*Bonus CD
The critically acclaimed Bosnian band Mostar Sevdah Reunion pay tribute to legendary Gypsy musician and songwriter Saban Bajramovic on this 2-disc set simply called Saban. Released in conjunction with the documentary detailing the life of Bajramovic, this recording serves as the soundtrack to the film, and features the sincerity and grit of Bajramovic's songwriting, combined with the subtle accompaniment by Mostar Sevdah Reunion. Recorded at the Pavarotti Center in Mostar, it includes special guest appearances by celebrated Balkan musicians Naat Veliov (trumpet), Slobodan Stancic (violin), and Ljiljana Buttler (vocals).
Mostar Sevdah Reunion is an exquisite group of artists who share a passion for a traditional Bosnian genre called “Sevdah” which is more than 400 years old. They are unique on the world music scene because of their diversite musical backgrounds and individual virtuosity in a collective. They have never performed two identical gigs in a row. Some might say that these musicians live for Sevdah and that the only reason their existence is to decode and represent traditional music from Bosnia-Herzegovina. The story of MSR began in 1993 when a couple of tracks were recorded on audiocassettes and distributed among friends. Those were tumultuous times of war in the Balkans and for MSR the main reason to record was to getaway and try to forget, for a one single moment, the surrounding atrocities and suffering. MSR also made a pledge and promise to themselves that "the whole world will know about Sevdah" one day when war comes to an end. They fulfilled this promise and recorded their first album in 1998.
