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A passion and genuine love for Croatian tambura music served as
the genesis for Boduli. Five guys from Chicago and one from L.A.
came together with more heart than technical skills or band marketing
savvy, and delivered the sounds of their Croatian heritage and her
native instruments to anyone who would listen. That was 1991.
Fast forward almost a decade. One more band member and three albums
later, Boduli has endured to become one of America's best tambura
bands. From New York to Los Angeles, Boduli has traveled the country
playing traditional tambura music as well as the more modern sounds
of tambura, which incorporate drums and guitar. The group has performed
for weddings, banquets, graduation parties, festivals, church, christenings,
funerals, and fund-raisers benefiting Croatia when she was engaged
in war.
Traditionally, tambura has a sweet, melodic sound. Tambura originated
in an area of Croatia known as Slavonia. As people started to settle
in different parts of the country they brought the music with them,
which is why we have tambura music in places like Zagorje, Lika,
and Zagreb. Although still anchored by the traditional instruments--bas
prim, bisernica, berde, cello, and kontra-- tambura music has evolved
and invokes Latin and rock 'n' roll rhythms. Boduli is embracing
the evolution with infusions of the distinct sounds of guitar and
drums in songs written by the band members themselves. Following
the lead of popular tambura bands in Croatia, such as Gazde and
Sarmeri, the newer version of tambura music hopes to get young people
hooked.
A somewhat unusual name for a tambura band, Boduli means islanders.
They chose their name based on the area of Croatia from where their
families hail-Dalmacija, which has more than 1,000 islands on its
coast.
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