Vasko ATANASOVSKI
Composer, saxophone and flute player
(soprano,
alto & baritone saxophone, flute, bansuri, recorders)
Vasko Atanasovski is one of Slovene most creative composers and musicians. He published more original albums that are, without exception, placed on a domestic jazz pedestal.: “Akupunktura” (V.A.2001), “Heat Flower” (Extraplatte Wien 2002), “Suite de passion” (Goga 2003), “Tanatos Eros” (Goga 2005), “Altdorf Live” (V.A. 2006) and "Attic dance" (JBR2007) with AGL Trio. He has got a lot of positive critics for his work home and abroad. He has performed on important festivals and happenings as: European week of culture in India (New Delhi, Bombay...), Alpentoene (CH), Xong festival (A, I, CH), Cankarjev dom - Jazz season 2003, Druga godba, Glasbeni september, Porgy&Bess Club Vienna, Tenera è la notte 2003 (ITA), Vrijeme je za jazz HTV (CRO), Avantguarde MusicFest Wien (A),Cinema Nova (B), Rasa (HOL), Euro Jazz Festival 2004 (Athens), RingRing (YU), Mediawave (H), NoJazz Fest (CRO), JazzFreundeBadIschl (A), Crossroads (I)...
He has collaborated with
musicians as: Michel Godard (F), Simone Zanchini (Ita), Tamara
Obrovac (Cro), Roberto Bartoli (Ita), Zoltan Lantos (H), Bratko Bibic,
Klarisa Jovanovic, Quatebriga, Katalena, Patetico, Krunoslav Levacic (Cro),
Ewald Oberleitner (A), Erich Fisher (Ch) Karmina Silec & Carmina
Slovenica, Ziga Golob, Nino Mureskic...
Since 1997 he is mostly dedicated to his own projects; so he is a
founder or co-founder of many musical groups and projects and also
composer for dance, puppet and theatre performances. He has collaborated
with choreographers and directors: Vito Taufer, Brane Potočan, Jernej
Lorenci, Mojca Horvat, Jasna Knez, Matevž Gregorič, Miha Golob, Peter
Boštjančič...
Simone ZANCHINI (I) - accordion
Graduated
at the Conservatory "G. Rossini" in Pesaro, Italy (with tutor Sergio Scappini)
specializing in improvisation-harmony and jazz with pianist and composer Stefano
Nanni. Winner of various national and international competitions, such as the
International Competition Concorso “Città di Castelfidardo” in 1996 - scholarship
for "Best Competitor Talent" chosen from all the competition categories.
Composer of the music for the Shakespeare show “Here and There”, a new
production of the “Ravenna Festival 2001”. Eclectic artist, performing an
intensive concert schedule with groups of various musical styles including
improvisation, contemporary, jazz and classic music. He has performed in
numerous national festivals (Clusone Jazz, Ruvo of Puglia, Tivoli Jazz,
Berchidda, Sant’Anna Arresi, Barga Jazz, Mara Jazz, Vignola, Ravenna Festival,
Rossini Festival Work, Teggiano Jazz) and in many important international
festivals in France, Austria, Germany, England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark,
Finland, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonian, Spain, England, Tunisia, Lebanese, India
and Japan.
Simone has collaborated with many musicians of international reputation:
Thomas Clausen, Gianluigi Trovesi, Javier Girotto, Mark Tamburini, Manzi
Maximum, Tamara Obrovac, Krunoslav Levacic, Vasko Atanasovski, Paul Fresu,
Antonello Salis, Han Bennink, Art Van Damme, Enzo Favata, Ettore Fioravanti,
Mario March, Stefano De Bonis, Michele Anger, Giovanni Maier. Name?? is
regularly performing with groups: Terre di Mezzo quartet (A Rodriguez, R.
Batoli, E. Fioravanti); Tamara Obrovac Transhistria Ensemble (T. Obrovac, And
Tanic, Z. Golob, K. Levacic); Boghes and Voices (And Favata and chorus Cuncordu
di Castelsardo); Quartet Magritte (M. Minardi, L. Cantelli, C. Bonora); Tango y
Algo Mas (M. March, P. Zannini); I Tasti Fe (S. De Bonis).
