Record Reviews

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ SARAJEVO (SUITE) HARMONIA MUNDI 13039 (Barcode: 3366750130396) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1993 Released: 1994 This is a brilliant and completely obscure European Jazz & Poetry album, which features a large group of creative Artists, dedicated to the commemorative effort of the bombing and destruction of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo during the Yugoslav Wars. The original music accompanies texts by Bosnian poet Abdulah SidranFind albums by this artist. The participating musicians include British Lindsay CooperFind albums by this artist, Phil MintonFind albums by this artist, Kate WestbrookFind albums by this artist, Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist, Chris BiscoeFind albums by this artist, French Henri TexierFind albums by this artist and Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist, German Wolfgang PushingFind albums by this artist, Dutch Willem BreukerFind albums by this artist and many others. The music is absolutely sensational and combined with the deeply penetrating texts offers a shocking protest against war, political extremism, cruelty, intolerance and injustice. Musically it presents mostly contemporary Jazz themes sprinkled with Balkan folkloristic accents, but also some orchestral, Avant-Garde and Classical pieces, all creating a collage of music and words, which is impossible to stay indifferent to. Sadly, this is a rare example of protest in contemporary music, in contrast to what was happening in music in the 1960s, when the social / political protest was deeply intertwined in the music mainstream. Humanity is slowly becoming indifferent and therefore a project like this one is especially important and worth being remembered. Overall, this is an absolutely marvelous piece of music and poetry, which is also an example of Artists unified by a political issue, which needs to tackled. Performed by some of the best European musicians, actors, producers and other creative contributors, this album is as important for its aesthetics as for its moral significance. Sadly, it is extremely difficult to find a copy if this album today, but every effort to do so will be richly rewarded. A true gem of European Culture!

Updated: 25/06/2023Posted: 25/06/2023

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