Fanfare Zambaleta

Balkan Brass

Fanfare Zambaleta (roughly meaning crazy street party with brass) is an 8-piece Balkan brass band specializing in spirited music of the Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek and especially the Romani people. They got their start in 2012 as an offshoot of the SF Music and Dance school Zambaleta and have been rocking clubs, weddings, and dance halls ever since! Combining a love of the classic brass bands of the past with the modern sounds coming out of the Balkans, Fanfare Zambaleta brings an irresistible blend of old and new to get you dancing! They’ve learned from some of the greats including Demiran Ćerimović , Džambo Aguševi Orkestar and Nizo Alimov (of Kočani Orkestar), and are now embarking on a new journey to write original tunes inspired by their deep love of the music.

The band is directed by Gregory Masaki Jenkins (alto sax, clarinet), and also features Joey Friedman (alto sax), Noah Levitt and Max Miller-Loran (trumpets), Peter Bonos and Adam Waite (mid horns), Evan Stuart (sousaphone) and Ivan Velev (percussion, vocals).