The
Mercury Cafe presents Azra in a musical journey through the Balkans on
Saturday, August 18 at 8 p.m.
Accompanied by Petar
Teodosijev on accordion, Brett Bowen - percussion, Boris Kaplanskiy -
piano, and Bennet Cohen - bass, and Meg York -
clarinet, Azra sings traditional and rarely sung melodies from Bosnia,
Serbia, and Macedonia, in addition to selected Russian Romance songs.
Azra
is a singer of Sevdah from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her singing reflects
the lyrical melancholy of Balkan folk with sultry elements of Gypsy
Jazz and Andalucian Flamenco tradition. Her performances illuminate an
inner world forever marked by the war in the Former Yugoslavia, and her
immigrant life in the United States.
Raised
in Bosnia, on Tom Waits, Django Reinhardt, U2, Broadway musicals,
opera and classical music Azra received formal musical education at the
Zagreb Music Conservatory in Croatia. A dramatic mezzo-soprano, with
unique ornamentation and expressive singing style, Azra is a captivating
stage performer.
She
is currently collaborating with Petar Teodosijev, a virtuoso
accordionist who spent years performing with Teodosijev Ensamble and
Roma legend – Esma Redzepova. The collaboration between Petar and Azra
is envisioned as homage to their Yugoslavian roots and homage to a
country that is not more. The album, entitled “Azra Sings” is
expected to be released in August 2012 and contains 14 tracks of rarely
sung traditional songs from Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia, and a
block of Russian romance songs.
Tickets are $15 at the door (cash or
check) and reservations are recommended by calling Mercury Cafe, 2199
California St., Denver, CO 80205 at 303-294-9258.
