Les Gitans de Sarajevo
| Les Gitans de Sarajevo | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Gitans de Sarajevo, Gypsies of Sarajevo |
| Origin | Montreal, Canada |
| Genres | World music, folk |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Couer De Lion Records |
| Associated acts | Briga |
| Website | LesGitansDeSarajevo.com |
| Members | Boris Bartula, Goran Jezdimir |
Les Gitans de Sarajevo or Gypsies of Sarajevo were formed by flutist and saxophonist , vocals Goran Jezdimir and singer and pianist Boris Bartula. In August 2004, CMJ listed their album En Voyage on Coeur de Lion as No. 33 on their New World Albums chart.[1] In 2005 it was nominated for a Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year.[2] In 2006, the band won the Prix MMM / Galaxie Rising Star Award.[3]
History
The two founding musicians had been friends in highschool and at the Sarajevo Music Academy, and reconnected randomly in Montreal as refugees from the Bosnia conflict of the early 1990s.[2] In 1999, the band released their album Saorama on the Canadian label Couer De Lion. It was in the style of klezmer.[4] Saoroma translates to "all of the gypsies."[2]
It was followed by their 2004 album En Voyage.[2] En Voyage featured Boris Bartula on lead voice and accordion, Goran Jezdimir on reeds, Brigitte Dajczer on violin, Miron Rafajlovic on bass, trumpet and accessories, Dejan Rafajlovic on guitar, and Anes Beglerbegovic on percussion.[5] In August 2004, CMJ listed their album En Voyage on Coeur de Lion as No. 33 on their New World Albums chart.[1] It was positively received with 4/5 stars by Hour Community, who wrote that "Les Gitans cook up a feverish batch of traditional Balkanic party fare with three instrumental originals among the 14 titles. The lead voice and accordion man is Boris Bartula, but passion and superb musicianship oozes from all quarters..."[5] In 2005 it was nominated for a Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year.[2]
In 2006, the band won the Prix MMM / Galaxie Rising Star Award.[3]
As of 2006, the band had six members.[2] Their album Opa was released later, in 2007.[2] It was one of five albums nominated for Best World Group at the 2007 Canadian Folk Music Awards[6]
Briga continued to be a member as of 2009.[7] That year the band released the album Balkan Dance on Gypsy Records.[8]
Musical style
Wrote the The Georgia Straight in 2007, the band plays "a unique blend of music that's grounded in the fiery Balkan tradition but with flavours of Québécois pop and European world music."[2]
Members
The following is an incomplete list of past and present members.[4]
- Present
- Boris Bartula (1999–present) - Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
- Goran Jezdimir (1999–present) - Backing Vocals Flute, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone,
- Past and present
- Seana Pasic - Backing Vocals
- Chafik Ammouche - Bendir, Percussion,
- Dontcho Ivanof - Guitar
- Louise Féminier - Piano
- Fethy Moughlam – Tambourine, Congas, Percussion
- Ortsé Jovcevski - Violin
- Sergueï Trofanov - Violin
- Carmen Robert - Vocals
- Natacha Bartula - Vocals
- Past
- Brigitte Dajczer (2004?-2009?) - violin
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Juno Awards of 2005 | En Voyage – Les Gitans de Sarajevo ,production Goran Jezdimir | World Music Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2006 | Galaxie Rising Star Award | Les Gitans de Sarajevo | Stingray Rising Star | Won |
| 2007 | 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Opa! – Les Gitans de Sarajevo | Best World Group | Nominated |
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Saorama |
|
| 2004 | En Voyage |
|
| 2007 | Opa! |
|
| 2009 | Balkan Dance |
|
Further reading
- Articles and interview
- "Les Gitans de Sarajevo are positively explosive". The Georgia Straight. February 23, 2006.
- Discographies
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Les Gitans de Sarajevo. |
References
- 1 2 World Albums CMJ Charts page 25 (August 2004)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Montague, Tony (February 23, 2006). "Les Gitans de Sarajevo are positively explosive". The Georgia Straight. straight.com. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- 1 2 "Les Gitans de Sarajevo discography". Les Gitans de Sarajevo. 2009. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- 1 2 "Les Gitans De Sarajevo – Saorama". discogs. 1999. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- 1 2 Cotrill, Dean (July 1, 2004). "Les Gitans de Sarajevo - En Voyage". Hour Community. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- ↑ "2007 Nominations". Canadian Folk Music Awards. 2007. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- ↑ Kelly, Erica Ruth (February 25, 2009). "Just Getting Warmed Up". Rover Arts. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- 1 2 "Balkan Dance by Les gitans de Sarajevo". cdbaby. 2009. Retrieved 2015-03-19.