Review: Goran Ivanovic Group - Balkan Songs (or) the most vicious crime around

Posted on 3 October 2006 | No Comments

Filed Under: Album Reviews, World Music

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The Goran Ivanovic Group is a pan-cultural quartet that (for now) calls Chicago home. Their music (as stated by Goran) has been inspired by the beautiful folkloric music of the Balkans (focusing on Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia). More musically interestingly (though) the band also fuses modern jazz with Balkan roots music and creates a sound like nothing you’ve probably heard.

On the group’s full-length Balkan Songs, roughly half the songs are modern arrangements of traditional Balkan songs, while many of the others are original Ivanovic compositions originally intended for solo guitar that have since been fully orchestrated for the band. Ivanovic (and the rest of the band) showcase their technical prowess and (Goran especially) a passion for flamenco music. This is not typical CYSTSFTS fare, but I really enjoy this album and think you might as well.

MP3 | Goran Ivanovic Group – Blacksmith’s Dance Balkan Songs
MP3 | Goran Ivanovic Group – White Walls Balkan Songs