An Amazing Journey
J. Pate | Oak Park, IL | 03/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I worked in the Balkans off and on for more than 5 years, and actually lived in a portion of the former Yugoslavia doing humanitarian work for five months last year. Balkan music facinates me, so when I heard my local NPR station preview an upcoming segment featuring a musician with the surname of Ivanovic I knew I had to pay close attention. What I heard on that short segment moved me to immediately find his CD and order it. I have listened to almost nothing else since it arrived. The guitar work is powerful yet elegant, the pieces diverse while connected by a musical thread of the Balkan reality. When I hear the music is takes me back to so many of the deeply mystical and spiritual aspects of Balkan life, but the offerings are simultaneously fresh and vibrant. This is music in which to lose one's self -- to think, to reflect, and to dream. I hope to see Ivanovic perform in person, and I intend to collect as much of his recorded music as possible."
Beautiful music
Musician and reader | Chicago | 07/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Few things can be described as beautiful, but this CD defines the word. Each melody pulses with life and feeling. Listening to this CD, I fall into a kind of dream world.
Compared to their other CD, it's just as intense, but the arrangements are more complex. It doesn't get quite as crazy as Macedonian Blues, but I am still surprised by the originality and beauty each time I hear it."