Twenty-five years after the debut album Ulika, which presented the unique musical style of Tamara Obrovac, and ten years after Ulika Revival, we have before us Nuvola, Tamara Obrovac's new original album, the third one created by this outstanding musician and author and her Tamara Obrovac Quartet.

 

The album is now available in Cantus' web shop and on all digital platforms.

 

Seven original compositions are featured on this album, from the opening Na nebu postelja, through La nuvola (Cloud) from which the album takes its name, Zatancaj, Dvi divojke and Niki drugi svit, to the closing Oče moj and Kovarskih litanija. Tamara Obrovac is the author of all the compositions and lyrics on Nuvola, with the exception of the lyrics of the compositions La nuvola and Kovarske litanije which were written by Daniel Načinović, an acclaimed Istrian poet and Tamara’s regular associate.

 

Like the previous albums, this one was also recorded by the quartet lineup that has not changed since 1997: Tamara Obrovac (vocalist), Matija Dedić (piano), Žiga Golob (double bass) and Krunoslav Levačić (drums). Nuvola by the Tamara Obrovac Quartet marks the quartet’s 25th anniversary and their 25 years of playing music together.

 

The Quartet’s first concert promoting Nuvola before the largest musical audience will take place at the JazzHR Festival in the Tvornica culture on March 29, followed by the album presentation in Pula (April 6, Klub & knjižara Giardini 2), and concerts in Split (April 27, Hrvatski dom Split) and Zadar (April 28, Providurova palača).

 

Our well-known jazz columnist Davor Hrvoj wrote the opening text of the CD, in which he highlights the new creative step that Tamara Obrovac took with Nuvola,

“Just when you think there could be no major change or a new creative twist after her countless performances and albums, with which she surprises us again and again, Tamara manages to delight us with new creativity. While she still retains her distinctive approach, her new songs are completely different from everything she has done to date. They are more contemplative, more spiritual and more suggestive. The unveiling of the soul in these compositions is more noticeable than ever.”

 

Nuvola is Tamara’s 13th album, recorded at the Istrian National Theater in Pula late last year. This is what Tamara says about the album and her cooperation with the long-time quartet members,

“Though the compositions are a bit more complex, they follow my existing expression. It is always a pleasure to play with Matija, Kruno and Žiga, with whom I have shared an uncompromising dedication to music for the past 26 years. This ensemble has shared tremendous understanding, communication and joy in playing music from the very beginning, and it continues to do so to this day.”

 

 

In fact, on this new album Tamara draws the listener into her inner world and engulfs them in her visions, and she shares these visions, as Hrvoj notes, with her musicians, who play “not only from the soul, but like the soul itself",

“Although she has played with the same associates for years, she has not attained such extraordinary harmony, such mutual insight with them up to now, which has resulted in coherent performances. It is as if there are no instruments, no musicians, just light slowly changing color as the musicians telepathically process the thoughts exchanged.”

 

Tamara dedicated the album to her father Ivan Obrovac, a renowned artist from Istria who died in 2019. His painting is featured on the album cover.

 

The album was released on the Cantus label in collaboration with the Croatian Composers’ Society and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. Bernard Mihalić from the Podmornica Studio was the sound engineer and did mixing and mastering, while the music producers were Bernard Mihalić and Tamara Obrovac.