BBC - Radio 3 - Womad 2004 - Ljiljan Buttler

LJILJANA BUTTLER & MOSTAR SEVDAH REUNION (BOSNIA)

They're rebuilding the bridge in Mostar. Its graceful form once spanned the gorge between the two halves of the town and the gulf between its two ethnic groups. The Bosnian war destroyed those links, but as peace returns, reconciliation is blowing in on a slow gentle breeze. Mostar Sevdah Reunion are a musical symbol of this process. They play 'sevdah', an old Arabic word meaning 'love', 'desire' or 'ecstasy', and the name for a type of Bosnian music that has been around for three centuries. They also play gypsy songs and accompany one of the most famous Balkan voices of the 20 th century, Ljiljana Buttler.

She grew up earning her crust by singing in the cafés of Bijeljina, a small Bosnian town, before moving to Belgrade. There she became the doyenne of Skadalia, the old 'fun' quarter of the Serbian capital where men would drown their sorrow and their pain in slivovice , or 'plum brandy', and music. Although she had already become a star of TV and radio, Buttler's brand of visceral, intense and passionate gypsy soul was eclipsed in the late 1980s by the brash sexuality of 'turbo-folk', the musical tipple of choice in a cutthroat post-communist world. Buttler went to ground, lived out the war, and then re-emerged to a whole new generation of fans and devotees in 2000.

They call her the 'Gypsy Ella Fitzgerald' or the ' Billie Holiday of Gypsy Music', but in reality, she's the mother of gypsy soul.

Courtesy of Andy Morgan, July 2004

Read other people's comments then

Tell us what you think:

I have to stress that there is quite a big difference between the gypsy culture (Liljana Butler) and the true sevdah culture, mostar sevdah do play the traditional sevdah how ever they play it in their own 'interpretation'!
Pilot

I heard their songs on one party and I would like to by all theirs CD-s. Where to find them? Best regards
Stanislav Porej, Belgrade

THIS IS LIFE. THIS IS BOSNIA! :) peace!
Amir Sarajevo

Saw them in The Hague, they were fantastic...as I also understand the lyrics I can really say that I cried during some songs...great performance, great music, great lyrics, great feeling...
Mirza, The Hague

Saw them recently at Wesley Memorial Church. Absolutely absorbing, a joy to watch. Masterful musicianship and two captivating vocalists. Next time I promise I'll dance!
Otis Tetrax - Oxford UK

my friend ljiljana has just sent you a messag you say hppy birthday to her and that her boyfriend john has booked a hotel dfor the night thank you!
emma , woking

i think that your radio is very good but can you play sleep on a bed of dreams
ljiljana , woking

Friday the 19th they performed in Rotterdam, i must say it was magnificent! The atmosphere, the show, the act... it was all great. My friends and I had a wonderfull evening, full of great music. The musicians were fenomenal, aswell as Ljiljana was. It is defenitely a must see show. It takes you from one emotion to a whole other. one SPLENDED!!!!
Minka

I saw Liljana Buttler last sunday in Amsterdam with the Mostar Sevdah Reunion. Really great, fantastic. next friday I'll go to Rotterdam to see them again. I noticed the BBC made a documontary When will it on tv
Liesbeth The Hague Holland

If you liked the queen of gipsy music ,you have to know that existing also the king... His name is Saban Bajramovic
Ado - Sauveterre de Bearn (France)

The last act we saw this year and what a send off,we left exhausted but with wide smiles.
peter from crookham

Never heard anything like it before, an amazingly rich musical tapestry. Very deep, brooding and magical. Also made me want to cry, very rootsy.
Stafford Bristol

Really enjoyed the gig. Didn't know what to expect, but we thought we'd give it a try. Some of the music made us want to cry, but I also danced like crazy! Fantastic musicians and Ljiljana was amazing.
Anne, Sheffield

Thought they were brilliant at Womad. Sometimes deeply moving and haunting. Sometimes absolutely high energy - and I mean high! Loved it.
Mark Arnold - Oxford England