Album Notes

Stay AwhileSongs and Music from the Balkans and Beyond

Téa Hodˇzic's startling and evocative voice has enchanted audiences from the London's South Bank to Sarajevo. In her new trio Téa explores the songs of her homeland, the former Yugoslavia, and its bordering countries. This music is pure emotion, and with dazzling musicians Oliver Wilson-Dickson on violin and Luke Carver Goss on accordion, a few instrumental fireworks are inevitable!

Since her move from Bosnia and Herzegovina some years ago Téa Hodžic has become something of a fixture on the increasingly lively UK Balkan music scene, as one of the singers of the London-based band Szapora. On this, her first solo project, she is joined by two of her bandmates, accordionist-guitarist Luke Carver Goss and violinist Oliver Wilson-Dickson, both experienced musicians with a solid grasp of the region’s music and a thoughtful, cleanly played approach to it. Hodžic herself has a dark, relatively deep but flexible voice (perhaps a little less prominent in the mix than it could have been), and she contributes some effective guitar as well.
The songs by and large hail from the southern areas of the former Yugoslavia and are given a gentle performance with slightly old-fashioned modal harmonisation, which suits such lovely songs as ‘Zar Ja Nemam Ruse Kose’ or ‘Otvori Mi, Belo Lenče’ far better than some of the flashier versions. There’s also an understated performance of a Bulgarian râčenica dance, and the title-track is a sinuous Hodžic/Wilson-Dickson composition. A couple of spicier Roma pieces leaven the mix, although to my mind the group is at its best in the more contemplative songs of southern Serbia, notably the hushed suspense of the gorgeous ‘Zal Za Mladost’, while the CD as a whole is deceptively simple and needs a couple of hearings to fully appreciate its emotional depth. And I don’t mind admitting that a couple of performances brought me to the edge of tears.
Kim Burton, Songlines 'Top of The World' 4*

Originally from Sarajevo, the husky-voiced singer Tea Hodzic has been resident in the UK for nearly 20 years and performed with her sister Mirella Hodzic in the excellent Balkan-style group Szapora. But this slimmed-down trio project gives a close focus to the Serbian, Bosnian and Gypsy songs that are at the heart of Tea Hodzic’s repertoire. There’s a dark and haunting beauty to this music and it’s carried well by instrumentalists Oliver Wilson-Dickson on violin and Luke Carver Goss on accordion. The catchy title track is newly composed by Hodzic in a Macedonian rhythm with English words. There’s a nostalgia here for a world that’s far-away, or even lost forever, but no sentimentality. The Tea Hodzic Trio deserve every success.
Simon Broughton, London Evening Standard 4*

'Her voice haunted me for the rest of the day...' Clive Davies, The Times
The Téa Hodˇzic Trio create music that is intimate, passionate and irresistible...

CD Stay Awhileout now Taith Records TRCD0005

Téa Hodˇzic was born in Sarejevo where she appeared frequently on television and radio and collaborated with, amongst others, the National Theatre and fellow Bosnian Goran Bregovic.
She moved to the UK in 1989 where she joined the Balkan super-group Szapora and has played everywhere from Womad to Buckingham Palace.

Luke Carver Goss is a multi-instrumentalist whose music has featured on the ITV’s South Bank Show, BBC Radio 3, and has been performed by BBC NOW.

Oliver Wilson-Dickson plays with Mabon, Szapora and Daniel Morden, and has appeared everywhere from BBC television and radio to on-stage at the RSC.

teahodzictrio.co.uk
taithrecords.co.uk