Jerry Grcevich

Partial Transcript: "we recorded it in this country and sent it back to Croatia as a newly formed country"

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich was at the right place at the right time to record an album with Miroslav Škoro

Subjects: Croatian Music; Miro Škoro; New Album

Partial Transcript: "I don't think that there is any wedding that takes place in Croatia where they don't play that and they dance and sing"

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich introduces and plays the song "Moja Juliška" (composed by him and with text by Miroslav Škoro).

Subjects: "Moja Juliška"; Example of Croatian Music; Introduction

Partial Transcript: "when I go over there everything for me evolves around music and I go places and I do things just because they're there"

Segment Synopsis: Jerry Grcevich introduces himself and the centrality of music to his life and to his visits to Croatia.

Subjects: Croatian Music--Appreciation; Family of Music (Musical group); Music and Travel; Travel to Croatia

Partial Transcript: "sometimes when I was playing for Zvonko Bogdan on a tour or something and I felt like that the people really they, just they loved it and it was something that was a special moment, or special evening"

Segment Synopsis: Answers question about surrounding himself with music by discussing his collaboration with Zvonko Bogdan. Class re-watches video spot of Zvonko Bogdan and Janika Balaž.

Subjects: Music appreciation; Musical Importance

Partial Transcript: "my grandfathers played tamburica then, then it, passed on to my uncle and my father or my uncle and I can remember when I was that big or something and take my dad's instrument to the top of the steps when there was no one around and just try to slide it down"

Segment Synopsis: Talks about his grandfathers and grandfather playing and getting his first tambura from his cousin (a luthier).

Subjects: Family influence; Musical Background; family of musicians

Partial Transcript: "I learned a lot from him and also Tuca Nikolić in Osijek, I learned from him. And, um, I went to college for music.... And, just took advantage of situations where I could learn"

Segment Synopsis: Talks about learning formally at college and informally from Zvonko Bogdan, Janika Balaž, and Antun "Tuca" Nikolić.

Subjects: College for Music; Diverse Learning; Growing up with Music; musical teachers

Partial Transcript: "I would stay there often, one time I stayed in Croatia nine months. And that was in, in uh 19... in 2000, and then I really felt like, that I, when I stayed there nine months I felt like I was really living there"

Segment Synopsis: Recalls how often he traveled to Croatia and how when he lived there for nine months he started to feel like he was at home there.

Subjects: Feelings of Home; Home; Life in Croatia

Partial Transcript: "they just played for all kinds of Croatian weddings and other nationalities like Serbian and different nationalities like that and they had a tavern where they would play, and they would play on weekends sometimes, and some of them would play during the week."

Segment Synopsis: Recalls different nationalities' events, taverns, and radio stations at which his father and uncles performed.

Subjects: Father and Uncles; Playing Music together; Venues; Weddings

Partial Transcript: "when my father started teaching a junior tamburitzan group, uh, and I joined that group and we went to Yugoslavia the first time in 1969. And we toured the whole country and it was, it was such a wonderful experience to meet musicians and people from over a whole sea"

Subjects: Musical Styles; Path of Success; Talks about visiting Yugoslavia with his father's junior tamburitzan ensemble, meeting Janika Balaž, and later learning the latter player's style from him.

Partial Transcript: "they would mix the old music that they learned from my grandfathers with what they were hearing on the radio. So they would kind of play a little different style"

Segment Synopsis: Discusses how his father and uncles adapted the tambura tradition as they incorporated American popular music and jazz.

Subjects: Americanizing their Music; Mixing Old and New Music; Musical Success

Partial Transcript: "my grandfather would say to me, he would call Jerko because that would be my… Jerry would be Jerko in Croatian and he would, he would say a mixture so I, I would understand it."

Segment Synopsis: Talks about learning Croatian words and sounds from his grandfather

Subjects: Learning Croatian; Mixing Language; Nationalities

Partial Transcript: "Any other Slavic nationalities? Are you Slavic?"

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich asks the students about their backgrounds and plays pieces of music that come from the East European countries that they name.

Partial Transcript: "when I did my instrumental album in the 1990s, early 1990s, the groups over there started doing more instrumentals. Before, they would start with the songs, so I think I contributed."

Segment Synopsis: Discusses influence of his music on Croatian tambura practice today and the impact of migration on musical traditions.

Subjects: Change in Music; Migration Affecting Music; Musical Instrumentals

Partial Transcript: "I know a lot of people from areas of Subotica, which is a Vojvod… a northern Vojvodina, a city where there were a lot of Croatians at one time. And, it was just, uh,
easy to, for them to obtain a Croatian passport, uh, in the, in the 1990s, and a lot of them went, wanted to go to University of Zagreb"

Segment Synopsis: Talks about musicians and other Croats from Vojvodina who moved to or worked or studied in Croatia.

Subjects: Migration; Popular Tambura; Serbian and Croatian Music; Tambura Bands; Tambura Music; Times of War; Weddings

Partial Transcript: "I never went to school for Croatian language but I picked it up pretty good and, being that I was there, um, that one year for nine months, that's when I really started to use it more than ever"

Segment Synopsis: Recalls learning Croatian informally and practicing it in Croatia, as well as traveling from there to surrounding countries.

Subjects: Croatian Language; Language; Travel

Partial Transcript: "The last time I was there was before Christmas and after Christmas, so I stayed there for New Year's. And I went to a city called Mohacs, which is directly north of Osiak (?).

