Category: Bosnian

Divanhana: Zavrzlama

July 21, 2022

The title of Divanhana’s sixth album is a Bosnian word meaning “knotted,” a refreshing departure from overused terms like “fusion” and “blending” to describe music that unites diverse elements. Based in sevdah (sometimes called Bosnian blues), the Sarajevo-based band’s wonderful tangle encompasses the Balkan, Turkish and Sephardic strands from which the style was woven in the sixteenth century, the jazz, classical, Latin and pop elements they add … More Divanhana: Zavrzlama

Maja Milinković: Kaftan D’Alma

May 3, 2022

In the Age of Discovery Portugal was the starting point for explorers, but for Maja Milinković it’s the destination. Like adventurers of old, the Bosnian singer-songwriter thrives in parallel worlds, from the church where she sang as a child and the shelter where she learned guitar during the Bosnian war, to classical studies at the Sarajevo Music Academy and the pop-rock that powered her first two albums … More Maja Milinković: Kaftan D’Alma

Amira Medunjanin: For Him and Her

April 21, 2021

The voice—low, flowing, passionate—belongs to Amira Medunjanin, renowned for interpretating songs from her native Bosnia and Herzegovina. But as the title of her ninth album indicates, she sings for three: Him and Her are Serbian singer-songwriter Toma Zdravković and Bosnian singer Silvana Armenulić, epic-tragic figures of the kafana (coffee-house) music that blended sevdalinka … More Amira Medunjanin: For Him and Her

Damir Imamović: Singer of Tales

September 22, 2020

As a boy during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992-96) Damir Imamović took advantage of confinement and learned to play guitar. He didn’t envision a music career, but after earning a philosophy degree and landing a job in publishing, fate approached him, dressed as an assignment to edit a book on the songs of his grandfather, Zaim Imamović, a leading sevdah artist of the twentieth century. By the time … More Damir Imamović: Singer of Tales

Maja Milinković: Fadolinka

February 12, 2020

Like many artists, Maja Milinković takes advantage of unexpected opportunity and inspiration. She learned guitar in an underground shelter during the Siege of Sarajevo; it helped her stay calm and prepared her for a music career. By age 15 she was playing in a rock band and by 30, with two solo pop-rock albums behind her, she was widely known in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans. But along the way a friend showed her a video of Amália … More Maja Milinković: Fadolinka

Divanhana: Zukva – Sevdah from Bosnia’s Finest

October 16, 2016

The zukva is a sour Bosnian apple that can’t be transplanted but blends well in hybrids. On their third album, the members of Divanhana use the apple is an apt symbol of their music—sevdalinka—urban Bosnian folk woven from Balkan, Turkish and Sephardic strands. Adding to the blend, the band grafts brass, piano, bass and drums onto traditional accordion and the enchanting voice of Leila Ćatić. Sevdalinka typically conveys love’s passion … More Divanhana: Zukva – Sevdah from Bosnia’s Finest