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Goran Bregović just released his new album: Alkohol: Sljivovica & Champagne; that’s two albums in one.

The Alkohol project was originally set to be released in 3 albums, but that idea changed later and now we have the first two parts, with a third one planned for March 2009.

Back in April, when Bregović came to México, in the middle of his concert he said something like this:

I’d like to sing a little traditional old song that I like to sing when I drink. It’s one old drinking song from First World War, from artillery. So, I know you have lots of drinking songs, but we can learn others.

Then he sang (and the band played) Jeremija (I used to think the name of that song was Artilleria).

During that visit he also said in an interview to a news reporter that he doesn’t drink (much), and his family has a history of problems related to alcoholism, but music in his country is best played while drinking.

According to Bregović’s website, Alkohol was recorded live in Guca in 2007:

Guca is a small town in Serbia of maybe 20.000 inhabitants that holds an annual contest of brass bands in August and swells to 150.000 people who under tents drink, eat grilled meat and sour-kraut the Serbian way and drink and listen to the music and drink again for three days…. which explains the title.

You can buy the album here from Yu4You. Also, Amazon France is listing it with a delivery date for January 2009. I think Amazon US may be listing it by January too.

If you can’t wait, there’s some rar in RapidShare, but don’t forget to buy the original when it’s available in your preferred music store.

Služio sam stari kadar, artiljerija….

Veni Markovsky wrote a very emotive story about Goran Bregović’s concerts in New York City; you can read it here, and if you can read bulgarian (not my case) here is another one.

He also has some pictures of both concerts on his Flickr stream.

These are the first public appearances of Goran since the accident and surgery he suffered last month. Good to know he is in good shape.

From Goran’s website:

For those who heard about Goran Bregovic’s accident and worried…

Please DON’T WORRY.

Goran’s legendary good luck has protected him again and some time second week of July Goran should be on stage again -apologies to the audience of nine cancelled concerts between June 20 and July 7.

(He has also solemnly promised to give up climbing cherry trees)

Goran has asked us to sincerely thank all those who have written and wished him well.

Via Goran’s official website.

Last friday AFP reported Goran Bregović had an accident: He fell from a tree while picking cherries; he was at his home in Belgrade, and was admitted in the emergency area of a local hospital with a severe injury on his spine (a broken vertebrae).

The good news is he is in the way to full recovery; we have the word of one close friend of him, who sent this message to the manager of a fan group:

Goran hopes to stand and walk today - it should be OK in the next weeks.

Maesto Bregović, get well soon. Here in México (and in many places around the globe) we hope to see you soon again, playing and singing as always.

Thanks for the information, Oscar Miklos.

UPDATE (23/06/08): Today I received a message from Goran’s manager, who told me:

Goran is getting better every day… Hopefully we resume concert activities from July 8.

Great news.

What a great concert performed by Goran Bregović and his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra on last saturday in the México City Theatre.

Just a few people stayed in their seats, most of the public was singing and dancing in the corridors of the hall. Goran is a great musician, and a great entertainer; he and the vocalist and drummer Alen were smiling the entire concert, and all the band was playing continuously.

They opened with a scherzo, in which the public hears some notes from one brass instrument in the back, and then a second one joins. When you can see the musicians, they are playing while walking to the scenery.

This was the program for the night:

• TDV (The scherzo)
• Uvertira (Karmen)
• Gas-gas (Karmen)
• Ausencia (Underground)
• Maki maki (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals)
• Borino oro (Time of the gypsies)
• Mashala (Karmen)
• Svadba (Karmen; I though this song’s name was Bijav)
• So nevo si (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals)
• Wedding cocek (Underground)
• Sex (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals; the program states this song, but I didn’t hear it)
• Ne siam kurve tuke sijam prostitutke (Karmen)
• Aven Ivenda (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals)
• Koferi (Karmen)
• Ringe ringe raja (Underground; in the program this song was named “Twist”)
• Prawo do Lewego (Originally he sings this song in duet with the polish singer Kaya)
• In the deathcar (Arizona dream; this is a very nice adaptation in which Goran sings, Alen follows with a rythmic low percussion and Bokan Stankovic -I think- plays trumpet, replacing the mandolins from Iggy-Pop’s version)
• Ederlezi (Time of the gypsies)
• Mesecina (Underground)

Then all the band left the scene, but came back after the public didn’t stop asking for more. They closed with Kalasnjikov; here’s a video taken by someone who went to the first concert, the one performed on friday 18 (saturday concert was very similar):

It was impossible for me to take pictures or video (there was a guy asking everybody to shut off their cameras and cellphones), but I used my camera to record some songs.

Enjoy them!

• Mesecina
• Cajesukarije cocek

UPDATE: I’ve just added a post about this trip to Mexico City on my family blog.

I’ll have the chance to be in a Goran Bregović concert for the second time: The first time was when he and his Wedding and Funeral Band came to Monterrey for the Universal Forum of Cultures, back in September 2007, and that was the best concert I’ve been ever.

Well, Mr. Bregović and his band will perform in México City on april 19 (he almost make it for my birthday!), and Daya and me will be there. My good friends Daniela, Victor and Nathan will come too.

For those of you who haven’t heard Bregović’s music before, I can tell you he is best known for his soundtracks for movies like Underground, Arizona Dream and Queen Margot, although he has some very good albums not made for films. His music has gypsy instrumentation, and the energy of the Balkans.

Here’s the video of Kalasnjikov; this song is usually the encore on his concerts.