Leb i sol ( mk, Леб и сол) is a Macedonian and former Yugoslav

rock group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

founded in the 1970s by

Vlatko Stefanovski Vladimir "Vlatko" Stefanovski ( mk, Влатко Стефановски ) is a Macedonian ethno-rock jazz fusion guitar virtuoso. Biography Vlatko was born into a typical theatrical family. His parents, as artists, often traveled, so soon Ste ...

(

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Bodan Arsovski Bodan Arsovski (born 22 April 1956) is a Macedonian bassist and a core founding member of the rock group Leb i sol, one of the most important rock bands in the former Yugoslavia. He is the only band member to have played on every Leb i sol recor ...

(

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), Nikola Kokan Dimuševski (

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

) and

Garabet Tavitjan Garabet Tavitjan ( mk, Гарабет Тавитјан) is a Macedonian drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer fo ...

(

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). Tavitjan ceded the drumwork to

Dragoljub Đuričić Dragoljub Đuričić ( Serbian and Montenegrin Cyrillic: Драгољуб Ђуричић; 10 February 1953 – 15 March 2021) was a Serbia-based Montenegrin drummer. Đuričić started his career in the early 1970s in Herceg Novi, playing in l ...

for some of the albums, while

Kiril Džajkovski Kiril Džajkovski (Djaikovski), ( mk, Кирил Џајковски ) – often credited as simply Kiril – is an internationally acclaimed Macedonian electronic musician and music composer. Biography In the early 1980s together with Milčo Man ...

replaced Kokan on ''Kao Kakao'' and ''Putujemo''. Beside being the most eminent Macedonian band, they were also one of the most important acts of the

Yugoslav rock Popular music in Yugoslavia includes the pop and rock music of the former SFR Yugoslavia, including all their genres and subgenres. The scene included the constituent republics: SR Slovenia, SR Croatia, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Montenegr ...

scene.

History

"Leb i sol" is a traditional greeting which literally translates to "

bread and salt Bread and salt is a welcome greeting ceremony in some Slavic, Nordic, Baltic, Balkan and other European cultures as well as in Middle Eastern cultures. It is also shared with some non-Slavic nations— Lithuanians, Latvians (both Baltic), R ...

". It is often used as an expression of spite or determination; e.g. "I will eat ''bread and salt'' if I have to, but I will not give in!", but that has nothing to do with the band's name. More commonly, distinguished visitors to villages and communities would be offered a piece of home-baked bread and a dip of salt as a traditional welcome, which is where the name of the band really came from. Their music combined elements of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

and

ethnic Macedonian music The Macedonian music refers to all forms of music associated with ethnic Macedonians. It share similarities with the music of neighbouring Balkan countries, yet it remains overall distinctive in its rhythm and sound. Folk music The ethnic Macedo ...

. As the band matured, the jazz influences became less obvious. However, in concert, Leb i sol performances of jazzed-up and lengthy versions of traditional ethno-folk classics such as "Jovano Jovanke" or "Aber Dojde Donke", were often received with great enthusiasm and cheer. Leb i sol were very popular in the 1970s and 1980s and, while not selling as many records as some pop and folk acts, were very well known and respected and often sold-out venues in most of the larger cities in Yugoslavia. The first two albums are often considered foundational, while most are diverse enough to be, at least in part, accessible to a fairly wide audience. The influence of

ethnic music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

are recognizable in the use of odd meters (5/4, 7/8) and non-traditional scales (e.g. the

Phrygian dominant scale In music, the Phrygian dominant scale is the fifth musical mode, mode of the minor scale#Harmonic and melodic minor, harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant (music), dominant.Dave Hunter (2005). ''Play Acoustic'', San Francisco: Backbe ...

). While all the musicians were fairly accomplished, Vlatko Stefanovski is frequently regarded as an exceptional guitar

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

Reunion

After splitting in 1995, the band members started successful solo careers and each of them released several solo albums. In 2006 Leb i sol gathered again for a successful reunion tour across the entire former Yugoslavia to mark the 30th anniversary of their formation. Later,

left the group. With a new line-up, in 2008, the band recorded a new studio album titled ''I taka nataka.'' An international concert tour is being planned.

Discography

*''Leb i sol'' (

PGP RTB PGP-RTB (abbreviation for sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Beograd) was a major state-owned record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. After the breakup ...

, 1977) *''Leb i sol 2'' (PGP RTB, 1978) *''Ručni rad'' (PGP RTB, 1979) *''Beskonačno'' (PGP RTB, 1981) *'' Sledovanje'' (PGP RTB, 1981) *''Akustična trauma''—Double Live (PGP RTB, 1982) *Kalabalak (

Jugoton Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, SR Croatia. History Jugoton was formed in 1947. It is notable for releasing some of the most important former Yugoslav pop and rock records ...

, 1983) *'' Tangenta'' (Jugoton, 1984) *''Zvučni zid'' (Jugoton, 1986) *'' Kao kakao'' (Jugoton, 1987) *''

Putujemo Leb i sol ( mk, Леб и сол) is a Macedonian and former Yugoslav rock group founded in the 1970s by Vlatko Stefanovski (guitar), Bodan Arsovski (bass guitar), Nikola Kokan Dimuševski ( keyboards) and Garabet Tavitjan ( drums). Tavitjan ...

'' (Jugoton, 1989) *''Live Anthology -- Live in Kragujevac'' (1990) *''Live in New York''—CD/cassette (1991) *''Anthology''—Double CD compilation (1995) *''Live in Macedonia''—CD/DVD (2006) *''I taka nataka''—CD ( Hammer production, 2008)

External links

Bodan Arsovski websiteNikola Dimuševski website
{{Authority control Macedonian rock music groups Macedonian jazz-rock groups Macedonian progressive rock groups Yugoslav rock music groups Yugoslav jazz-rock groups Yugoslav progressive rock groups