In October 1999, at the birthday celebration of the Buda Fonó Music Club, the Boban Markovic Orchestra (at the time still best known as the musicians from the films of Emir Kusturica) gave its first Hungarian concert. After this performance the band was inundated with invitations to perform, and today there probably isn\'t a town in Hungary where they haven\'t played at least once in the past decade. Boban and his fellow musicians were also active in the studio, and between 2000 and 2003 they released three CDs, primarily intended for the Hungarian audience. Following this the band gained a following throughout Europe, due in no small measure to Germany’s Piranha record label, which released a further four albums, cementing the popularity of Boban’s band from Lisbon to Warsaw. In the meantime Boban Markovic was declared the uncrowned king of the Guča trumpet festival, having been the first ever to receive maximum points from every member of the judging panel, and no longer has to participate in the competition, but can simply relax and enjoy the four days of revelry. Soon another milestone is reached in the band’s development, as Boban’s son Marko comes of age musically. Today he is the main soloist of the band, and is regarded as one of the best trumpet-players in the Balkans. Over ten years the band’s sound has undergone profound changes, as they too have drifted away from Balkan folk music in the direction of world music. This concert takes us on a musical journey with Boban as our guide in the first half, and Marko in the second, retracing the path that they have travelled over the past years. And what is the secret of their success? According to the Herald Times: “Some music is for the head, some is for the feet and some is for the heart. The Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra plays music for the whole body.”

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