Reviews

Algier (25.05.2004 Media Presse German ambassy in Alger)

May 21, the famous star Mohamed Réda occured at the international Festival in Algier a concert of jazz accompanied by musicians by world fame of the Berliner scene of jazz.


"Mohamed Réda and friends" is the project of jazz music fusion, mixing universal musical styles. He will be also accompanied by the Albanian singer, Eda Zari. She belongs to the family Lela, one of the most famous dynasties of the taditionall Albanian music which preserves and interprets with the wire of the centuries, the popular music of Albania.

Living in Düsseldorf, Eda Zari is the official culture ambassador of its country international. She is considered as an excellent artist whose mission exceptionally consists to combine between ancian and the modern one.

Viena –Austria (20 april 2004) Magazine – “Concerto”.

" Jazz divas of Balkan"

Eda Zari is on the best way to become the Albanerin most famous beside Mother Theresa. The Albanian government gave the Jazzdiva even the symbolic title "Cultur ambassador of Albania". Music journalists do not become tired, praising of her optical attractions. With so much culture -political overloading and glamour however, with elegant and professionality Eda Zari contributes to Albanian music and also the "Balkan Jazz" for keeping that music inside of the international scenes. So archaisch the Albanian society also today still or now again seem likes, it had a rich, fascinating music tradition with a complicated polyphone singing, and ISO in such a way specified, comparably only the Georgiens as well as Korsikas and Sardiniens, and a distinct clarinet style.

The singer Eda Zari comes from the famous musician dynasty Lela Dé Permet from Tirana and studied in Germany classical period and jazz. With diverese influences & knowledges she turned back to the rouds and hauchte the old songs new life in. Tradition and modernity flow thereby completely unpretentiously and almost inconspicuously into one another. Someone, which does not know around the traditional influences, these would be noticeable with difficulty. They are omnipraesent nevertheless. The jazz lines of their German Combo weave themselves unsolvably with the traditional clarinet and singing improvisations of its relatives. Outstanding also the Moroccan Percussionist Rani Krija ( at present playing by STING Band). With her trance- soulvoice succeeds Eda Zari a particularly mondaener Ethnojazz. She would resume the tradition of the Lela Dé Permets, by jumping over equal a few dozens of historical deelopment. An inestimable stroke of luck for the Albanian music, in addition, for "Balkan Fever", to have this Diva for the first time in Vienna as a special guest, where she will give one of the exotic concerts of the Festivals with full troop - jazz musicians and traditional musicians from Tirana.

News Paper „Tema“ (March 2004 from Dhurata Hamzai)
The realisation of “Albanian Culture week “ a great initiative of Eda Zari .
Albania presents some of her most famose artists & intelectual : premier in Düsseldorf-Germany

“The new spirit of the generation of miss Zari is nessesary for a country as Albania.
This generation will be back soon at the homeland.vEda Zari is an official ambassador of Albania ....according to her initiative (who was greatly supported from the Albanien Ambassy with ambassador Mr.Gazmend Turdiu in Berlin, from German Culture Ministry of NRW with Minister Mr.Michael Vesper, and also from other important culture institutions of Capital city of NRW –Düsseldorf) Albania has open “the doors” to make eachone get to know her closer then ever....building bridges between german & albanian cultures, finding a near dialog that will make for both countrys possible to break all the old and strange clichés over Albania...

This week was a real manifest of Albanian culture which had a great resonance from german public and also from the german media which accompanyed the days of film, albanian music night & art with special interest..”

Westfaelische Zeitung Bielefeld 07.07.2003 - Peter Fliegel

Strong, sadly and beautifully: Concert of the top class with the Albanian singer Eda Zari.

