SLAVIC SOUL PARTY
Barbès376 9th St, New York 11215
Slavic Soul Party! brings its every-Tuesday Barbès residency to the back room with a nine-musician lineup: John Carlson and Kenny Warren on trumpet, Peter Hess on saxophone and clarinet, Peter Stan on accordion, Tim Vaughn and Adam Dotson on trombone, Ken Bentley on tuba, plus Matt Moran and Chris Stromquist on percussion. Expect the band's stated mix of fiery Balkan brass, funk grooves, Roma accordion and jazz chops, played as a long-running New York brass-band ritual.
Based in New York City, Slavic Soul Party! describes its music as Balkan brass filtered through life in the city’s outer boroughs, drawing Balkan and Roma sounds together with gospel, techno, funk, dub, jazz and Latin influences. The band has made the Tuesday residency a defining part of its story, and its bio says it has “dazzled everyone from Saban Bajramovic to Sufjan Stevens.” It has also recorded Slavic Soul Party! Plays Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite. Time Out New York called the group “the coolest” among the city’s dance bands drawing on Eastern European music; JazzTimes wrote that its nine-piece Ellington interpretation brought the music “closer to its source than Ellington did.”
Barbès offers a compact, warmly worn space where the music feels immediate and close, with a long wooden bar and a back room under a scarlet ceiling that hosts nightly performances. The venue champions a broad spectrum of global sounds, from Balkan brass and klezmer to Afrobeat and experimental jazz, often featuring residencies like the Slavic Soul Party. The audience gathers around small tables or at the bar, sharing drinks crafted with a nod to French spirits, while the music invites attentive listening rather than loud conversation. Shows usually have a suggested donation instead of a cover charge, creating a welcoming environment where the focus is on the artists. The venue’s commitment to accessibility and its role in Brooklyn’s cultural fabric make it a distinctive spot for an evening of richly diverse live music.