Balkano is a Chicago-based band that plays balkan-infused jazz and klezmer, mixing old-world melodies, new-world sensibilities and original compositions. Influences include the Bulgarian wedding music of Yuri Yunakov, the klezmer of Naftule Brandwein and the Klezmatics, the cool jazz of Miles Davis and the Turkish clarinet of Selim Sessler. One reviewer described the group's up-tempo pieces as "John Zorn's Masada on crystal meth," while the slower pieces have been described as "poignant and lyrical."