As the child of the first generation of guest workers from the former Yugoslavia, I grew up in Sindelfingen. I studied jazz bass at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern, Switzerland, where I studied with Jimmy Woody, among others. In 1974, I began my musical career as a pianist in the "Quintett plus One". Between 1991 and 2025, I was head of the pop-rock-jazz department at the Stuttgart Music School, teaching double bass and electric bass. My responsibilities also included teaching a preparatory course in jazz harmony and leading the salsa band "Salsa pa ti."

The success story of "White Diamonds" began in 1988. Initially, we played as a trio with Harry Hartmann (alto saxophone) and Jogi Nestel (drums), until Vladimir Bolschakoff (guitar) joined us in 1992, expanding us to a quartet and releasing our first album, "The White Diamonds." The White Diamonds continued until 1999, recording two CDs and releasing a double album, "Walk On." The musical collaboration expanded to a sextet with the addition of Udaj Mazumdar (tablas) and DJ Jöak (DJ).

The association, which Vincent Klink, Patrick Bebelaar, Andreas Krenerich, Nicola Lutz, and Bernd Konrad founded in 1995 under my chairmanship to promote the avant-garde, was then called Musicians Network. Our first home was Piano-Fischer, then the Institut Français with our patron Jean-Françoise Ramon.

A highlight was the 65th birthday concert for Archie Schepp with his quartet in 1996.

Regarding Gypsy Jazz: The second CD with the Zigeli Winter Quartet, "Me digam les glei," was released in 2007 on Chaos, a label of Bauer Tonstudios in Ludwigsburg. In 2011, Wedeli Köhler brought Mano and me into his quartet. Sadly, he didn't live to see the release of his CD "Hommage a Django." This also led to the formation of the Guttenberger Brothers, who have since grown from an initial trio to a sextet and produce top-notch "pop swing" with German lyrics. I'm responsible for the compositions.

Projects such as the Mecki Balog Quartet (Sinti Swing), Francisco Gileno Trio (Brazilian Forro), Rade Soric Trio (Mainstream), Aquarella Latina (Latin), Don Carlos y su Orquesta (Salsa) or the Tearoom Sessions provided further musical contributions from me in southern Germany in the 90s.

In 2001 I founded my record label 59music. The first production was "Mari gidli" with the Zigeli Winter Quintet, distributed by Sony, then H 'Art and now Galileo.

The Cuban orchestra "Tokame," under my musical direction, has existed since 2001. I write the songs and arrangements. The orchestra consists entirely of professional Cuban musicians who have found a second home in Central Europe. As a special feature, the English singer Aquilla Fearon performs songs in her native language with the band, presented in a Cuban style. The ensemble comprises four wind instruments, a three-piece rhythm section, three vocalists, piano, and bass. Two CDs have been released so far: "Con la clave" and "Eres la tierra mas linda." A third is currently in production.

Since 2019, I've had my first jazz project under my name. BRANKO ARNSEK SEXTETT is a septet jazz band that primarily performs my own compositions. From Balkan melodies to Cuban sounds, there's a diverse range of jazz styles on offer. The Cuban singer is now a permanent member of the band. Their first recording, "Move Closer," is available on CD and vinyl.

The latest project of my agency "Cuba Events," which I founded in 2015, is "The Cuban Orchestra," a reinvention of the Cuban salon orchestra. The recording "Renacimiento," supported by the German Music Council, is available on CD and vinyl.

Also worth mentioning are the current bands such as "A - B - E" with Frank Eberle and Chris Barchet, the HardBobQuartett around Andy Maile, Joachim Scheu and Lutz Groß, "The Cuban Latin Band" and of course "Tocame Son" in different lineups.

In 2025, Christoph Wagner published the book "From ABBA to ZAPPA" about the music scene in Sindelfingen/Böblingen and mentioned me as a local hero on two pages. The IG Jazz association commissioned me to compose a piece for the IG Jazz Orchestra. The compositions were then performed at the Jazz Festival in the Theaterhaus.

LIFE