"Ciganska Noć" by Nada Knežević (1961)

Serbian singer Nada Knežević enjoyed great reputation as the most prominent female Jazz singer in post-WW2 Yugoslavia and I even remember my parents praising her as one of the best vocalists around. Unfortunately, local Jazz scene had fairly limited appeal and majority of musicians often switched gears and ventured in pop music - perfect example is backing vocal group, excellent Vokalni Ansambl Predraga Ivanovića utilised here as anonymous studio quartet. 

For a while in the early 1960s, Serbian PGP RTB was actually leading recording company (along with Jugoton based in Zagreb) and they have released some truly magnificent pop albums, this one being one of them - impeccably produced and arranged, they are all without exception fascinating glimpse in a than current pop scene where locals tried their best to emulate high standards of international production. Foreigners might consider this exotic world "behind Iron Curtain" but artists were generally inspired and no less talented compared to their international counterparts - if not for geographical accident, its easy to imagine someone like Knežević performing on the stage of than very popular San Remo. 

The only problem I have with this album is that is very tame - probably reflection of the times, when all these singers were taught to be extremely undistinguishable from each other and as festival compilations can attest, strict juries that controlled who can appear on radio/TV/festivals guarded and restricted any individuality. God forbid that anybody sticked out too much from the mainstream, that was not allowed. So the whole generation of pop pioneers sounded as cloned cookie cutters, bland and non-threatening. It took one more decade until in the 1970s artists were allowed to be idiosyncratic and particular. 

Sadly, there is no trace of Jazz here - Knežević enraptured her concert audiences with capable renditions of songs by Ella or Sarah, but in recording studio her output was limited to lightweight pop music that harked back at previous decade. Judging by this album, the only genuine album she have ever released (not counting two compilations), lady was a capable pop singer with a nice, chirpy and crooning voice but ditties like "Davy Crocket" or covers of Italian, French and American hits don't really point at particular connection to Jazz. My guess is that she thrived on live concerts but was sadly underused in recording studios.