King Naat Veliov

Born in Kočani, a small town about fifty miles from the Macedonian capital Skopje, Veliov comes from a family of trumpet players of Turkish origin. His father and his grandfather were "truba" (trumpet) players, as is Naat's son, Orhan Veliov. A popular figure in his country, Veliov, thanks in part to his role in Emir Kusturica's film The Time of the Gypsies has managed to gather a considerable following abroad. The Koçani Orkestar which he founded has over the years undergone many line-up changes, yet has managed to maintain unaltered the freshness and spirit of its early years, demonstrating itself on disc after disc to be one of the most innovative and original Balkan brass bands around.