Bosnian singer Azra performs in an Evening of Sevdah August 18, 2012

AN EVENING OF SEVDAH WITH BOSNIAN SINGER AZRA

ACCOMPIANED BY FAMED ACCORDIONIST PETAR TEODOSIJEV

The Mercury Cafe presents Azra in a musical journey through the Balkans on Saturday, August 18 at 8 p.m. 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. 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.

More information at www.azrasings.com or follow Azra on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Azra-Sings/214229975357500

Sevdah, as a traditional musical form, is an expression of the soul and is what carries us, people from the Former Yugoslavia – immigrants, refugees, former soldiers of many armies, prisoners of war, and prisoners of our memories. We have what some call a Losstalgia, a sense of not belonging, a sense of permanent and unspeakable loss – something, deep inside, is hurting and we cannot give it a name.

The musical power of Sevdah gives our sorrow and collective tragedy a voice. Although it is traditionally associated with the music of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and predominantly viewed as a Muslim tradition, such a view of Sevdah is very limited. This traditional music, in its many variant forms, has been sung for centuries throughout Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia, and across the Balkans, with much of its authenticity still intact.

Mercury Cafe presents Azra with Petar Teodosijev - An evening of Sevdah, a musical journey through the Balkans. Saturday, August 18 at 8:00 p.m. $15 at the door (cash or check) - Reservations are recommended @ 303-294-9258. Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St., Denver, CO 80205.