(1966) Nada Jovic & Dusko Goykovich Quintet - Take Me In Your Arms *

With: Nada Jovic (vocals), Dusko Goykovich (trumpet), Eddie Busnello (alto saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Peter Trunk (bass), Cees See (drums)
Record date: September, 1966

Singer, performer and dancer Nada Jovic was born in Belgrade in the 1930’s. After receiving a scholarship she went to Vienna where she became an allround performer. She could dance and sing. In the 1950’s she moved again, this time to Canada where she supposedly still lives. Nada wrote the music in New York City and went to Cologne to record it. When Mal and Goykovich lived in Cologne they teamed up regularly together and played gigs everywhere in the city. They were a pretty logical choice for Jovic to record with.

This music is….. just plain awful. It really sounds like the music from some burlesque show in the 1930’s for the enjoyment of some horny army men but it has not a lot to do with music in a creative sense. It’s mostly suited for in a theater or cabaret and there is zero space for any of the musicians to create something interesting. Even Goykovich’s arrangements sound old fashioned and pretty lame. Jovic’ voice then… well she could hold a note let’s say that. But it does not sound very nice. There is no feeling, timbre or any creativity. Only a pretty thick accent. Fortunately with only 23 minutes of playing time all goes by pretty fast. And that really is for the better.

British label Cosmic Sounds released this posthumously. In the liner notes they state that Jovic had recorded quite some music but ‘for some strange reason’ nothing of it was ever released. Well, I think I know why. This is a record you could easily skip without missing a thing.