TAMARA OBROVAC QUARTET "ULIKA REVIVAL

The composer, singer and flutist Tamara Obrovac is one of the most impressive artists on the Croatian music scene. Her unique musical expression which blends contemporary jazz with particular musical and dialectal tradition from her homeland Istria, North Adriatic peninsula, brought here international recognition. She published 7 author CD-s and through her albums, Tamara profiles her own auctorial approach and creates a unique artistic form; her music, completely original and autochthonous, goes beyond time and geographical boundaries, thus becoming a universal artistic message, establishing Tamara Obrovac as an exceptional artist who managed to create her own unique musical expression. In addition to her international concert activities she composes music for theater and film, and she has received many awards for her work; among the others 9 Porin awards (Croatian's Grammy), and she was nominated for BBC Radio 3 World Music awards  (European music and Audience Award). With her distinctive musical expression, excellent bands and passionate live performances suffused with spontaneity, inventive improvisation, freedom, humor and the ability to communicate with the audience, she has become increasingly more present and recognized on the International musical stage.  She writes here own lyrics and sings on endangered Slavic and Romanic Istrian dialects, and her passionate voice is equally impressive both when she sings lyrics and performs a vocalize, thus turning it into an additional instrument.  With the release of her second CD „ULIKA" in 1998, named afterTamara’s grandmother, quartet presented for the first time Tamara's fresh way of thinking and composing which combines inspiration by the local Istrian music and dialect with the universal jazz expression.  The reunion of the quartet at summer 2011 gave life to new/old project (ULIKA revival”), establishing new creativity with re-interpretations of old composition from a more mature artistic prospective. The re-found joy of making music together, expressed through virtuoso playing, unlimited freedom of expression, humor and improvisation, characteristic of all members of the quartet,  and their latest performances proved again that music of Tamara Obrovac quartet reaches further then the constricted borders of musical classification, spreading the spirit and passion of the Mediterranean region over geographic and musical boundaries. The project started with successful Croatian/Slovenian concert tour in February 2012. folowed by further concert promotion in Luneburg (DE) Novi Sad (SRB) and Labin (CRO), Jazzahead Bremen, (DE) Jazz au Chellah (MAR) and CD  „ULIKA revival" will be released in June 2013. for  Swiss label “Unit records”. International recognition came also through the nomination for the BBC Radio 3 World  musicAwards 2004 (European Music and Audience Award).TAMARA OBROVAC