Ivan Tucakov & Tambura Rasa (BC)

“As the globe stresses and strains along artificially drawn borders, Ivan Tucakov and Tambura Rasa pick up the musical threads that bind us all and weave them into a tapestry of discovery and delight.”
– Cal Koat – World Beats Radio Canada

Tambura Rasa is an eclectic assembly of performers and cultures from all corners of the globe. The group incorporates sounds and dances from the Balkans, Spain, Turkey, the Middle East, and beyond. Along the way, they’ve become BC’s favorite caravan of vivacious globalistas, filling everything from intimate soft-seat theatres to large dance-filled festivals bringing joy, vigor, and dance to the world around them.

The band is led by composer-guitarist Ivan Tucakov. Of Serbo-Croatian descent, Ivan was born in Belgrade, spent the first eight years of his childhood on the plains of central Turkey, then moved back to Serbia. Over the years since, he traveled extensively in pursuit of artistic inspiration. Since moving to Vancouver, he formed the Tambura Rasa collective with the aim of expanding the boundaries of world-fusion music.

The ensemble has released six collections of original compositions, the latest, Ambada, in late 2014.

Close your eyes and take a journey across cultures. “More than just world music, this is positively global in its reach, with flamenco and Middle-Eastern music fusing with Balkan, gypsy and Afro-Latin, all performed with great skill and verve” (The Province)