Trebunia Family Band

The ancient sounds of the Tatra Mountain region of Poland have served as the foundation for the music of the Trebunia Family Band. The recipient of Fryderyk music awards (Poland's equivalent of the Grammys) in 1995 and 1996, the group has continued to broaden the musical vision of its homeland. Their 1997 album, Janosik in Sherwood, produced by Adrian Sherwood, reached the ninth slot on the European world music charts. One of Poland's oldest musical families, the Trebunia's legacy began with their great-grandfather, Stanislaw Budz-Lepsiok, a member of the Bartus Okrachta, who worked with influential Polish composers including Karol Szymanowski and Mieczysaw Kartowicz. The group continues to showcase the family's musical talents. In addition to three brothers — Jasiek, Krzysztof, and Stanislaw Jr. — and a sister, Hania, the band features their father, Stanislaw Sr., on violin, flute, and background vocals and Hania's husband, Andrzej, on violin and double bass. Eldest sonKrzysztof writes most of the band's material, as well as adapting traditional folk tunes. The Trebunia Family Band's greatest worldwide exposure came when they joined with Jamaican roots reggae band, the Twinkle Brothers, to record two albums — Higher Heights, released in 1994, and Come Back Twinkle to Trebunia Family, two years later. The group subsequently teamed with Wlodzimierz Kiniorski's Future Sound to record two albums — Highlanders Apo-Calypso and Etno Techno. Members of the Trebunia Family Band continue to balance their musical careers with work as painters and knitters.