The folk music from Croatia's coastal region of Istria is known for its own ancient and distinctive scale as well as a suite of unique instruments which evolved in conjunction with it.

It's the strong influence of this tradition on the music of composer, flautist and singer Tamara Obrovac which has earned her this nomination, as one of the most prominent artists on the Croatian music scene.

Born in the town of Pula in 1962, Obrovac began her career as a performer while still a student in Zagreb. At that time she played alto saxophone and sang with local bands. Her determination to push at boundaries eventually led to a solo career, which began with the 1996 release of her debut CD Triade. It was hailed for its groundbreaking marriage of jazz and her Istrian roots, which she has subsequently refined over the course of three more albums. 1998 saw the release of Ulika (with the Tamara Obrovac Quartet), followed by Transhistria (2001) and her 2003 release Sve Pasiva (All Fades Away), both accompanied by the shifting personnel of her Transhistria Ensemble.

"My approach towards music went from jazz standards through my own compositions, to my finding of an original expression by connecting the language of the folk music of my homeland (Istria, Croatia) with the rhythms and improvisation typical for jazz, so jazz is my freedom and my roots are my inner truth," she explains.

Obrovac is enthusiastically praised in the Croatian press for the way she uses the works of Istrian poets in her music and indeed her own talents as a poet. She has also composed for ballet and theatre and is a member of the multi-cultural Balkan Horses Band, which currently also includes well-known musicians from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Macedonia, Greece and Serbia.

Visit : www.tamaraobrovac.com

Jon Lusk, November 2003

Where are we Slavoljub Penkala Nikola Tesla Tamara Obrovac Kravata