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Gypsy Roma > Music CD details
Saban Bajramovic
'Herdelezi, 18 Original Recordings 1969-1984'
(CD5465621)
Musicians:
Saban Bajramovic
Label - Croatia Records, Serbia
| June 2008: aban Bajramović, the
"King of Gypsy music" died June 8th in Ni, Southern
Serbia, he was 72 years of age. |
Classic recordings from the King of the Gypsies -
Saban Bajramovic.
Superb compilation of Saban Bajramovic material taken mainly from
the now defunct Yugoslavian label Jugoton. Bajramovic recorded with
several labels in the 1970s many of which have now disappeared. So
this compilation serves us well for the high water mark of Saban's
career.
"Saban Bajramovic: For citizens of former Yugoslavia, Saban is, quite simply, the King of the Gypsies. His voice is an eerie instrument, capable of conveying great sorrow and beauty. As a songwriter - well, to the Roma he's Bob Dylan and James Brown in one, a man capable of singing
'last night, another beating from the police' with great conviction."
Garth Cartwright, Independent newspaper
From sleeve notes:
'The recording companies of former Yugoslavia could count on the fidelity of Gypsy
troubadour Saban Bajramovic no more than the many stops he made in his life and career in which he wouldn't or couldn't settle down. Traces of his song-
writing and singing talents can be found in the archives of virtually all record labels of the time, so if anyone should
ever attempt to compile the best of his output on disc, they would face almost insoluble problems of tracing the
masters, determining the chronology of the various versions of his songs, not to mention the legal aspect of the whole mess.
Jugoton too was caught in the unpredictability of Bajramovic's wanderings, so this CD reminder of his Zagreb vinyl road
skips over time, just as his music meandered through styles under the influence of various showbiz strategists. The first
ten cuts were originally released as five singles between 1969 and 1979, and later brought together on LP, while the
other eight come from the album Sudbina Si Murni (1984).
Today Saban Bajramovic has difficulty recalling the details of his relations with Jugoton, but he does remember that
most of them were arranged by the company's Belgrade representative, who was very familiar with
Saban's working surroundings. Thanks to professional instinct, Bajramovic recognizes the names of his bandleaders
Mustafa Ismailovic and Zoran Pejakovic, but the tracks do not remind him of the particular time and place in which they were recorded.
When he actually hears them, however, his lined face immediately lights up. "This one is regal", he will say of one song,
whereas another is "so-so, `oriental', nothing much". "Where'd you find that one?", he'll ask with genuine curiosity.
Then he resignedly concludes that he still hasn't written the best Gypsy song, "the one that would make it to the
Eurovision Song Contest"! This statement clearly shows in what kind of milieu he scattered his particular brand of
genius.'
USD 15.99
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Visit the
Saban Bajramovic web site at:
www.sabanbajramovic.com
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Saban Bajramovic
'Herdelezi, 18 Original Recordings 1969-1984'
(CD5465621)
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