ld trumpeter Cherkez left this planet a few summers ago after sixty five years on stage. Everybody in his family before him was musician. Everybody after is musician too. Merger of two curious musical spirits, Cherkez Rashid’s gipsy brass band and Toni’s jazz trio produced some highly original effects. This became the goal and driving force of their endaviors. Their first album “Borderlands” from 2006 revealed bands true creative potential to a wider audience and gained praise from critics and listeners alike. Numerous invitations from jazz and world music festivals and all sorts of venues all around Europe kept them busy and offered opportunity to sharpen their sound and widen the repertoire. It resulted with production of group’s second studio album in 2011 entitled “Shukar” which marks continuation of their collaboration with Enja Records from Munchen.

Bands evolution feeds on exploration of the rhythm called clave and it’s countless modification. Clave was born in Africa than spread in Americas, Middle East and it is also common in music of Balkan gypsies. Sound comes from players. Bands first years were marked by the sound of three generation of musicians from Rasid family lead by Cerkez Rasid himself (thus the name Cherkezi). Great deal of young, raised on tradition and well experienced gypsy musicians passed through bands laboratory. Current lineup features best of the best.

Toni is the mastermind behind all this. His highly individual guitar performance approach and original compositional and arranging style holds the groups sound together. Yet, it is all done in non-agresive manner, profoundly featuring individuality and true musical assets of each band member. Their music is best described as what Duke Ellington used to call “Music of human kind”.It speaks to the music intellectual elite, jazz aficionados, indie rock loving crowd, afro beat belevers….often makes you wonder – to laugh or to cry! It surely makes you move your body and tap your feet.

Put on your dancing shoes!