“One is for certain:
who goes to a concert from Eda Zari and turn back home, heard marvelous music , danced, dreamed, cried and laughed. And that has a completely simple reason:

Eda Zari and her five musicians sing and do not play evenly not with the sterile perfection, which one so often meets in this business. Here six musicians stand on the stage, makeing really together music, with most different styles , who understand also to make from all this mixing completely their own music. These musicians can play simply everything, fat ramming skirt, playfull jazz, heart-moving Ballads and simple, traditional melodies from Albania. And Eda Zari has a tremendous range, which does not place her however vainly to the show in its singing, but begins always exactly at the right momennts that each individual song need. And she has an enormous operational readiness level, when she sings,with a refreshing modesty, when she turns between the Songs to the public.

One could pull the well-known drawers now and describe all this with the usual plates. But we rather turn to the individual musicians. The pianist sounds very jazzy, the drummer rockt and hammers, the Percussionist holds with African rhythms against it, the clarinetist plays with a marvelously soft sound and the bassist does too, what a bassist can do best: they stands concentrated and gives the music whole pulsating heart impact. And over all Eda Zaris voice floats. And that out these varieties a whole becomes, because of the fact that everyone listens to the other one and changes easy the style, if that is necessary. And it´s much improvised, times propel themselves the two drummerr mutually, the pianist plays in dialog with them in a diagonal art, even Eda Zari is surprised, the clarinetis kidnaps one to another world and the bassist points times evenly, what in such a way one can play on a bass everything. One notices simply that these musicians stand together on the stage, because it makes joy for them. And this joy sloshes from the stage into the hall, for example, if Eda Zari accompanies, only from the clarinet, a completely simple beautiful melody ... And suddenly one hears a second voice behind itself, turns and sees an woman, who recognizes obviously a melody from its homeland again and along-sings moved. ..... And one believes it to her on the word, because one learns another side of this large artist . Zari is friendly, unobstrusively, told with large attention of her musicians, of the joy to make from the different musical elements something own: a woman, who goes their way, concentrates and self-confidently, who does not make herself also much from criticisms.

She reads nearly no criticisms...: she says , finally she stands since for its fourth year on the stage, so she is her best and hardest criticer. And that is well like that. The unmistakable music and the affecting singing of Eda Zari are not the result of any producers and PR strategies. That comes from the soul and the experience for many years.One goes gratefully and fulfilled home and hopes that it will come soon again an opportunity to hear this voice in Bielefeld. Who missed it, can get more information over her homepage and get to experience this art (www.eda zari.com) one should do it also urgently.

German News Paper “ Rheinische Post” ( 3.03.2004 –Düsseldorf)

On the European map the Republic of Albania is so far a rather "weisser Fleck".
In recent past above all negative messages coined/shaped the picture of the country. Thus the desire developed to show other Albania. And the mainspring was Eda Zari, official culture ambassador of their country.

West Europeans think at the most of desperate refugees or "Banden" of Kosovo Albanians. Before this background the desire developed to show other Albania. For the first time a Festival dedicates itself to the culture life of the country in Germany. From 9 to 13 March the "Albanischen culture days in Duesseldorf" present; Musician, writer and films from the Balkans state. Albania, a mountainous country at the westadriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula, borders in the northwest on Montenegro, in the east on Serbia and Macedonia, in the south on Greece. Albania, whose capital is Tirana, counts approximately 3.5 million inhabitant. Although richly at historical certifications, its own Albanian culture developed only in 19. Century. It was expression of awaking national consciousness and was directed against the osmans rule. In recent past above all negative messages shaped the picture of the country. Thus the desire developed to show other Albania. And the mainspring was Eda Zari, official culture ambassador of their country, in addition, even artist with domicile in Duesseldorf. View of other Albania five days exists now the possibility of looking on a country which knows someone in the rest of Europe hardly, applies to discover the Albanian culture in their different facets and set themselves with it apart. And for all Albanian - there is nevertheless approximately 30,000 -, living in Duesseldorf and the region, the opportunity is offered to meet the culture of its country again. The meeting program is opened on 9 March in the palace Wittgenstein with an author reading. To guest is Ismail Kadare, one of the most well-known writers of the country, whose novels were translated into more than 30 languages. They read from Kadares novel "Der palace of the Traeume" and speak about the work. More "Adler fly alone. Once Tirana and back... ". One week long was the artist and art historian Dr. Johannes on the Lake in Albania. This travel was inspired among other things by unorthodox handling art in the public area, like Edi Rama, which is screen end artist and mayor von Tirana, operates. A further author reading follows on 11 March in Heinrich Heine Heinrich-Heine-Institut: The writer Fatos Kongoli and the translator and interpreter Joachim Roehm present "Die Albanian Braut" to Kongolis novel.
An Albanian film night is ordered on 12 March clock in the Metropol cinema. There are shown contributions, which of the beginnings of independent Albania in the year 1912 into the present rich and reflect which history and society of Albania. With one "Albanian Music Night" end the culture days on 13 March in the concert hall. In the center is located the offical culture of Albania singer Eda Zari, which connects traditional folklore and modern jazz in its music in completely independent way. For its appearance in the concert hall Filharmony in Duesseldorf guests" it as "special; among other are the musician dynasty "Lela Dé Permet" invited, which ranks among the most famous representatives of the traditional Albanian Polyphonie.

