Kocani Orkestar 

Koçani, one of Macedonia's finest Roman brass bands, called duvaçki orkestar, performs a dynamic and driving ensemble sound for traditional and contemporary music in Macedonia. This brass band ensemble tradition is rooted in a fusion between Ottoman mehter military ensemble, and Western-influenced band traditions, and has existed in parts of FYR Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Serbia, Kosovo, Nortern Greece and Bulgaria, providing ritual and entertainment music since at least the turn of the century. Named after the Macedonian town of its origins, Koçani is one of the most successful of these bands. They first transcended regional popularity with their performance in Emir Kosturica's Çingene Zamani; then achieved world-wide acclaim during tours throughout countries in Western Europe, Canada, the Balkans, and Turkey. This, their second release in Turkey, is an exciting coimpilation of their music, which ranges from traditional Macedonian, locally-developed Turkish urban dance music, Serbian, Roman, and contemporary Turkish pop music, under the direction of premier trumpet usta Naat Veliov.

Most duvaçki orkestar ensembles are formed by family members, such as is the case of Koçani. The leader, Naat Veliov, was born in 1957 into a family of trumpet players, in the turkish-speaking Roman mahalle of Koçani. His father and his grandfather were "truba" (trumpet) players, as is Naat's son, Orhan. Although his grandfather was too old to perform by the time Naat was born, he taught Naat a great deal about duvaçki orkestar repertoire, and pointed out to him which music to play for which ethnic community. Naat describes how the members of his father's band were relatives and neighbors. To this day, Naat has continued the tradition of keeping the ensemble among close relatives and neighbors.