American saxophonist Benny Golson will open the 24nd Belgrade Jazz Festival on October 22, accompanied by the Belgrade Big Band RTS. In the four days that the festival lasts, the local audience will have the opportunity to hear numerous jazz musicians from America and Europe at three locations in the city. The main star of this year's festival will be John Scofield, who will perform with his trio. John Hassell and Marifa Street (USA), Dave Douglas Quintet (USA), Bojan Zulfikarpašić and others will also appear. What makes this festival different from last year's is the fact that the program will take place in several city spaces (Kolarac, Dom omladine, Bitef art cafe), which is why Belgrade will truly be a "city of jazz", as the motto of the upcoming festival reads.
According to the organizers, the concept of the festival is designed to present to the Belgrade audience what is new and current in the world of jazz in a few days, with a special emphasis on original work. The goal, they say, is to restore the tradition of the old Belgrade jazz festival and establish a concept that will be able to rival European ones in terms of quality and authenticity. However, it is interesting that apart from the Big Band, no local jazz band is participating this year. In the Association of Jazz Musicians of Serbia, they believe that there is unequal treatment of local musicians compared to foreign musicians, which dates back to last year's festival. According to them, this refers to late performance dates, inadequate halls and low fees that were late. "Why should our scene suffer a different treatment? Our jazz musicians are as good as foreign ones. They may not have such good marketing, but they certainly have quality. If we from the Big Band and Jovan Maljoković were able to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival this summer, if many of our bands performed all over the world and received fantastic reviews, I see no reason for this situation. It is difficult to find an adequate cause, apart from irresponsibility of the organizers. "I strongly doubt that the Big Band would have participated if Benny Golson had not followed," says Ivan Ilić, president of the Association. Marko Đorđević, who plays the trumpet in the Big Band, also believes that there are talented musicians in our country, but that they are not given enough space or opportunities to express themselves. "I have lived abroad for 12 years and have been to many European festivals. All of them nurture and support the local scene, which, unfortunately, is not the case here. It is difficult to create a project in such an environment, market it and expect it to come to life immediately", concludes Đorđević. On the other hand, the artistic director of the festival, Vojislav Pantić, emphasizes the importance of original projects, which, in his opinion, there are still not enough of in Serbia: "We want to recognize what is best in Serbia and present it at the festival, especially if the band has a new album with original music, as was the case last year with the bands of Vlado Maričić and Bara Božanić".
DEATH: Last year, two domestic projects were presented at the festival, Romano Cuban Vlade Maričić and Memories Bate Božanić from 2004. As an illustration of the weak jazz production in Serbia is the fact that in 2006 only one album was released, a double CD by Jovan Maljoković published by PGP RTS (commercial Forever and an album with jazz music Laver men). If we disregard the rare individual examples in recent jazz publishing, it can be concluded that PGP RTS is actually the only publishing house in Serbia that has consistently and persistently published publications in the field of jazz music. During the seventies and eighties, these were mostly licensed releases by foreign jazz musicians, but also some domestic projects. Today, the situation is even worse, primarily due to the difficult financial situation, but also due to the fact that jazz music is not particularly profitable for publishers. In the meantime, the practice of publishing licensed releases of foreign jazz musicians has been completely stopped, thus depriving the Serbian audience of the opportunity to keep up with current world trends.
How far we are from the rest of Europe is also shown by the fact that in Denmark over fifty new jazz titles are released annually, while in Italy as many as one hundred young jazz musicians release an album. At this point, we come to the ever-current issue of the state's concern for high and often unprofitable art, to which this music, without any doubt, belongs. During 2006, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia allocated a total of 2,5 million dinars to support the realization of five Serbian jazz festivals. We are talking about festivals in Belgrade, Niš, Pancevo, Kanjiža and Kosovska Mitrovica.
We should also mention the initiative for the establishment of the Balkan Jazz Center in 2002, which was conceived by our prominent jazz artist Stjepko Gut, and which was also supported by the Ministry of Culture. The basic idea of this project was to create a Jazz Center as a gathering place for young musicians, where they would have the opportunity for education, exchange of experiences and ideas.
At the end of the eighties, there were about fifteen clubs in Belgrade that constantly or occasionally had a jazz program in their repertoire. In addition to those popular at the time ("Jazbina", "Plato", "Filmske Novosti"), since 1976 jazz has also been played in the Dom omladine, which was funded by the city. Today there are one or two clubs in a city of two million inhabitants. "Jazz clubs were treated by the state the same as pubs with folk music." The only criterion by which the programs are made is how many drinks are spun at the bar. The survival of jazz clubs is a question of madness, but also the stubbornness of their owners. That's why many people quit," says Branko Marković, a jazz musician, for "Vreme". There is an initiative of the Association of Jazz Musicians of Serbia to establish a club that would be financed by the state and which would therefore survive independently of the profitability of the business.
