Traditional Balkan music has always been a rich source of inspiration for many musicians, especially jazz musicians, who have successfully combined the indigenous sound with modern trends. Such a combination can be heard in his latest composition. Miladin Perunicic, guitarist and founder of the Montenegrin band MP Trio.
The instrumental track “Ilirikum”, their latest single, is based on the traditional song “Oj djevojko, drugarice”, but brings a completely new dimension in the form of an arrangement that includes elements of ambient jazz sound with energetic electric guitar parts, which were in charge of Peruničić. The song “Oj đevojko, drugarice”, which served as their inspiration, is a traditional folk song performed as part of the Kozara folk dance, characteristic of the Kozara and Potkozarje regions.
Guests from Kotor also participated in the arrangement, Bole Martinović i Branko Marković, and the video that accompanies this composition is the work of a Montenegrin photographer Aleksandar Jaredić.
This composition is an example of how tradition can live on through new musical forms, creating an unusual but incredibly interesting blend of different genres and dynamics. Considering that they managed to make it an instrumental composition in the style of the MP Trio, the drummer Ivan Ivanovic explains to "Vijesti" how difficult it was to fit all the details to sound modern and recognizable:
"He was in charge of that." Miladin Perunicic Micko "who was inspired by this particular folk song to try to make something completely different out of it. By breaking the harmonic form and working with the melody as much as jazz as a genre allows, I think he more than succeeded in that," says Ivanović, adding that for people like Mićko, it is never difficult.
"If you know music as a subject to that extent, it's easy for you to play with various themes and harmonies, and in the end, the ambiance and emotion remain. Hence the instrumental approach, to describe the emotional journey of the author while creating with a lot of information," adds Ivanović.
Instrumental music can be a powerful medium for preserving folk heritage, and many musicians resort to it, especially through jazz. On how difficult it is to create your own distinctive expression and something different and unexpected, Ivanovic explains:
"That's right, many jazz musicians are inspired by tradition and constantly return to their roots, both subconsciously and consciously, precisely for the sake of preserving heritage. It's difficult to create your own expression, regardless of whether it's jazz, rock or pop music, so it doesn't have to be related to traditional music that flirts with modern styles. I think the MP Trio has its own expression that it has built over the years, relying on various genres and energies."
Montenegrin traditional music is very rich, and additional experimentation not only with jazz but also with other genres can further enrich it. It is also one of the best ways to bring our cultural heritage closer to the younger generations.
"This is something that has particularly taken off in recent years, I would say. Various projects by various musicians have appeared in the last few years with the theme of covering traditional songs. This is a good way to preserve the music of the past and bring it closer to new generations, but of course it should be done very carefully and not try to do it at all costs, because that trivializes the same topic. As for the MP Trio, it is not something that is a priority for the band in a creative sense, but certainly when the circumstances are right, we will not run away from it," promises the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
Although they perform as a trio, this time they had guest musicians on the project, and it was they who further enriched the sound with their work and helped MP Trio tell the story in the right way.
"People who follow us know that we are basically a trio, hence the name in the band along with the name of the soloist, because MP are the initials of Miladin Peruničić, we occasionally perform with our friends and associates. Bozidar Bola Martinović That's certainly true, and we've already collaborated with him at some concerts through various bands, and through him we also met the great Branko Marković "who enriched this composition. It is always good, if there is space for it, to include other people in projects because that way you get a set of different energies and states, and that is very desirable for instrumental music of this type," emphasizes Ivanović and adds:
"We would like to publicly thank them and we are sure that this will not be their only guest appearance, and there will also be some other interesting guests for the album itself," the musician promises at the end of the conversation.
Many jazz musicians are inspired by tradition and constantly return to their roots, both subconsciously and consciously, precisely to preserve their heritage. It is difficult to create your own expression, regardless of whether it is jazz, rock or pop music, so it does not have to be related to traditional music that flirts with modern styles.
If you know music as a subject to that extent, it's easy for you to play with various themes and harmonies, and in the end, the ambiance and emotion remain.
Various projects by various musicians have emerged in the last few years with the theme of covering traditional songs. This is a good way to preserve the music of the past and bring it closer to new generations, but of course it should be done very carefully and not try to do it at all costs, because that trivializes the same topic.
Bonus video:
