Legendary guitarist, songwriter and singer Nikola Čuturilo Čutura has released the single and music video “Đango”, the second track previewing his upcoming chamber album “10 na 3, 4”, recorded with pianist Ivan Aleksijević Pančevac. The album will be released on vinyl, CD and digital platforms by the record label Long Play.
The new single is Čutura’s personal tribute to the celebrated Belgian guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt (1910–1953), a pioneer of gypsy jazz. It opens the album and is also the only entirely new song on the record.
“The story of the legendary Django came about spontaneously, from the melody itself,” Čutura explains, adding: “I had been playing it as an instrumental piece for years, never imagining it would ever have lyrics. When I eventually decided to sing it, all I had to do was bring to life the verses that had emerged on their own, subtly hidden within the melody.”
The new album “10 na 3, 4” marks a distinctive new chapter in Čutura’s prolific career. Alongside “Đango”, it features nine previously released or performed songs in new arrangements. Written at different stages of his career, some were originally composed for other artists, others for television series, while several were recorded by Čutura himself. None, however, made it onto his regular studio albums. They now appear in stripped-down, intimate versions featuring nothing but voice, piano and guitar.
The first video single announcing the album was a new version of Riblja čorba’s song “Crvena su dugmad pritisnuta”.
Čutura also offers a straightforward explanation of the album’s title, “10 na 3, 4”: “It’s very simple. There are 10 tracks, and we got ready to play them ‘on three, four’. There’s no overdubbing. They were played and sung in one take, in a single recording session lasting seven or eight hours. We were simply looking for the right, good take. It’s the fastest album I’ve ever recorded.”
The album’s release will also be accompanied by the publication of Nikola Čuturilo’s first collection of lyrics in book form, titled “Od zadnje do prve”.
