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This band performs music that owes its origins to gypsy music and café life in Bosnia before the 90s Yugoslav wars. In the city of Mostar during this period there was a popular musical form, sevdalinka, which was heavily influenced by Turkish traditions. After the war, the musicians were reunited in 1998 by band founder Dragi Sesti and have developed concepts rooted in the distant past, but which bear witness to the regions recent problems. The musicians include Illijaz Delic (vocals), Mustafa Santic (accordion/clarinet), Nedjo Kovacevic (violin) and Miso Petrovic (guitar). The band has performed and sometimes recorded with Saban Bajramovic, Ljiljana Buttler and Esma Redzepova. Mostar Sevdah Reunion recreates traditional music dating back several centuries. Rooted in the arduous history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the core of sevdah is filled with melancholy and reflects the tumultuous times through which the people of the regions have struggled. The band has appeared in the films Mostar Sevdah Reunion (2000) and Sevdah, The Bridge That Survived (2005). Venues at which the band has appeared include the Amsterdam Roots Festival, Belgium’s Sfinks Festival and the Nice Jazz Festival. In the early 00s they visited Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, appearing at London’s Barbican Centre.

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