Simone has collaborated with the Marche Jazz Orchestra directed by Bruno
Tommaso and since 1999 he is part of the Ensemble Instrumental Scaligero of the
Theatre “La Scala” of Milan. In 2000 togehter with Antonello Salis they agreed
of integrating the Dutch drummer Han Bennink at the festival “Clusone 2002”.
Currently two new projects are in preparation which include his passion for
contemporary music and improvisation: one project as soloist in which he
experiences the sonority possibilities of his instrument through the use of a
particular midi and live-electronic accordion and one project in a quartet
performing only original compositions.
Roberto BARTOLI (I) – double bass
was born in Imola (Bo) in 1953. His first playmate was a little dog named Lola with whom, at five, he would play accordion on the doorsteps.
He attended the Pesaro Conservatory, where in 1980 he received his diploma in contrabass, then he studied arrangement and jazz composition with Bruno Tommaso.
Since then, he'd be listing collaborations with various musicians from different countries, and participations in international festivals in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, Lebanon, Tunisia.
He has published the CDs Amaremandorle, with the group T.A.O. featuring Paolo Fresu, published by the German label Y.V.P.; Terre di mezzo, with the trio Rodriguez-Zanchini-Bartoli, published by the Italian label Philology; Astolfo sulla luna with Collettivo Leòn; and Pulcherrima ignota with E Bairàv Ensemble, published by Zecchini Editore.
He is also the author of the scores to two plays featuring actress Elena Bucci: Lo scialle, from Cynthya Ozick’s short story “The Shawl”, and Canti per elefanti.
He has long been favouring the territories of free improvisation, while expanding his research on the solo performance.
He has participated in festivals:
CLUSONE JAZZ 2001; ALONG CAME JAZZ - Tivoli 2000 e 2001; ROSSINI OPERA FESTIVAL 2001; CASSERO JAZZ - Castel S. Pietro Terme (Bo) (diverse edizioni); SAGRA MUSICALE MALATESTIANA - Rimini 2002; CARPINO FOLK FESTIVAL 2001; CROSSROAD FESTIVAL -Imola '99; JAZZ U LAPIDARIJU -Pores (Croazia); BLACK & WITHE FESTIVAL, Torino '99; A/PARTE FESTIVAL, Bologna 2001; PERCUOTERE LA MENTE, Rimini 2002; PRAVDA FESTIVAL, Mosca 1990; CRISTAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, Maaseik (Belgio); Beiruth (Libano); Tunisi; Siviglia; Valencia; Ginevra; Berna; Monaco; Stoccarda; Bruxelless; Graz; Ljubljana; Maribor.
Krunoslav LEVAČIĆ (CRO) – drums
born in Zagreb, self-taught drummer, learned drumming mostly by listening to drummers and percussionists who had their own, specific sounds, rhythms, phrases and grooves, unlike different drum computers, who all play the same (mostly boring) grooves. In nature everything changer constantly, like the rhythm that never repeats and always sounds unexpected. ''To sound like this rhythm of the nature is my goal’’ says Levacic.
In past 25 years he has played and recorded with many jazz musicians, even with some very famous whose names people like to see in places like this, but, since names are not important*, here is the list of people he mostly plays with recently: Tamara Obrovac, Vasko Atanasovski, Fausto Becalossi, Ziga Golob, Uros Rakovec, ”Astrid And Them Sarcastic Mildreds”!
Levacic recorded over 60 CDs, received 7 ''Status'' (Best Jazz Drummer) awards by Croatian Musicians Union, the ''Black Cat'' award (''Croatian Musician Of The Year 2001'') and over 20 ''Porin'' (Croatian ''Grammy'') awards with different leaders. He also wrote the first Croatian drum book and now is finishing a new book: ''How To Play Odd Meters''.
The new project that Kruno Levacic is trying to do is to be happy as much as possible and most probably he's going to be busy with it for the rest of his life.
*for those who think names are important, here you are: Lee Konitz, Charile Mariano, Woodie Shaw, Gianni Basso, Achim Kaufman, Ulli Beckerhoff, Grady Tate, Mulgrew Miller, Nat Reaves, Marc Johnson, Joachim Urlich Orchestra, Nicolas Simion, Michael Heupel, Simone Zanchini, ''Simone Guiducci Gramelot Ensemble'', Marco Tamburini, Martin Gjakonovski, Matija Dedic, Glauco Venier, Thomas Klausen, Zoltan Lantos,WDR big band, etc.
