Banta tis Florinas

Florina Brass Band was formed in 1960 by Τάσος Βαλκάνης, the leader of the band and also a folk musician. Occasionally they collaborated with musicians such as Χειμερινοί Κολυμβητές or Φλώρος Φλωρίδης.
Based in the small North-Western Greek town of Florina, they performed thousands of times: from tiny villages and towns in Macedonia to the InterBalkan Festival in Thessaloniki and festivals in France. Their sound and the dance tunes they play are unique in Greek traditional music and can mainly be found in the Western part of Macedonia.
Τάσος Βαλκάνης has passed away, but the spirit of the band carries on through his sons Λάζαρος and Γεώργιος. The members of the band today are Λάζαρος Βαλκάνης on clarinet, Γεώργιος Βαλκάνης on accordion, Φλώρος Φλωρίδης on alto sax, Χρήστος Χασάπης on cornet, Παναγιώτης Ιωάννου on trombone, Παντελής Στόικος on cornet and Αθανάσιος Σαμαράς on drums.