From the Discover Music Magazine, November 2002 (Peter Backof) : Review of CD "Statement"
Eda Zari has revealed the fair and musically attractive side of Albania, a country known primarily for its political catastrophes. The musical traditions of this country are combined here with current trends in international music to form an exciting mixture of danceable rhythms of excellence. The high quality of the CD is also guaranteed by her band, composed of members of the legendary Albanian Lela Dé Permet Family. Eda Zari is a superstar in her country and, now, with the support of Deutsche Welle, she is venturing onto the international market. We can do nothing but wish her success. After all, she has added a new and fascinating element to the global beat which is in fashion around the globe, and one which enthrals you from the very start. She combines her casual swing and love of syncope with an explosive mixture of North African Rai music, Balkan funk, jazz with a gypsy touch, reggae, salsa, dance floor jazz and the typically hypnotic melodies of Albania. And the language she sings in is more than melodic. It is exotic and captivating.

Radio Multikulti (German Boadcasting), Funkhaus Europa, 17 December 2002 : Review of CD "Statement"
Eda Zari is the cultural ambassador of Albania and is a celebrated superstar in her country. With “Statement,” her first album on the Intuition label, she promotes in song and composition, the culture of her people who, after all the news clips of desperate refugees washed up on the coast of Italy, is usually forgotten. This is where Eda Zari comes in. In “Statement” she combines all the diversity and beauty of Albanian music to form a fascinating product of living musical culture. Aside from one of the best known Albanian musical dynasties, the Lela Dé Permet Family, other international musicians have contributed to the success of “Statement,” too. Among them are the well-known percussionist Abdel Rhani Krija from Morocco, the talented pianist Hans Lüdemann and the arranger Mark Joggerst. The title of Eda Zari’s album has a significance of its own: she wants to draw particular attention to Albania, which has been little known as a country of music up to now. And she has succeeded in this with her new impassionate World Pop CD.

Deutschland Radio (German Boadcasting), 12.12.2002 (Gottfried Brückner) : Review of CD "Statement"
Who is Eda Zari? Just have a look at the cover! You realize immediately that this woman is a real cultural ambassador of Albania and that she makes exciting and vital music. She sings, writes the texts and composes herself. And now she has issued her first album on the Intuition label. Category? How about World Pop?

Yes, her songs are catchy but the reality behind them is much more refined. Even in the songs that Eda Zari sings in English, there are subtle elements of traditional Albanian music woven in. She has made this album something special, in particular with the contributions of the legendary Albanian music family, the Lela Dé Permet Family, especially the clarinetist Vladimir Gica, her co-composer, co-arranger and pianist Mark Joggerst.

Eda Zari is particularly intent on drawing attention to Albania which has been little known as a nation of music up to now. There can be no doubt that she has succeeded in this, in close co-operation with the Albanian language service of Deutsche Welle. Her songs, many of which were inspired by the memory of places and people in her native country, betray casual intensity and passion which exceed the norm in World Pop music.

