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Šaban Bajramović

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged NIS, Saban Bajramovic, Serbia on March 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Šaban Bajramović (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабан Бајрамовић, Serbian pronunciation: [ʃǎban bajrǎːmɔʋitɕ], Romani: Šaban Bajramovičh; April 16, 1936 – June 8, 2008) was a Serbian-Romani musician.

I heard Saban Bajromovic on Claude Challe’s 3 CD Album “Just Good Music” on Just Vibe CD and I had to repeatedly listen to “Pena” from Saban Bajramovic. His style was very unique and the music very heart touching. I had never heard about Saban before that. It was love at first sight with his music and after few days I did some search on Youtube and found another song from Saban very inspiring with Mostar Sevdah Reunion. Mostar adds that extra flavour to the voice of Saban doing great justice to this legendary singer by composing some enigmatic and heart throbbing music full of pulsating drums and awe-inspiring trumpet style in Gypsy way.

Biography

He was born in Niš where he attended primary school for only the first four years. On quitting school, he picked up his musical education on the street.

When he was 19 he ran away from the army out of love for a girl. As a deserter, he was sentenced to three years prison on the island Goli otok, but as he told the military court they could not hold him for so long as he could survive, they raised his punishment to five and a half years. He survived as he was a good goalkeeper in the prison football team. Because of his nimbleness and speed, they called him “Black Panther”. Soon he forced his way into the prison orchestra that played, among other things, jazz (mostly Louis Armstrong, Sinatra, and sometimes John Coltrane) with Spanish and Mexican pieces.

After Goli otok, his intensive music career began. He made his first record in 1964. He is believed to have composed 650 compositions.

In 2008, it was revealed that Bajramović was living impoverished in Niš with serious health complications and was no longer able to walk. The government of Serbia intervened to provide him with some funds, 10 000 euros.He died in Niš on June 8, 2008, from a heart attack.