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  | EYOT ~ QUINDECENNIAL
NEU KLANG 4285 (Barcode: 4012116428537) ~ SERBIA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2011 - 2023 Released: 2023
This is a live album by Serbian quartet EyotFind albums by this artist, which comprises of pianist Dejan IlijicFind albums by this artist, guitarist Sladjan MilenovicFind albums by this artist, bassist Marko StojiljkovicFind albums by this artist and drummer Milos VojvodicFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents sixteen tracks, recorded between 2011 and 2023 in many locations literally around the world, and as the title suggests, celebrates the 15th anniversary of the band’s activity. All the music was composed by Ilijic.
Eyot hail from the Serbian city of Niš, where I had the pleasure to meet them during the incredible Nišville Jazz Festival last August, and we had an opportunity to talk about music and life, as usual in such occasions. They recorded five studio albums between 2010 and 2020, which I have not had the opportunity to hear yet, but this live album seems to be a great overview of their music.
The music obviously evolved over time, but it offers some characteristic, which seem to be a steady framework, like the dedication to deep melody contents, a slow, almost hypnotic development of the tunes, the nearly completely acoustic sound, even in the presence of the electric guitar, and a deep melancholy, which seems to underlay their music at all time, probably connected to the folkloristic roots, which are clearly audible beneath the compositional layer. At times the music sounds like a mantra, a prayer and an invitation to a journey into the unknown.
Although the band might have flirted with Rock, or rather Progressive Rock and Fusion at the early stages of their activity, none of the flaws of these genres seem to be present in their music today, and it is completely devoid of the repetitious instrumental doodling, as their music is constantly alive and evolving. And of course it is quite unique and interesting, and as such worth exploring. I am looking forward to an opportunity to hear them perform live, as well as hear the rest of their albums.
Overall, this is an interesting and quite unusual piece of music, arriving from a country which music deserves to be discovered and might pleasantly surprise many listeners. Well done!
| | Updated: 08/09/2026Posted: 08/09/2026 | CD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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