It’s not uncommon for children to torment their parents with the shrill sound of recorders, the raucous sawing of squeaky violins or relentless tinkering on a piano badly in need of tuning. More often than not these instruments of torture wind up collecting dust in some corner. This was not the case with Marko Jovanović, born with Serbian roots in Munich in 1978. It was an uncle who greatly influenced Marko‘s musical path by giving his 13-year-old nephew a harmonica, and in doing so he hit the bull’s-eye! Marko was fascinated by the tiny, literally handy instrument, and immediately dove into understanding, exploring and experimenting with it.
Thanks to his uncle, a true talent had been awakened.
Marko was already on stage and in the limelight by the time he was 15 years old. This young musical master of the harmonica was already certain about what he was going to be doing professionally. After leaving school he pursued the life of a professional musician. He was equipped with his knowledge of music, life experience, and ambition, but above all with his uncanny sense for musical moods and the many facets of the mouth harmonica. After traveling extensively through West Africa, Spain, and Serbia, Marko decided to move to Berlin in 1999 and soon found many of his musical partners and a new home.
In 2001 he began a six-year collaboration with the Lars Vegas & The Love Gloves blues band and during this period he gathered international festival and tour experience with this popular, award-winning trio. In 2007 he met a one-of-a-kind musician by the name of Blues Rudy and they quickly became friends and partners. They have worked together as a duo for more than 4 years and with their energetic performances and improvisations they have gained a faithful following across the country. At the same time, Marko founded the band Little Sam Lud together with the American guitarist Ryan Donohue. In 2011, following an invitation from the Saharan singer Mariam Hassan, they toured in the Western Sahara and Spain. In 2012 Marko began a very fruitful collaboration with guitarist Branko Galoic and fulfilled a long-standing dream to combine traditional Balkan music with the blues. Audiences are frequently unfamiliar with the special qualities and versatility of the harmonica until they‘ve heard Marko Jovanović perform.
He touches their hearts and seduces them at the same time with his convincing stage presence and his subtle, modest nature. It all seems completely natural, shaped by a musical understanding that occasionally calls for sweet melodies, breathy sounds, or sheer energy. Marko Jovanović playfully unites all of these, sometimes leaving his audience rubbing their eyes and ears in utter amazement.
With Marko Jovanović’s virtuosity, discover how this small instrument can be powerful and expressive at the same time.