Roman Bunka
Roman Bunka | |
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![]() Bunka withDissidentenin 2012 | |
Born | |
Died | 12 June 2022 Munich,Bavaria, Germany | (aged 70)
Occupations |
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Roman Bunka(2 December 1951 – 12 June 2022) was a German guitarist,oudplayer and composer, active inworld musicandjazz fusionbands. He lived most of his life inMunich,Bavaria, where he was involved in variousmusical crossoverprojects.
Career
[edit]Bunka was born inFrankfurton 2 December 1951.[1]He started playing the guitar as a teenager. In the 1970s, he moved to Munich and joined the world music groupEmbryo.They toured in Morocco, India and Afghanistan, and the music of these countries made a strong impact on Bunka and his fellow musicians.[2][3]In 1979, Embryo traveled overland to India with three buses and their instruments.[4]The tour was documented in the movieVagabunden Karawane.[5]
Besides the guitar, his second instrument was the Arabicoud,which he studied mainly inEgypt.[1][6][7]Having spent long periods of time there, he often played in the band of Egyptian singer and movie actorMohamed Mounir,[1]for example at the New Year's Eve concert in 2000 at thePyramids of Giza.[2][8]
In 1994, Bunka presented hisethno jazzprojectColor me Cairo,featuring Malachi Favors ofArt Ensemble of Chicago,and Egyptian musiciansFathy Salama,Hosam Shakir and Khaled Goma at theBerlin Jazz Festival,curated byGeorge Gruntz.[9]The same line-up was recorded byEnja Records,withRolling Stonemagazine writing: "Bunka gets fame in a growing musical diaspora as 'best oud-player north of Mekka'."[10]
Bunka was known for his artistic collaboration with German and international musicians, such as the German world music groups Embryo,Dissidentenand Jisr, but also with jazz musiciansMal Waldron,Charlie MarianoandMalachi Favors,as well as with Indian and Egyptian performers Trilok Gurtu,Ramesh Shotham,Fathy Salama and others.[11]German music criticRalf Dombrowskiwrote about Bunka's 2004 recordOrientaciónwith fellow musicians Luis Borda and Jost Heckler: "He is one of the first European musicians who dared to seriously explore the oud and liberated it from exoticism andOrientalism."[12]
During his 50-year career, Bunka recorded and played concerts with numerous musical groups, and also composed soundtracks for movies. A few weeks before his death, he played with the Munich-based group Jisr (Arabic for 'bridge') at concerts in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.[13]Bunka died ofcanceron 12 June 2022, in Munich at the age of 70, with both Egyptian and German newspapers publishingobituaries.[1][3][14]
Awards
[edit]- 1993 BBC Prix Futura for his production of the radio playTunguska Guskaby Grace Yoon,Sainkho Namtchylak,Iris Disse[15]
- 1995 German Critics Poll Winner forColor me CairowithMalachi Favorsand Egyptian musicians[16]
- 2014Schwabing Art Prize[17]
Discography
[edit]- 1973Steig Aus(also released as:This Is Embryo)[18]
- 1973We Keep Onwith Embryo[19]
- 1975Surfinwith Embryo[20]
- 1976Bad Heads and Bad Catswith Embryo and Charlie Mariano[21]
- 1977Apo-Calypsowith Embryo[22]
- 1979Aera Livewith Locko Richter, Klaus Kreuzeder, Lutz Oldemeier, Helmut Meier-Limberg, Freddy Setz[23]
- 1980Reise(CD) with Embryo (Schneeball)[24]
- 1980Dein Kopf ist ein schlafendes Auto[2]
- 1990Germanistanwith Dissidenten[25]
- 1993The Jungle Bookwith Dissidenten (Exil)[26]
- 1995Color Me Cairowith Malachi Favors and Fathy Salama (Enja)[27]
- 1997Enshaallahwith Rahala (united One Rec.)[28]
- 2008Freedom in Musicwith Embryo[29]
- 2010Embryo 40(Trikont)[30]
Filmography (as composer and recording artist)
[edit]- 1995Halfmoon,by Frieder Schlaich, based on short stories byPaul Bowles[31]
- 1998Am I Beautiful?(Bin ich schön?) byDoris Dörrie[32]
References
[edit]- ^abcd"German guitarist, oud player Roman Bunka, known for collaboration with Mohamed Mounir dies at 71 – Music – Arts & Culture".Ahram Online.Retrieved12 June2022.
- ^abcBiswurm, Roland (13 June 2022)."Musiker und Brückenbauer Roman Bunka gestorben".BR24(in German).Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^abWagner, Dirk (13 June 2022)."Zum Tod des Münchner Musikers Roman Bunka".Süddeutsche.de(in German).Retrieved17 June2022.