Eda Zari is a singer who simply must be discovered!

From the internacional magazine Ekskluzive (publ. in USA, Australia, Germany, Austria) January 2002, p. 118-119. (from S.Gashi & R.Elsie )
THE FAME OF AN ALBANIAN JAZZ SINGER IN GERMANY
The talented singer Eda Zari has been attracting public attention in Germany and Europe for years now. She has become a synonym for authentic value and is a worthy representative of our culture.
For years on end, an Albanian singer has been singing and making a name for herself, especially in the field of jazz, in Germany (Düsseldorf), far from the eyes of the Albanian public.
Eda Zari comes from Albania. She studied at the Musikhochschule in Cologne and is now known by the German public, in particular by jazz fans. At the same time, she is not unknown to the Albanian public, neither in Albania nor in Kosova. At the beginning of this year, she performed several times on Albanian television channels. One performance on Albanian Radio and Television (RTSh) was rebroadcast on Kosova Radio and Television (RTK). She has revived memories in a number of concerts for the Albanian community in the United States and is currently preparing new compositions for her music, with texts in Albanian and English which she intends to present to the public in Kosova, too.

"I probably absorbed music while I was still in the womb." This is how Eda Zari put it when speaking about the beginnings of her journey to the world of music. It was perhaps fate, but perhaps also the fact that she was born in the Lela family from Përmet, a family which has preserved music and Albanian folklore traditions for generations. Elements of this tradition can often be heard in the melodies of the songs composed by Eda Zari.

To be successful in a competitive society and to be able to develop your talent in a country like Germany nowadays, you need effort, work and talent. Anyone who is able to prove his or her talent in front of the public here has put in a lot of hard work and effort. Eda Zari most certainly has anyway.
The texts of the CD which will soon be in the hands of the Albanian public are peaceful compositions. They speak of human beings, their relations, love, solitude, searching, meetings and friendship between people in the course of their lives. They are the subjects which have been preoccupying human beings since the beginning of time. For Eda Zari it is quite normal to integrate old songs from Albanian oral lyrics into her repertoire, in particular songs which focus on these issues. But the problems of recent years are also omnipresent in her texts, especially when she sings of solitude and loneliness in Albanian society, and of orphans. There are orphans throughout Albania, people who are unemployed or abandoned by society, and genuine orphans who lost their loved ones or parents in the tragic events of 1996-1997. Kosova, which has just emerged from a war, has enough orphans, and so have the Albanian settlements in Macedonia. But the contents of Eda Zari's texts go far beyond national borders and deal with problems of a global nature. The fact that she sings both in Albanian and English shows that she is speaking out to the Albanian public, but also to the world at large. Our people must be particularly strong, especially whose who are dependant on assistance. Her songs speak of a God out there somewhere.
Eda Zari is not Mother Teresa, nor is she interested in any such comparisons. Using the tool she knows best, music, she endeavours to create an awareness which helps us overcome the narrow confines of the Albanian world, but at the same time which reveals to the world our nation's wealth. They are old songs with new rhythms and melodies which revive memories and pave new roads in Albanian music towards Europe. After all, the Albanians are one of the many peoples on the European continent. Seen within this context, her music is not limited to the Albanian public or to the European public for that matter, but, with its sounds and melodies, it can be appreciated by all those who listen to it. Eda Zari describes her music as a multicultural voice with an Albanian component. Perhaps the Albanians will enter Europe politically, too, by bringing their own particular component with them. Communication between human beings, such as it is expressed in the music of Eda Zari, is not only possible but also a delight, a satisfaction for the public at large beyond the limits of the wall surrounding one particular and solitary culture.

From Die Welt am Sonntag, 16 September 2001 (Andreas Fasel)
PORTRAIT: LOVELY EDA TAKES OVER IN THE POP SCENE
SHE IS THE VOICE OF HER NATION.
How for God's sake can you ask a singer where the rustle in her voice comes from? Maybe this way: Ms Zari, why are you hoarse? Would she reply? Or would she simply sip at her mineral water, stroke the black curls of hair at the back of her neck, and then, without a word or a glance, get up and go away?

