Šaban Bajramović ( sr-Cyrl, Шабан Бајрамовић, ; rom, Shaban Bajramovičh; 16 April 1936 – 8 June 2008), nicknamed Šabi (Шаби), was a Serbian vocalist and recording artist of Arlije

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

ethnicity. He was one of the most internationally critically acclaimed Romani singer-songwriters. Due to his eminent impact on music in Eastern Europe, he was dubbed the " King of Romani music". During his career, which spanned over four decades, he recorded 50 singles and 20 albums, and he is believed to have written 700 songs.

Biography

Origin and early life

Bajramović was born in

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...

into a

Muslim Roma Xoraxane Roma in Balkan Romani language, are non- Vlax Romani people, who adopted Sunni Islam of Hanafi madhab at the time of the Ottoman Empire. Some of them are Derviş of Sufism belief, and the biggest Tariqa of Jerrahi is located at the ...

family of

Romani people in Serbia Romani people, or Roma ( sr, Роми, Romi), are the third largest ethnic group in Serbia, numbering 147,604 (2.1%) according to the 2011 census. However, due to a legacy of poor birth registration and some other factors, this official number i ...

, of the

Arlije The sedentary Arlije are the main group of the Romani people in North Macedonia, and the majority live in Šuto Orizari Municipality. They belong to the Muslim Romani people. There are various subgroups of the Arlije, named after their traditiona ...

in the Gypsy quarters (''Ciganska mahala''). He spoke of himself "I am not Romani, I am a Serb, a Serbian Gypsy". He attended primary school in Niš for only the first four years. On quitting school, he picked up his musical education on the street. He was nicknamed ''Šabi'' (Шаби). His childhood was noted by extreme poverty, thus he worked as a busker to provide an income for his very poor family. In his free time, he enjoyed playing football, but was diagnosed with poliomyelitis as a child, which lead to a decline in his amateur football career.

Imprisonment

At 19 years he ran away from the army, out of love. As a deserter, he was sentenced to three years prison on the island Goli Otok. He spent his time as a good goalkeeper in the prison football team. Because of his nimbleness and speed, they called him "Black Panther". Soon he forced his way into the prison orchestra that played, among other things,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

(mostly Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and sometimes

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

) with

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and Mexican pieces.

Music career

After Goli Otok, his intensive music career began. He made his first record in 1964, with the recording act ''Crna mamba'' (Black Mamba). He continued to produce music with ''Crna mamba'' for 20 years. The highlight of their career was their performance for Indira Gandhi in India, where he gained the title ''King of Romani music''. He also performed to Yugoslav politician Josip Broz Tito. In the early nineties, he recorded " Đelem, Đelem", which is considered the Romani people's ethnic anthem. At the time, he decided to change his stage presence, starting to wear sunglasses while performing. Since 2000, he started collaborating with Bosnian-based

Sevdah Sevdalinka (), also known as Sevdah music, is a traditional genre of folk music originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevdalinka is an integral part of the Bosniak culture, but is also spread across the ex-Yugoslavi ...

act

Mostar Sevdah Reunion Mostar Sevdah Reunion is a world-fusion musical ensemble from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina playing almost exclusively sevdalinka fused with contemporary musical styles. The band is composed of experienced musicians and often collaborates with r ...

, which rose him to prominence yet again. In 2001, he recorded the album ''A Gipsy Legend'' with the group, released on behalf of ''World Connection'', which gained international attention. In 2002, he worked with Croatian band Cubismo. Their partnership resulted in the appearance of "Geljan dade", one of Bajramović's best known songs. Published on the album ''Romano raj'', the song was noted for its complex structure and lyrical content. The abstract motif of the song presents suffering people of Romani descent whose fathers went the United States to provide income for their children, ultimately leading to more problems due to their absence. ''Geljan dade'' was covered by a wide range of musicians from varying genres, including

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, Muharem Serbezovski and Boban Zdravković. Zdravković performed the first known version of the song in Serbian, titled "Prokleta je Amerika". In 2005, Miloš Stojanović and Dragi Šestić directed his biopic film, titled ''Šaban'', which gained notoriety in Eastern Europe. For the purposes of that documentary Dragi Šestić produced the album for

Snail Records A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastrop ...

with the title "Saban", which won a

World Music Award The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world' ...

. In 2008, he produced ''Lova'' with Serbian hip-hop artist

Sky Wikluh Đorđe Miljenović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Миљеновић; born 10 December 1980) better known by his stage name Wikluh Sky ( sr, Виклер Скаj, ) is a Serbian musician, rapper, and producer. Best known for being a member of Bad Copy hi ...

for the Serbian TV series '' Vratice se rode''.

Last years

In 2008, it was revealed that Bajramović was living impoverished in

with serious health complications and was no longer able to walk. The government of Serbia intervened to provide him with some funds. He died in Niš on 8 June 2008, from a heart attack.

Personal life

Bajramović enjoyed reading, and claimed he read over 20,000 books. He was married to Milica Bajramović and had four children.

Legacy

Influence

Bajramović was a prominent figure in Serbian music presenting Romani music in modern Serbian. Due to his enormous influence, on 12 August 2010, a statue to honour his impact was built. The statue had been vandalised multiple times.

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

polled Bajramović in the top 10 best jazz musicians.

Quotes

Dragi Šestić –

Andy Gill –

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

, UK, 15 February 2002

References

Sources

External links

Record Label

Šaban Bajramović Unofficial Presentation

Šaban Bajramović CDs

Saban Bajramovic: Serbian esteemed as king of Gypsy singers
''The Times'', 23 June 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bajramovic, Saban 1936 births 2008 deaths Serbian songwriters Romani musicians Serbian composers Serbian multi-instrumentalists Serbian baritones Serbian Romani people Musicians from Niš Serbian prisoners and detainees Yugoslav Romani people Yugoslav male singers 20th-century Serbian male singers World Music Awards winners Indexi Award winners Romani singers