Segment Synopsis: Jerry discusses a visit to the city of Mohacs in Hungary where he met a friend named Josep Kobac who teaches tambura music. He describes a folk music festival that was occurring during the time he was there, and his experience going to the festival with Josep.

Keywords: Community; celebration; music; tradition

Subjects: Music festivals; Romania; folk music; tambura; travel

Partial Transcript: "I've heard people in Croatia say that the Roma populations from Yugoslavia are kind of divided into two, there are the Hungarian Roma and the Romanian Roma."

Segment Synopsis: Professor Ian MacMillan asks Jerry whether there are divisions between the Romanian and Hungarian Roma. Jerry discusses the differences between the two in Europe and America, but also references the unity that comes from playing in bands together.

Keywords: cultural unity; culture; diaspora; nation

Subjects: Hungary; Roma; Romania; Yugoslavia; music

Partial Transcript: "What about your part of Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania...it's been a few years now but we had George Bocci (?) out here who identifies as being part of both the Hungarian and Slovak Roma..."

Segment Synopsis: Professor Macmillan asks about the Roma community in Pittsburgh, where Jerry grew up. Jerry discusses the community that existed there in his childhood, and the roots of his friends and family. He also discusses the differences between the Hungarian and Slovak Roma populations in the area. He states that this community is getting lost. A classmate then asks about the distinction between Hungarian and Slovak Roma, and Jerry discusses the difference in music between the two.

Keywords: assimilation; culture; diaspora; emigration; generation

Subjects: Hungary; Magyar; Pittsburgh; Roma; Slovakia; culture; diaspora; language; linguistics; musical tradition

Partial Transcript: "And I always felt like--when I would go to Croatia or Yugoslavia, and I would see a group like Yannick (?) or something playing in the same restaurant every night, I always wanted to do that."

Segment Synopsis: Jerry discusses how he got a regular gig playing at a restaurant called "Gypsy Cafe" with his tambura band. He relates how a song called "Marianna" was very popular. He then discusses the importance of specific venues and places for Roma music in Cleveland and in Europe. He discusses how his father and uncle would play in Croatian clubs.

Recordings by Grcevich with his band from the Gypsy Cafe are accessible in the Conservatory Library:
https://astoriedpeople.oberlincollegelibrary.org/items/show/43
https://astoriedpeople.oberlincollegelibrary.org/items/show/47

Keywords: assimilation; culture; emigration; performance; place

Subjects: Cleveland; Croatia; Pittsburgh; Roma music; clubs; gigs; music; tambura

Partial Transcript: "I have a question for everybody. Do any of you play an instrument?"

Segment Synopsis: Jerry asks the class whether any of them play an instrument, and the class shares their music experience. He then discusses a friend from childhood who played viola, and asks the class about music theory. He also discusses his childhood music teachers.

Keywords: genre; music; pedagogy; performance

Subjects: Music; classical music; flute; jazz; music teaching; music theory; piano; saxophone; singing; viola; voice

Partial Transcript: "How many of you do you think will come to the performance that we have?"

Segment Synopsis: The class discusses whether they will be able to come to Jerry's performance later that night at the college, and what will be happening in the performance.

Keywords: exhibition; performance

Subjects: Oberlin; music; performance; scheduling

Partial Transcript: "Oh, ask something, ask anything."

Segment Synopsis: Jerry asks the class how they like the course, and the class answers. Jerry asks whether he can visit the class more often, and the class reacts positively to this possibility.

Keywords: pedagogy

Subjects: academics; classes; college

Partial Transcript: "So we read a section of a book by Steve Piskor about Night of Budapest, do you remember that at all?"

Segment Synopsis: Jerry discusses Night of Budapest, a major music event for Roma bands across Europe, and the discipline that it takes for a large group of people to play traditional Roma music in a synchronized fashion.

Keywords: celebration; cultural unity; discipline; gathering; tradition

Subjects: Europe; Hungary; Night of Budapest; Roma music; discipline; learning music; music festivals; tambura

Segment Synopsis: Jerry Grcevich speaks about the relationship between the Catholic Church and playing Tambura music. He talks about the role of the Church as a central institution in folk traditions and as a place to gather and experience music.

Keywords: Catholic; Church; Folk Traditions; Mass; Midnight Mass; Music

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich speaks about the other musicians in his family. He mentions his niece and nephew, and other cousins that play Tambura music. He then talks about his hope that the musical traditions will not die out, despite a generational drop in popularity.

Keywords: Family; Generations; Musical Heritage; Musicians

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich speaks some about his experience playing Tambura music at a funeral, and some of the difficulties that come with that.

Keywords: Death; Funeral; Music

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich talks about the presence of music throughout a lifetime, such as births, weddings, funerals, etc. He speaks about the use of music as a way to socialize and relax for members of his community.

Keywords: Celebrations; Community; Music; Socializing

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich speaks about his thoughts on recorded music, and how he perceives recordings to have a lesser emotional impact than live playing. He then talks about changes in the music itself depending on the performance venue, specifically the electronics in the performance venue.

Keywords: Live Music; Music; Performance; Recording

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich speaks about the physical specificities of instruments in the Tambura family. He touches on the high tension of the strings, and on their tunings.

Keywords: Instruments; Music; Stringed Instruments; Tuning

Segment Synopsis: Grcevich plays an example of traditional music on his Tambura. He plays the song "Marianna."

Keywords: Music; Playing; Song; Tambura