Eda Zari and Albania - it's a beautiful fairy tale, and at the same time one full of contradictions and sorrow, the tale of a singer who left Tirana when she was 18. She made it to Düsseldorf and studied singing at the Musikhochschule in Cologne. She specialized as a coloratura soprano, but this was never really her field. She was not made to spend her life on stage in operas. She realized this from the start. "But," as this daughter of a family of musicians notes, "I always knew I wanted to be a singer, and if possible a good one, a famous one."

Who has heard of Eda Zari? Those who attend jazz and world music festivals will remember a performer of melancholic ballads who has travelled around for years with a number of bands. They will also remember the performer who has succeeded in combining graceful oriental melodies with drum and brass rhythms. To put it briefly, Eda Zari is a genuine tip in Germany. In the last few months, she has become a super star in her native Albania. It all began when she was selected to compose and sing for the Albanian pavilion at Expo, the world's fair. In February 2001, the Albanian political magazine Klan gave her the title page: "Të çmendur për Edën" (Crazy for Eda). "Come back to Albania," the magazine demanded. In support of the demand, so to speak, Eda was received by the President of Albania, Rexhep Kemal Mejdani, who made her the cultural ambassador of his country. "It was a great feeling," she said. But good feelings can throw your emotional balance out of keel.

For ten years, she had not thought once of returning to her homeland where her brother had been shot in 1990, to the city where she was forced to give up the music academy because her whole family had fallen into political disgrace. But Eda Zari managed to retain her self-esteem in a typically Albanian way, as she says. "When we find out how other people manage to be successful, we copy the method and expand it."

Three years ago, she proved that the "Albanian method" could work. The twenty-six year_old was invited with her band to perform at the jazz festival in Bilbao. Eda performed on stage there in front of tens of thousands of people. The piano had begun beating the time when she sighed into the microphone with the first syllables of "You don't know what love is." And when she was finished and the final music and heavy breathing were over, "the audience was completely silent for a few second." And then came the thunderous applause. Not only that, but also the prize for the "best singer at the festival." "That was the high point," she says. It was also the point at which she began returning to the music of her childhood, to the intricate polyphonic melodies of her homeland and to the syncopated rhythms she remembers from her uncle's clarinet. "I only needed to open the musical treasure box." She has now built these ancient treasures into her new CD "Sailing." Also woven into it are soul and dance floor music and everything else that's hip. And the result: Albania is crazy about Eda and her music.

Should she return? Should she stay here? Should she move to New York? One thing she knows for sure is that she would like to represent Albania at the Grand Prix d'Eurovision de la Chanson. As soon as possible.

From ILLYRIA-The only Albanian - American newspaper , New York, 26.06.2001 (S.Rama)

EDA ZARI, THE JAZZ QUEEN OF ALBANIA: The performance of Eda Zari, the Albanian singer that with right is called from the German music critic as"The Jazz Queen", on the 8-th of June 2001 at the World Trade Center in N.Y city, was for all the audience doubtless the biggest surprise that they ever experienced since long time ago. Her extraordinary magic and fresh voice, with very magnificent deep and warm tunes, shaked & touched each longing heart that from years has beenfaraway from the homeland.
Zari also won immediately the admiration of all the people that really do love the jazz music too.

