Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra and Fanfare Ciocarlia

The Balkans have witnessed many wars, few of them ending as happily as the cutting contest on Balkan Brass Battle. Recorded under the shadow of a certain legendary castle in Transylvania, the session pits two of the most potent contemporary bands from Eastern Europe in a chest-thumping contest, Serbia's Markovic Orchestra and Romania's Fanfar Ciocarlia. The two big horn ensembles tear through eclectic sets, including traditional numbers from the region along with music from Duke Ellington and James Bond movies. The sound is as funky in its way as any New Orleans marching band and gives room for short, sharp solos redolent of mountain melancholy and the joy of cutting loose. Which band wins? It's a split decision.