Damir Imamović

Damir Imamović (born 1978) is a Bosnian musician, singer, composer and author of the traditional music of Bosnia and Herzegovina, "sevdalinka" or "sevdah". The winner of "The Best Artist of Europe" in 2021 Songlines World Music Awards.[1]

Damir Imamović
Born1978 (age 44–45)
Sarajevo, Bosnia i Hercegovina
Occupation
  • Vocalist
Years active2004–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • vocals

Early life

Imamović was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina into a musical family. His father Nedžad Imamović (1948-2020),[2] is a bass player, producer, singer and author, while his paternal grandfather Zaim Imamović (1920–1994), was a legendary musician and traditional Bosnian folk singer, famous in the 1940s and 1960s.[3] Damir spent his formative years (1992–1995) living in the besieged city of Sarajevo. He picked up playing guitar when he was 15. Later on he studied philosophy.

Damir's teachers (apart from the family ties) were Spaso Berak (multiinstrumentalist and sevdah arranger for Himzo Polovina), Hašim Muharemović (saz player), Emina Zečaj (legendary sevdah singer) and others.

Career

Imamović held his first concert in The Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Sarajevo, in 2004. Soon after he played numerous concerts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region of the former Yugoslavia, after the first CD with his Damir Imamović Trio was released in 2006. His most acclaimed CD was "Abrašević Live" which was to appear in 2008. It won him the "Davorin" music award of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as numerous international tours and performances in important festivals such as: Druga Godba (Slovenia), Jazz Fest Sarajevo (BIH). The "Abrašević Live" also features Damir's first sevdah compositions based on the traditional lyrics "Dva se draga".

Bosnian/Croatian film maker Marina Andree-Škop made a documentary film "Sevdah" alongside Damir's work in sevdah which renewed interest of younger audiences in this ancient art. The film won Sarajevo Film Festival's Audience award "The Heart of Sarajevo" in 2009.

Damir's solo albums feature a bit different, more intimate style. His solo concerts in the gardens of Sarajevo during summer months became a very sought-after act, so he released the album of live performances: Svrzina Kuća, on 9 October 2011 by the Sarajevo-based record label iTM.[4] The album consists of live recordings from his performances on 27 and 28 July 2011 in the house of Svrzo in Sarajevo.

In 2012 Damir formed Damir Imamović's Sevdah Takht, consisting of Ivan Mihajlović (el. bass, from Belgrade) and Nenad Kovačić (percussion, from Zagreb). The trio appeared in the most important music festival in Europe: Druga Godba (Slovenia), Balkan Trafik (Belgium), Culturscapes (Switzerland), TFF Rudolstadt (Germany). In 2015 the band was joined by Ivana Djurić, a Sarajevo-based violinist.

The band had their showcase concert at the WOMEX 2015 festival in Budapest.

The quartet was signed by the Glitterbeat Records in 2015, and their first album will be released internationally on 29 April 2016. The first single "Sarajevo" was released on 13 February 2016.

Damir Imamović is a dedicated sevdah researcher, educator and a producer. In 2014 he produced and released an album "The Art of Saz" by Ćamil Metiljević, sevdah master of older generation. He also produced a young saz player's debut "The house of saz" by Jusuf Brkić.

Research, education, authorship
  • "Sevdah" a book on history of the sevdah genre by Damir Imamović (Vrijeme, Zenica, B-H, 2016; in English in 2017)
  • "Sevdah, the art of freedom", a multimedia exhibition by Damir Imamović (Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, November 2015).
  • SevdahLab, an educational program on history, performance and studies of the genre of sevdah (sevdalinka) by Damir Imamović (since 2013). SevdahLab lectures and workshops were held around the world.

Discography
  • with Damir Imamović Trio
    • Svira Standarde (buybook, 2006)
    • Abrašević live (samizdat, 2008)
  • Solo
    • Damir Imamović (Gramofon, 2010)
    • Svrzina Kuća (iTM, The House of Svrzo, 2011)
  • with Sevdah Takt
    • Sevdah Takht (iTM, 2012)
    • Dvojka (Glitterbeat Records, 2016), produced by Chris Eckman
  • with Ivana Djuric, Derya Türkan and Greg Cohen (produced by Joe Boyd and Andrea Goertler)

References
  1. "Damir Imamović - Songlines Music Awards 2021 Nominee". Songlines. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  2. "Upoznajte Damira Imamovića, kralja sevdaha". Radio Sarajevo. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  3. "Meet Damir Imamović". Huffington Post. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  4. "DAMIR IMAMOVIĆ: "THE HOUSE OF SVRZO"". Damir Imamović website. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
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