From the magazine Klan, Tirana, 05.02.2001 (Albana Sala)
The headlines of the magazine: "Eda, an Albanian in Germany" "The Albanian Queen of Jazz". (extracts) :
Exclusive article, portrait of the artiste Eda Zari. " Crazy for Eda" The curious fate of an Albanian soprano who now ranks among the most sought-after artistes. When is the famous singer going to return to Albania? Her career abroad, judging from articles in the press, is admirable. Over the last three years, there have been CDs and prizes at international festivals of classical music, jazz and pop in Germany, Spain and elsewhere, successful concerts in Boston and New York, performances with well-known European musicians like Mike Stern, Perés, Joggerst etc which have not gone unnoticed. When she modestly downplays her disappointment at not being widely known in Albania itself, the public gets more and more curious about the 'indifferent ' lady of jazz. As to the music which she has created, the artistes links it automatically to her origins and cultural identity. Zari: We are a hot-blooded people with fire and temperament, but we are also melancholic, emotional and sensitive. This is the recipe she used to compose the song "Eja" (soundtrack of the Albanian pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover), which was based on the theme of the Albanian pavilion: "from the darkness into the light". It was a combination of a wide range of musical elements and Albanian polyphony in melody and lyrics. In everything she creates, Zari shows the mark of her success which derives from her spiritual ties to Albanian folk music, her roots, origins and the artistic genius she inherited from her family. In defining the style of music she creates and sings, Zari insists: Zari: Most important is the message I want to transmit to the public (both in jazz, pop, soul, and in ethnic and classical music). I want to reach the hearts of the public without making compromises and by being sincere with regard to what I am creating.

From the newspaper Koha Jonë, Tirana, 30.01.2001 (Enton Albilekaj)
The German singer with an Albanian voice (extract):
She left Tirana profoundly disappointed. Now they want her back. Shaken by communism which had done so much damage, this former graduate moved to Düsseldorf in Germany where she has been living for the last eleven years and has embarked upon a successful career ...... her voice is miraculous, this young lady is going to have a future to envy...

From Gazeta Shqiptare, Tirana, 25.02.2001 (Ben Andoni)

President Mejdani turns stars into "ambassadors of the nation" abroad. (From the show "We love Albania all the more" produced by Vera Grabocka)
On 24 February 2001, right after the national show "We love Albania all the more," Eda Zari was honoured by President Mejdani with the title 'Ambassador of the Nation', as were other noted Albanian artistes and figures (such as the great writer Ismail Kadare, the talented violinist Tedi Papavrami, and the soprano Inva Mula). The audience at the Palace of Congresses yesterday was witness to the ceremony in honour of respected representatives of Albanian culture. ...

Eda Zari was extraordinary with her song "You don't know what love is". Ismail Kadare gave a marvellous interview which expressed the feelings of the audience.The performance of Eda Zari showed that Albania, at least in the field of culture, has long been making an important contribution to world culture.

From the newspaper Zëri, Prishtina, Kosova, 22.12.2000 (S. Gashi)
Interview with Eda Zari:
A modern sound and a new rhythm. The portrait of this artist would not be complete without her personal views...
Zëri: What do you think about Albanian music?
Zari: Albanian music is rich, in particular with regard to the diverse treasures of polyphony and folklore in our culture. I think that Albanian composers and artistes can still find enough new elements in this treasure.
Zëri: What can you tell us about Albanian polyphony and folk music and how it is cultivated?
Zari: Music has always been part of Albanian society in every aspect. The treasures of our music have been handed down from one generation to another, for instance the songs with an iso, or in the ancient dances of the north, but in the south, too, with all their wealth of expression. There is a lot of poetry in the polyphonic songs. They also have some of the richest rhythms in Europe, maybe even in the world. This musical treasure house, after all, is four hundred years old.
Zëri: What are the musical foundations of the new album you are working on, which is going to be presented to the Albanian public at home and abroad very soon?
Zari: They are melodies and motifs which were handed down for generations through the family of my mother. It's music from the soul and has given me great inspiration.

A new and daring approach. Most new composers on the Albanian music 'scene' have left traditional values behind them in their production, but this Albanian woman has returned to the roots and sounds of old Albanian music. This is music which will be appreciated, especially at a time when the sources of Albanian art have fallen into decay.

