Rom singer, composer, poet and actor Saban Bajramovic died on Sunday, June 8 2008 at the age of 72 in a hospital in the city of Nis, Serbia. A year ago, Bajramovic suffered from a heart attack, and since then he has mainly been hospitalized. It was said that he was in financial problems, and that the state recently gave him a one-off welfare payment.
He fell in love with music in prison, where he ended up for deserting from the army at the time. In court, he said that nobody could sentence him so much that he could not bear it, so instead of three years, he was sentenced to five and a half years. During that period he fell in love with music, he founded a prison orchestra, and intensively started working with music. He has been known to say that “Goli Otok” (a prison on a Croatian island with the same name) was his life university, in which he formed the way that he thinks. He recorded his first record in 1964, and to date he has released around 20 albums and about 50 singles.
He was the head of the band Crna Mamba” (Black Mamba) for over 50 years, with which he travelled around the world. Nehru and Indira Ghandi declared him the king of gypsy music. His greatest hits are: "Maruska", "Kamerav", "Vasilica", "Neverna Zena", "Ederlezi Avela", "Djelem, Djelem". His last concert was in Dubrovnik.
Saban Bajramovic was born on April 16, 1936. He barely attended some schooling, and gained his musical education, as most of the members of his people, on the streets. Bajramovic filmed the following movie with Goran Paskaljevic “Andjeo Cuvar” (Guardian Angel) in 1987, with Milan Jelic he filmed "Nedeljni Rucak" (Sunday Lunch) in 1982, and with Stoleta Popov he filmed "Ciganska Magija” (Gypsy Magic) in 1997. He was an inspiration to countless artists, amongst which is Goran Bregovic, who often used Saban Bajramovic's themes and music. He performed in Zagreb's “Vatroslav Lisinski”concert hall on June 11, 2007 and the legendary singer performed his last concert two months later in Dubrovnik.
He left a permanent mark in the art of music. His song “Djelem Djelem” was chosen as the anthem for all of the Roma People in the world. One of his albums was released on the World Connection label: Saban Bajramovic, a gypsy legend (2005).
He was married and had four daughters with his wife Milica. - My children are spread out all over the world, and that represents a sad inspiration for new melodies - said Bajramovic on one occasion. He recently complained that his health was bad and that his life was hard, especially mentioning that after 40 years of singing, he has no visits and no friends.
im so busy lately that i didnt hear this untill some an hour ago. my hearth is crushed, its been a long time since i felt this miserable.
indira ghandi cried when she was listening to him, he brought so much joy to the people in the world and he died like a dog, forgotten and all alone.
his fusion of gypsy and latino beats brought the worlds together. black, white, yellow, green..... there was no hate, no war, no jealousy. only the gypsy soul and his voice.
i had the honor of seeing him live at the exit fest where his song "kamerav" touched me so much that i cried in front of couple thousands people.
and i cried today, cried like a baby because the king is dead. long live the king!!
until we meet up there my brother. we dont know what we lost but some of us will never forget you. r.i.p. my brother!
Vecna mu slava!!!!
please take a couple minutes and listen to these songs
Xavier Moriarty
quote:
"The next 66 minutes were one of the rarest moments in my life. I was crying because of the sheer beauty of this music. Together with Mostar Sevdah Reunion, the great gipsy singer created an exceptional album, probably the best ever produced in this Balkan area." - Miljenko Jergović, Jutarnji list, Croatia
quote:
"Over the years, his music has been constantly stolen, copied, and imitated by both famous and unknown musicians. Promises and contracts have proven worthless. Actually, he's never been interested in protecting his work. Where others would have earned millions, he's lived as he's always lived: from day to day, making music, going wherever he wants, and not recognising any limits at all." - Dragi Šestić - Mostar Sevdah Reunion
quote:
"It is difficult to stay objective while listening to this masterpiece. The saying goes that no one should go down on one's knees and bow one's head before a living human being, but in this case an exception should be made." - Mladen Hlubna, Oslobodjenje, Bosnia
quote:
"The Serbian singer is clearly a giant talent, comparable in his own way to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Mari Bonie Persen, someone capable of bringing their music to life with such vivid spirituality that it vaults with ease over the most impenetrable cultural barriers. His voice combines the anguish of rai with the soulfulness of fado - a sort of Balkan gypsy jazz" - Andy Gill - The Independent, UK
