Raya Brass Band: Raya

From the sound you would probably place Brooklyn's Raya Brass Band in some other Brooklyn—one located somewhere in the Balkans. Their bright, joyful music is never far from the traditional wedding music of the Balkans and Greece. It's dance music, grooves like crazy, and is just plain fun. You may not spontaneously jump up and dance, but I defy you to not tap your foot or nod your head while listening. Greg Squared (saxophone), Ben Syversen (trumpet), and Don Godwin (tuba) contribute the "brass" to the band name, joined by Matthew Fass (accordion), Nezih Antakli (tupan and percussion) and Rich Stein (snare drum and percussion). The tupan (also called davul) is a large double-headed drum played with mallets, capable of both bass and treble sounds. They produce a big sound for a band their size, the horns often playing hypnotic interlocking rhythmic riffs, like a little big band: perhaps that's the meaning of the opening tune's title "Unify."

But there's room for less dance-oriented music as well, and occasional eclectic influences. Brass/woodwind players Squared, Syversen and Godwin all contribute compositions. Syversen's "Sunken Angels" sounds anthemic, while Squared's "With Every Drop That Falls" is gentler, the closest thing to a ballad on the program. Squared's "Bag Of Nails" begins with the accordion, playing a very Balkan melody, almost folk-like; then transitions into a completely natural sounding Latin montuno section. The closer, Godwin's "Club Mono" surprises with a ska feel, with skittering, interlocking horn lines on top.

The collective sound is king in Raya's music, the three composers more notable for the unity of their approaches than the individual stylistic differences. They're good soloists as well, but the focus never stays on one band member for long. Wouldn't want to interrupt the dance party they have going!

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