From the newspaper Zëri, Prishtina, Kosova, 21.12.2000 (S. Gashi)
Portrait of the artiste Eda Zari:
Albanian polyphony, the core of the motifs in her music. ... The life and being of this artiste are mirrored in her personality. Zari radiates energy like people on the move all day and who never tire in their work. She is not in a rush, she advances rather without interruption because her work is the essence of music, a music which gives energy and which does not deceive or tire the listener. The melodies of Zari's songs are not tied up in a corset.
She is among the first Albanians to endeavour to make a novel contribution. Her Albanian being evolves in a multicultural projection which allows people to represent their countries and create a new type of music which is intelligible to everyone, independent of their roots.
Zari comes from a family with longstanding ties to polyphony and Albanian music in general. She was not pushed, she acquired
a natural passion for it which has accompanied her to the present day.

Extract from the newspaper Die Rheinpfalz (Dr. Karl-Georg Berg)

...Just imagine Marilyn Monroe with black hair singing for you in a club!
Five first-class musicians provided the atmosphere. The evening could best be described as delightfully laid-back.
The quintessence of erotic expressiveness with a note of melancholy and joie de vivre.
Eda Zari was very effective in adding a touch of frivolity to the music.

Extract from the newspaper WAZ of Gelsenkirchen (T.W., 23 March 2000)
... Catchy melodies and moving rhythms. ...and the singer Eda Zari caught everyone's attention with the warm, voluminous voice and enormous vocal capacities.

Extract from the newspaper BR (No. 257, 06 November 2000)
... room was then made for Eda Zari and the band. In a firm voice, the Albanian singer offered her latest production 'Eja' which she had also presented at the Albanian pavilion of the Worlds Fair in Hanover. Eda Zari had no difficulty entwining her multifarious vocal talents with the sounds of Jesse Millener's keyboard.

Extract from Bonner Anzeige-Zeitung (Paul Robert, 06 November 2000)
FEUILLETON BETWEEN JAZZ AND POP AT BONN'S BEETHOVEN HOUSE
...Eda Zari and the band then performed jazz, soul and ethnic pop. Their repertory consisted exclusively of compositions of their own, many in ambitious arrangements. The group gave convincing evidence of a professional performance and a high standard of music.

Extract from the newspaper NGZ (HDH, 05 September 2000)
AROUND THE WORLD ON THE WINGS OF MUSIC ...
The music of Albanian singer Eda Zari was enough to thrill visitors, too. With her rich and differentiating voice, she added balance and perfection to the seven jass musicians of the band. Whether it was the gentle, almost smoky 'Hope to see you again' or the lively and dynamic 'Dancing in my bed,' the large audience was delighted with the quality of the singer's performance.
The zenith of it all was a dreamy composition called 'Sing the song' in which the rich tones of her voice intertwined with the lonely echo of the piano and the sounds of the other instruments.

Extract from the Rheinische Post (Claudia Danners, 04 September 2000)
The Albanian singer Eda Zari joined the band just before the break to add her expressive voice to the music. She began in soft tones and went from there, in a noble contest with the saxophone and guitar. She reached the high notes with melodious perfection and introduced the deep ones in a discreet and smoky voice.
The 29 year old graduate of singing repeatedly introduced Oriental elements of style in a rich and yet playful manner.

Extract from the newspaper Wuppertaler Zeitung (Frank Becker, 06 March 2000):
THE JAZZ PRIMA DONNA FROM ALBANIA
... then Eda Zari, an orchid among the blossoms of female jazz singing, took the lead with her strong and smooth voice. Western perfection succinctly combined with the melodies and fragrance of the Orient. The title 'Oriental Rose,' composed especially for her (Pretschner), contained it all. Visions of a 'Thousand and One Nights' were called to life in a dialogue with Gabriel Pèrerez (alto saxophone) and his clarinet.
Another impressive duo was 'Without you' with Pretschner at the piano. Eda Zari, a soprano of classical training, possesses not only the timbre of jazz but also the charisma which makes it an true experience. Fullness, strength and sensitivity are the prime elements of her performance.
It is not without reason that LAIKA Records has taken her on as an performer. She will be in New York and Boston for recording sessions in early April, but will nonetheless continue to work as a guest for the Wuppertal studios 'Greenhouse Music.' One of her song is called 'Hope to see you again' and we certainly agree with that.