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press Exploring the world was at least as important for sailors as it was for the Cologne band. For fifteen years and five albums, the large band has been travelling the world, skilfully integrating a wide variety of international music styles into their own imaginative approach. On the current CD, songs from Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and Uzbekistan merge into one rich piece of music. It is always remarkable how this band excels at making their guests (this time around from Turkey and Greece, among other places) part of their own style and at making music with them - in such a talented manner that the songs retain their original characteristics while mixing in musical treats from around the world. Wonderful! Rating: 4 Stars JazzThetik 09/2006
Schäl Sick Brass Band, Prasti Music, Westpark 87129/Indigo For everyone outside of Cologne: "Schäl Sick" translates literally to “queer side” and refers to the right shore of the Rhine River, opposite the city's cathedral. The pitiful east on the other side of the river was an ancient borderline between civilisation and barbarism of the Latin and Hun empires, Occident and Asia. On that side of the river in the town districts Mülheim, Kalk and Deutz are the roots of the Schäl Sick Brass Band, which guitarist Raimund Kroboth, originally from Bavaria, founded a few years back. With each of their up to four compilations so far, the multicultural ensemble has succeeded in creating a compelling mix of all thinkable music styles. “Prasti Music,” their fifth album, is no exception. Between Scandinavia (a new stop on their musical journey), Bulgaria, Turkey, Albania, Greece and Uzbekistan, the brass band moves as if it was the most natural thing in the world and beats away any superficial obstacles like national languages, different harmonies or strange rhythms as if they were bothersome flies. What started off as Persian-Bavarian tandem with singer Maryam Akhondy, is now being continued with Swedish-born vocalist Anna Lindblom and sounds for long stretches like a hyper Balkan ensemble gone astray. Even if they do not give way to the impulse of constantly charging up listeners' mood this time, Schäl Sick nevertheless fulfils their reputation as Germany’s funkiest folk-punk band, and they beat out their colleagues from Berlin, who travel the world under the name 17 Hippies, by lengths when it comes to dynamism and wit. Rating: Music-Check 4 Stars, Hifi-Check 4 Stars Stereo-Magazine 07/2006
World-class world music with the Schäl Sick Brass Band. The band sets off a storm of enthusiasm everywhere. The Schäl Sick Brass Band's secret is perhaps the courage to create a musical mongrel. Play what you like, keep things lively, mate merrily and produce a totally new child that defies classification - precisely a wild and happy mongrel. While doing so, the musicians are experts without exception - the list of band members reads like a "who's who" of the rich Cologne (jazz) scene. The band's live gigs are legendary - as sophisticated as they are versatile; as masterly as they are subtle. It is these live performances that have won the Schäl Sick Brass Band the honor of being among the most creative and best ensembles on the world music scene. (july 2002) www.klangbrücke.de/Aachen_Kultur/aachen_kultur.html/
...A truly extraordinary combo that ignores borders and soars on a musical direct-flight over Bavaria, India, Nigeria, Algeria, Bulgaria or Australia. All conceivable influences and instruments are utilized, and thus a bubbly cocktail full of energy and humor is created - original and traditional at the same time. On hand is Ivanka Ivanova, the singer whose vocal style has become known as the "secret of the Bulgarian voices." When she breaks into a folksong from her native country with enormous intensity and urgency, it seems predestined to be set to the billowing sound of the band's horns. Add to that the rhythm section which develops highly energetic grooves with drums, percussion, guitar and bass, and which lacks nothing of the power of street musicians from the American South. But it doesn't stop there: the bass is a tuba, the guitar is sometimes a mandolin, and the percussion instruments come from all over the world. On top of that, the front bellows rattle, whisper or wail with two saxophones, trumpet and trombone - as needed. And it is marvelous - a sheer pleasure. So refreshingly different; so unconventional... Mainzer Rhein Zeitung/ Guido Augustin/ 22.03.1999 ...The band won't be staying in Cologne for long, however. In a few days they'll be on the road once again: for concerts in Leipzig and Darmstadt, as well as for festivals in Holland and Belgium. "We've played ourselves up into the A-league of the European world music scene," says (Raimund) Kroboth. And the band has been rewarded for that by music critics, organizers and fans. The previous CD "Majnoun" received the German Record Critics' Award. And this prize will likely be awarded again for the new CD... Kölner Stadtanzeiger/ 31.03.1999 Think global; blow local ...Borrowing from the "grab bag of musical references" is nothing special these days for a well-trained gang of professional sound-kleptomaniacs. Even mainstream pop music tries to adorn itself with foreign timbres that are wrapped around them by agile producers from samplers via mouse click. Not so with the Schäl Sick Brass Band: with hands, heart and hot breath, they produce unexpected (and sometimes almost unreasonable) symbioses that surprise. Strangely enough, the ethnic elements can still be recognized as such. But these opposites create a fascinating musical harmony. Naïve earthiness meets musical intelligence and instrumental skill that is combined with a distinct sense of humor... So much creative humor is rewarded by the audience at the "Brotfabrik" in Frankfurt with captivating attention: They don't want to let the band go. After several encores, the only thing that saves them is the reference to the outstanding album "Majnoun," that the Schäl Sick Brass Band made with the creative workshop "Network" in Frankfurt. It is thanks to Network and the nonconformist venue Brotfabrik that, in the frenzied music market of widespread uniformity, such flowers as the Schäl Sick Brass Band are able to blossom at all anymore. They deserve more than just preservation of the species. FAZ / 11.11.1997
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