JODLOVSKA URSKA

Real debut album's material, recorded still in 1977 in Vojvodina, but for the first (and it looks only) time released in 1990, still in Yugoslavia, on audio cassette. Main problem is sound quality, which is below any standard.

Band's music is instrumental mix of acoustic jazz and Balkan folklore, but with added "urban folk" and humor element. Or (with some restrictions) parallel with RIO could be drawn as well.

Differently from some other ex-Yugoslavian bands, mixing Balkan folk in their jazz (fusion) music, Begnagrad doesn't sound as real jazz or fusion band at all. From other hand, even if Balkan folk element presented almost in every band's sound, musicians use very "Slovenian" version of this sound - without accent on emotion explosiveness and Gypsy-like dancelike side, but more as refined folk element for their jazzy urban mix. At the same time some other folksy elements are presented (as Alpine and Mediterranean tunes).

In whole album sound as quite safe fusion of Balkan/jazz fusion and some RIO moments. Unhappily, really bad sound quality destroys possible positive emotions when listening.

Still 3 from me.

When writing a review of "Tastare" CD I was not aware of this cassette release, so I thought that CD was the first time the 1977 sessions were released. Obviously, it was this tape, issued in March 1990 under the title "Jodlovska Urska" (Whistling Ursulla), that premiered the sessions for their never released debut album. Released only as a cassette for an obscure label in Serbia, it was recorded on a 4-track studio in a week in December 1977 in Studio M, Novi Sad (Serbia). The material was planned to be released as a debut album but it was never finished and the recordings remained unmixed. The band line-up was: Bratko Bibic-accordion, melodica; Bogo Pecnikar-clarinet; Igor Musevic-drums; Vlatko Spindler-bass guitar; and Boris Romih-sound engineer.

I shall not repeat what I have already written about "Tastare". It is enough to point out that the music of BEGNAGRAD from this period was a unique amalgam of Alpine and Balkan folk, swing, free jazz, polka, waltz and rock, arranged and performed with a strong "rock- in-opposition" (RIO) approach. Drums and electric bass provide a strong rock/jazz rhythm section, while accordion and especially clarinet carry lead melodic parts. The sound of the tape is rather poor, so I would recommend listening to this material from the CD reissue of "Tastare", which is of far superior quality. This cassette is therefore mostly of documentary value, for those who would like to hear how the first album of BEGNAGRAD might have sounded had it been released back in late 1977 or early 1978. So, we may say it belongs to the category of so-called "lost albums". MY RATING: 3/5