquired taste to some Western ears, but he’s an expressive singer and, after two albums, has clearly become an integral part of the band (which numbers an even dozen in their album photograph).

“Gypsy music” is a famously and appropriately loose term, and The Ravished Bride takes a truly global approach to its influence – a point that’s underscored by their rousing take on the Mexican traditional “La Llorona.”  Depending on the listener’s own background, echoes and snapshots of various distant cultures may be heard.  The task of translating what is surely a compelling and commanding live energy into a studio recording is a difficult one, but producers Stephane Karo and Vincent Kenis do an admirable job – and the extremely well-paced track sequence makes a start-to-finish listen much more appealing.  Among the standouts are “Romani Caj” and “Hajde Te Kelas” – the latter is subtitled simply “Let’s Dance,” an invitation that transcends language or culture.