- ^Moises, Jürgen (5 August 2019)."Der Geschmack ferner Länder".Süddeutsche.de(in German).Retrieved17 June2022.
- ^Vagabunden Karawane eine Reise nach Indien mit der Gruppe Embryo = Vagabond's band(in German), Aviator-Entertainment, 2005,OCLC781352245
- ^"City of Sounds".lighthouse-film.com(in German). 30 April 2020.Retrieved13 July2022.
- ^"Roman Bunka – Dein Kopf ist ein schlafendes Auto".lighthouse-film.com(in German). 26 July 2020.Retrieved13 July2022.
- ^"Artist Profiles: Roman Bunka".worldmusiccentral.org.10 September 2019.Retrieved28 July2022.
- ^"Jazzfest Berlin Archiv | Roman Bunka 'Color Me Cairo' feat. Malachi Favor".www.berlinerfestspiele.de,Berliner Festspiele(in German).Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^"Suchergebnisse für" Bunka "– enja records".www.enjarecords.com(in German).Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^Romero, Angel (10 September 2019)."Artist Profiles: Roman Bunka | World Music Central".Retrieved12 June2022.
- ^Ralf Dombrowski: Rezension zu Borda / Bunka / Hecker,Orientación.Enja Weber ENJ CD 9155-2 in Stereoplay 8/2004
- ^"The Sound of Faraway Lands".www.goethe.de.Retrieved15 June2022.
- ^"Mohamed Mounir Mourns Death of Best Friend Roman Bunka – Sada El balad".13 June 2022.Retrieved18 June2022.
- ^hoerspielundfeature.de (11 November 2003)."Studiozeit Hörspiel – Tunguska-guska"(in German). Deutschlandradio.Retrieved15 June2022.
- ^"unterm strich".Die Tageszeitung: taz(in German). 15 June 2022. p. 15.ISSN0931-9085.Retrieved15 June2022.
- ^Abendzeitung München (18 March 2014)."Auszeichnung! Die Preisträger stehen fest".www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de(in German).Retrieved15 June2022.
- ^Embryo (Groupe musical) (2004),Steig aus,Brain: Universal Music,OCLC937026843
- ^Embryo (Grup musical) (2009),We keep on,Wah Wah Records,OCLC804682407
- ^Embryo (1975),Surfin'(in German),OCLC725468581
- ^Embryo (Ensemble),Bad Heads And Bad Cats,April,OCLC899989754
- ^Embryo (1978),Apo-Calypso(in German),OCLC725636441
- ^Bunka, Roman (1980),Aera: live,Intercord,OCLC312766341
- ^Embryo (1994)."Embryo's Reise [recordings from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India]"(in German).OCLC1183521208.Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^Germanistan(in German), Exil-Musikproduktion, 1993,OCLC725004433
- ^Dissidenten (Musical group) (1993),The jungle book,OCLC30595504
- ^Color me Cairo(in German), Enja Records, Weber, 2009,OCLC723874496
- ^Rahala (1997),Enshaallah(in German),OCLC725778262
- ^Embryo (200),Freedom in music,Indigo,OCLC781380222
- ^Embryo 40,[Frankfurt am Main], 2010,ISBN978-3-89898-404-1,OCLC1077290394
{{citation}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Schlaich, Frieder; Alberti, Irene von; Bowles, Paul; Guesmi, Samir; Ksouri, Khaled; Belhassen, Sondos; Quilligan, Veronica; Cox, Sam; Zakir, Said; Belfquih, Mohammad; Filmgalerie; Film Förderung; Facets Video (2006),Halbmond,Chicago, Ill,ISBN1-56580-549-6,OCLC70662406
{{citation}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Bin ich schön?(in German), Constantin Film, 2009,OCLC699139360
Further reading
[edit]- Breznikar, Klemen(8 May 2019)."Roman Bunka interview".It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine.Retrieved17 June2022.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Roman Bunka at Enja Records
- Roman Bunkadiscography atDiscogs
- Roman BunkaatIMDb
- Roman Bunka plays a taqsim (solo improvisation) on the oudon YouTube
- Vagabunden Karawane: A musical trip through Iran, Afghanistan and India,1979 with Embryoon YouTube
- Guru Guru / Uli Trepte – Hot on Spot / In Between— CD Review withUli Trepte
- 1951 births
- 2022 deaths
- Musicians from Frankfurt
- German male guitarists
- Enja Records artists
- Oud players
- German male composers
- 20th-century guitarists
- 20th-century German composers
- 20th-century German male musicians
- 21st-century German guitarists
- 21st-century German composers
- 21st-century German male musicians
- Deaths from cancer in Germany