Tamara Obrovac Quartet - "Ulika revival"

With the release of „CD ULIKA" (named after Tamara's grandmother), in 1998, Tamara Obrovac Quartet presented for the first time Tamara's new 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 (summer 2011) gave life to a new creativity and a different way of interpreting old compositions.

Ulika revival

Label: Unit records 2014

Tamara Obrovac (CRO) - voice, composer
Matija Dedic (CRO) - piano
Žiga Golob (SLO) - double bass
Krunoslav Levačić (CRO) - drums

recorded / mixed / mastered by Stefano Amerio
at ArteSuono studio, Udine, Italy, April 2013
produced by Stefano Amerio and Tamara Obrovac

European Jazz has a new singing star:

With sensitivity, passion and humor the Croatian singer and composer Tamara Obrovac has positioned her homeland Istria on the world map of improvised music.

Tamara Obrovac finds clear and completely natural ways to combine the dialects and the melodic phrases of her native Istria with contemporary European jazz played at the very highest level.

With a sound reminiscent of the nobility and sensitivity of the Bill Evans Trio, and with bold interaction and congenial originality, on her journey through different types and levels of human emotion, the singer is accompanied by pianist Matija Dedic, bassist Žiga Golob and drummer Krunoslav Levacic.
Sometimes the Istrian sun scorches, sometimes wine matures, sometimes madness threatens.

But this inspired and virtuosic singer superbly balances poetic and archaic folk expression with her beautifully crafted music, equally recognizing the significance of both intellect and emotion.

With her album "Ulika revival" Tamara Obrovac has placed her native Istria indelibly on the musical map of the world. Self-conscious, humorous, passionate.
Welcome to the new, old land of infinite possibilities.

Josef Engels, press text

Tamara Obrovac is quietly and secretly grown into one of Europe's greatest singers...
Basically melancholic, her music simultaneously impresses with inner strength and passion that brings with it the story of the mentality of an entire region.
Volker Doberstein, Jazz Podium 2014, Germany

On light-footed rhythmic base carried by Ziga Golob on bass and Krunoslav Levačić on drums, Obrovac can impressively demonstrate her interpretations conveyed by warm colors of Istrian tongue.Her text interpretations and eloquent singing blend with her very specific jazz-scat in native idiom through her own concept of storytelling and intense recollection of personal experiences which touches the hearts of her listeners - one successful revival that even after fifteen years can convey timeless "spirit" of these works.
tHo, Concerto magazine, 2014, Austria

In a global marketplace dominated by one or two languages it's refreshing to hear a singer who remains faithful to her own upbringing and to the beauty of its musical heritage. Obrovac sings in an Istrian dialect, with a style that draws on Istrian folk heritage as well as on contemporary jazz: the result is a powerfully emotive vocal that draws the listener in to the moods and images of the songs whether or not they share Obrovac's understanding of the words (helpfully, an English translation is provided in the liner notes).
BRUCE LINDSAY, All-about-jazz, July 30, 2014