GORAN IVANOVIC GROUP: goran ivanovic group

goran ivanovic group

goran ivanovic group

© 2005 goran ivanovic group (634479222894)

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The Goran Ivanovic Group is a pan-cultural ensemble with a sound that combines jazz and classical music with the leaping rhythms and distinctive tonal palette of Balkan music.

tracks

1 Gates to the Unknown
2 Blacksmith's Dance
3 Svatbarska Racenica
4 Episodes from a Village Dance
5 Macedonian Girl
6 White Walls
7 Seven Boats
8 Ederlezi
9 Balkan Healer
10 Last Mohican
11 Jovano Jovanke
12 Kalajdzisko Oro
13 Pieza sin Titula

notes

"The restlessly innovative work" (LA Times) of Serbian guitar virtuoso Goran Ivanovic has taken a new twist: a pan-cultural band interpreting both classic Balkan melodies and original music composed by Ivanovic.
Their sound combines American jazz and blues with the leaping rhythms and distinctive tonal palette of Yugoslavia. The Goran Ivanovic Group includes Doug Rosenberg (saxophones and flutes), Matt Ulery (bass),
and Michael Caskey (drums and percussion). Presenting their first studio album, they have created an idiom of their own imagining, one that will make you dance and cry.

The Goran Ivanovic Group's self titled debut recording captures the distinctive and intricate music of the Balkans. The album features Goran Ivanovic (Guitar), Doug Rosenberg (Saxophone), Matthew Ulery (Bass), and Michael Caskey (Drums). This extraordinary pan-cultural ensemble effortlessly blends classical and jazz music with the rich folkloric traditions of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The resulting music is as alluring as it is complex. Exotic Middle Eastern motifs merge gracefully with the evocative sounds of Eastern European Klezmir music. Beautifully conceived folk passages are followed by perfectly executed Mahavishnu inspired pyrotechnics. The passion and urgency at which this group plays is heard in every note on this remarkable musical offering. While over half of the songs of the album were written by Ivanovic, many of the pieces are arrangements of traditional folk songs commonly played at weddings and other celebrations. Throughout this recording one hears echoes of Ralph Towner's Oregon in the dramatic compositions and virtuosic improvisations of this talented troupe. Goran Ivanovic's formidable musical gifts have already been well-documented. He has released three records under his own name and as a soloist has performed extensively throughout the US and Europe. His collaboration with Fareed Haque, "Seven Boats", recently won Album of the Year 2004 in Acoustic Guitar Magazine. On this project Ivanovic aptly chooses to work collectively with his gifted team rather than use the group to solely showcase his own talents. The results are truly spectacular as in the case of the dramatic opener "Gates to the Unknown." Originally written for solo guitar by Ivanovic, each member contributes their own unique compositional ideas substantially enhancing the initial piece. The music on this exceptional recording reaches way beyond the boundaries of the group's Serbian homeland --- an area which has had to endure a great deal of ethnic turmoil in recent history. While it has often been said that art imitates life, the Goran Ivanovic Group shows the listener how diverse cultural art forms can blend both effortlessly and harmoniously in music.
© James Scott Minor7th Magazine

reviews

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  • It doesn't get better than Goran
    author: Gerri Friedberg
  • Goran is HOT
    author: Anita
  • LOVE IT!
    author: Marta

    This CD is one of my favorite ones. Can't get enough of it.

  • Completely Captivating! Rythmically driven - Melodically Exciting!!
    author: bassheaded

    Awesome blend of jazz, punk, flamenco, balkan, that just rocks from beginning to end! They are even better live!

  • so good i've gotten 3 now!!
    author: astral

    this cd is great. awesome blend of textures and musical flavors. reminds me of a younger, hipper Paco De Lucia septet offering. thanks for bringing something fresh to my ears.

  • god
    author: nick

    this cd is amazing everyone else die

  • Beautiful folk sound, jazz blend
    author: J. D.

    Beautiful rhythmic precision and blending of Balkan and jazz ideas. My favorite track is Blacksmith's Dance. Very high quality musicianship.

  • Sublime intricacy
    author: ellipsisigh

    I love to immerse myself in the sublime intricacy of the goran ivanovic group cd...almost as good as really being there...

  • Majestic Jazz hybridization from the Balkan Mountains
    author: Queenie's Independent Review/Guitarlab Magazine

    Sit back, relax, and enjoy some unique world sound from world-class musicians. If you like quality musicianship that brings to mind the virtuousity and seriousness of Classical music imbued with the freer forms of Jazz, then the Goran Ivanovic group is one you cannot miss. Each beautifully crafted song is like hearing Bela Bartok revamped somewhere in Dixieland. Gorgeous gypsyish Jazz harmonies are provided by guitarist-composer Ivanovic, who hails from former Yugoslavia and resides in Chicago, Illinois. Doug Rosenberg, saxophonist, thrills and chills with his Eastern-flavored scales and his intuitive counter-melodies. As a string bassist, Matthew Ulery is impeccably moody, making the whole album worth the $15 price tag for even a single perfect bass solo. Underneath it all, Michael Caskey's expert percussion breathes life into the intricate duple, triple, and often five beat rhythms that give this album its signature style. Put these four pros together and the music is no less than spectacular. The Goran Ivanovic Group has a grown up, sophisticated appeal that makes it an awesome choice as a gift CD for a client, friend, or loved one. There is something in the Group's new CD for every intelligent listener, for musicians and non-musicians alike. Grade: A+

  • An exotic journey full of texture and passion
    author: Frances

    This is beautiful! Full of rich texture and soul expanding intricacies. Delicate, robust,provocative and gentle- put your headphones on and enjoy your journey.

  • it's like great flavor that stays with you
    author: danche

    CD become bridge between different cultures. most persuasive recording Ivanovic is an exhuberant interpreter great CD

  • Nice
    author: Surrealistic Noise

    Great album and idea overall. Very interesting . best.

  • author: Tamara Turner, CD Baby

    The Goran Ivanovic Group delivers a captivating fusion of traditional Balkan music and acoustic jazz with classical compositional integrity and a harmonic language that is both accessible to the mainstream jazz audience while bringing in substantial portions of the zesty, odd-metered rhythms and the vivid melodic embellishments of Eastern European folk music. Mixing both traditional and jazz instrumentation, adapting both styles to one another so that the conversation between genres is two-sided, their music is imbued with great energy and direction, revealing that the conversation going on is not only between styles, genres and cultures but between the instrumentalists and the audience and most importantly, between the heart and the mind.

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