Music CD details

Nada Jovic and Dusko Gojkovic Quintet

'Take Me In Your Arms'

(CS-20)

Musicians:
Nada Jovic - vocal
Dusko Gojkovic - trumpet
Eddie Busnello - alto sax
Mal Waldron - piano
Peter Trunk - bass
Cees See - drums

Recorded in Cologne, Germany on 6th September 1966, previously unreleased.

Extract from notes:

'This is one of these historical gems that you come across once in a lifetime. Something that was missing in Yugoslavian jazz. There weren’t many jazz singers in Yugoslavia and mainly they were singing other types of music and just occasionally jazz. Although most of them had quite good vocal capabilities very few had that real ‘jazz feeling’. Then Dusko Gojkovic gave me a tape from his archive recorded in 1966 with a singer I’ve never heard of before. Very few people new about her and no wonder because she has never released anything. Only people who new her personally new of her.

Nada was a ballerina and jazz was her passion and hobby. Passion was that strong that in 1966 she financed a studio recording that you are about to hear.

Nada Jovic was born in Novi Becej in Yugoslavia on 16 May 1928 and as a 6 months baby came to Belgrade with her parents. When she was 12 she got a scholarship for ballet school in Wien. From Wien she moved to Heidelberg and later on to Frankfurt. In 1949 she came back to Belgrade from Germany to visit her ill mother and stayed there for a while. She was dancing full time as a ballerina for National Theatre and singing was her hobby and passion, especially jazz. Soon she met and falls in love with Al Kovic who was mechanical engineer but his passion was also jazz. He played trumpet with RTB Big Band. They were both writing lyrics and Al was also contributing in arrangements.

In 1950/51 Nada apart of dancing for National Theatre sang with Alexander Necak Trio whose repertoire at the time was mostly based on Net King Cole’s songs. In 1951 when she was 23 Nada and Al moved to Canada where they still live. In 1966 they went to New York where they prepared arrangements and lyrics for this album. Then they went to Köln to record it with their old friend Dusko Gojkovic (who contributed in arrangements) and his quintet. They never played with these musicians before but anyway they just hired a studio and recorded everything in one day without even having any rehearsal.

For whatever reason this recording has never been released previously and I need to thank Dusko Gojkovic for discovering it to me. Nada is now 74 and currently they are making plans to return to Belgrade. Although she recorded with many musicians none of these recordings was ever released. This is her first ever release.'

GBP 9.97

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Nada Jovic and Dusko Gojkovic Quintet

'Take Me In Your Arms'

(CS-20)

REVIEWS

CHRISSIE MURRAY (Ronnie Scott's mag) 
YUGOSLAVIA'S CROWN JEWEL. Zeljko Kerleta's innovative London based Cosmic Sounds label constantly delights by turning up buried treasures. Here Zeljko has discovered a priceless diamond in releasing Nada Jovic's Take Me In Your Arms album. Recorded in 1966 but never released, this impressive Yugoslavian vocalist is a real discovery. Nada, a former ballerina and the "Stacey Kent" of her day, comes across as a fusion of Billie Holiday and Theresa Brewer with touches of Caterine Valente. Nada's album has so much charm, you wonder why it has been allowed to remain unreleased for 36 years. This historical gem still sounds so fresh and was recorded in a relaxed, informal, unrehearsed studio session with trumpeter Dusko Gojkovic's quintet featuring star pianist Mal Waldron. On this spontaneous session, Nada brings a warm glow to classics such as My Heart Belongs To Daddy and Love For Sale. And her spirited original, Attention is a real stand-out track. The dashing Zeljko Kerleta, a man on a mission when it comes to music, explains: "In Yugoslavia, jazz singers were rare. Few had a real "jazz feeling" but thanks to Dusko, I heard tapes of Nada - she was the best. This great vocalist is now 74 and never released any records. When she heard we were releasing the album after so long, it was a very emotional moment for all of us." And for us too. All we need now is for an enterprising promoter to persuade the wonderful Ms Jovic out of retirement..

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