Millennium Balkan

Getting down to brass tacks with
Serbian trumpet titan Boban Markovic

HORNS APLENTY: Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

The former Yugoslavia has been a fairly reliable source of bad news and bloody scenes for almost two decades now, but that isn’t to say that great things haven’t sprung from there too. The films of Emir Kusturica (Time of the Gypsies, Black Cat White Cat), for example, or the music of the Boban Markovic Orchestra, which graced the soundtrack of Kusturica’s Underground. Hailing from a long line of Gypsy musicians, a tradition duly passed on to his own son Marko, prize-winning trumpet player Boban Markovic and the thrilling, sweat-soaked Balkan brass band jams of what’s now named the Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar have shown the world a better side of Serbian culture.

Mirror: Your music and that of other Balkan brass musicians has become very popular worldwide in recent years. What do you think makes this music so engaging for so many people?

Boban Markovic: There are different reasons for this. On one side, Emir Kusturica and [musician] Goran Bregovic have opened many doors. Also, the music is good for dancing, exotic, but not too much. And there are lot of great musicians to play it, so the quality is high.

M: Your son Marko now plays with you. Did you always hope, even plan, for him to be a trumpet player?

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Marko and Boban Markovic

BM: When he was a kid, I did not want him to follow my path, which was very difficult when I was a kid. But he followed it, without any direct input from me. I was busy playing, and he practised at home. When he was 12, I found out that he had great talent and capabilities, and slowly I integrated him into the band. Now he is the band leader, and I am a proud father to have a son who is a better player than I am. Playing with him on the stage is really something I could only dream of before.

M: You’ve won many prizes at the famous trumpet festival in Guca. What can you tell me about this festival? Is it open to all kinds of trumpet players? Do saxophone players show up and try to cause trouble?

BM: Dragacevski Sabor, as this is called, is the place where I really started, and I love this festival a lot. So many great bands play there, the audience and atmosphere are amazing. This is a competition for brass bands from Serbia, and in competition, saxophones cannot be in the band.

M: You’ve collaborated with people like Frank London, on the Brotherhood of Brass project. Are you interested in brass music from outside of the Balkans?

BM: Working with Frank was a completely new experience, he is so open and quick. I like his music, as well as Indian brass. It is close to us. I like some jazz music, Indian and Rajasthani, Fela Kuti, Roy Paci and Latin music. So many things can attract me, but yes, Balkan music is my favourite.

At la Tulipe on Tuesday,
July 22, 8:30 p.m., $25