Tano Brock

Brass Band; Brass Melody

Tano Brock, a native of San Francisco, California, was introduced to the world of music at an early age. Growing up, he attended various music camps and festivals throughout California with his family, where he was exposed to diverse global sounds. It was Turkish and Middle Eastern music that particularly captivated him, especially the percussion, which inspired him to begin studying the darbuka.

As a teenager, Tano expanded his musical repertoire to include woodwinds, piano, and guitar, ultimately honing in on the saxophone and clarinet as his primary instruments. His passion for folk music from the Balkans, Turkey, and Greece led him to travel extensively to deepen his understanding of the region’s rich musical traditions. During his travels, he studied under renowned masters like Bekos Beko (Kočani Orkestar) in Macedonia, Zhani Struga in Albania, and Burakcan Güneren in Turkey.

While studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Tano founded Sarma Brass Band, which he continues to lead. It was at Berklee where he also had the privilege of collaborating with an array of international musicians, including Panos Aivas (Greece), Tamara Jokić (Serbia), and Han Beyli (Azerbaijan). Over the years, Tano has shared the stage with legendary clarinetists such as Hüsnü Şenlendirici, Ismail Lumanovski, and Sal Mamudoski.

Now based in Los Angeles, Tano works as a music producer and mix engineer, while regularly performing with several groups, including Inspector Gadje brass band. His unique blend of global influences and knowledge of diverse instruments continues to shape his ever-evolving musical journey.