INFORMAL MAKING MUSIC: The global trend is that jazz music is increasingly moving from clubs to concert halls. In this sense, Serbia is no exception either, since the sounds of jazz are increasingly coming from the stages of numerous local jazz festivals. The future of these festivals is significant in many ways for the development and survival of the Serbian jazz scene. Providing the audience with the opportunity to hear and see quality jazz concerts, and young musicians to make the necessary contacts with foreign jazz musicians through performances, local festivals represent the future of Serbian jazz. The fact that audiences in Valjevo, Nis, Novi Sad or even Kosovska Mitrovica can listen to quality jazz is all the more significant because it opposes the general trend of Serbia's Belgradeization.
What gives the greatest charm to every festival are the "jam sessions" that take place after each program. They are of great importance for musicians, because they open the possibility of meeting and exchanging ideas and knowledge with guests from abroad. Those "informal music sessions" often led to serious musical results. "It's good that foreign musicians are coming. Because when the audience sees us and them together on stage, they know that we are able to follow them. And that cultural exchange is important, because it is the export of our culture. There is no better, more honorable and more understandable promotion than through art," says Vlada Maričić, pianist. At the upcoming festival, it is planned that "jam sessions" will take place after the midnight concerts in the Bitef Art Cafe. "After the concerts, the instruments will remain on the stage, so anyone who wants to can play." We expect a lot of musicians interested in entertaining the audience until the morning in this informal and spontaneous part of the program", adds Vojislav Pantić, artistic director of the festival, and announces that in addition to the 20 participants from the RTS Big Band, a few more prominent local artists will be invited to the "jam session". artists, so that, if they wish, they could join the guests at the "jam sessions". "Only in Belgrade can it happen that the audience greets the musician with volleys of applause in the middle of a solo section, or that the famous American saxophonist David Murray hears one of the Banović brothers at a session at three in the morning and wants to go to the hotel to get his saxophone to join them. scene", adds Pantić.
Most of our eminent jazz musicians were educated in Europe and America. We still don't have a jazz academy or a department for jazz music at the Music Academy. The "Stanković" music school has had a jazz music department for 15 years, but those who want to continue their education have to go abroad. The scholarship they receive is insufficient to cover all the costs of their education. Ivan Ilić, a conductor of a big band who was educated at Berklee, thinks that there is a great fear of domestic music educators to encounter jazz because they do not know it well enough. "Previously, there may not have been any personnel, but today there certainly are." All of them were educated abroad and proved there that they are excellent musicians. Young people could learn a lot from them."
One of the many who would be happy to accept a professorship is Marko Đorđević. He began his education in Graz and continued in Munich. After six years, he returned to Serbia with the desire to contribute his knowledge and experience to the jazz scene, but he did not have the opportunity to do so. "That is the reality of this country, not only in this profession." Why everyone appreciates their people and we don't is a separate question. People here are afraid of changes, of the unknown," concludes Đorđević.
JIMMY HENDRIX JE WOMAN: The story of the Serbian jazz scene would not have been told to the end without numerous jazz artists from Serbia who built their careers abroad. In addition to already celebrated jazz internationals Duško Gojković and Stjepko Gut, younger musicians such as Belgrade pianist Bojan Zulfikarpašić (Bojan Z), who has been living and working in France since 1988, should certainly be mentioned. Bojan Zulfikarpašić is also the current winner of the award for the best European jazz musician, and the Belgrade audience will have the opportunity to see him as part of this year's Belgrade Jazz Festival, where he will perform with his trio. Apart from them, the pianists Mikan Zlatković and Miloš Krstić, as well as the jazz guitarist of the younger generation, Rale Mićić, achieved significant careers in America. This year in New York, Mićić released an album called Serbia on which the famous American trumpeter Tom Harrell appears as a guest. Saxophonist Jovan Maljoković recalls that in Vienna, in the most famous jazz club, "Seven Days of Serbian Music" was held. "Fourteen of our bands performed, two each night. Organizationally and financially, it was at the highest level. The audience was delighted. We got a standing ovation. This is proof that Serbian music has a breakthrough in the world." The young Belgrade blues artist Ana Popović also achieved great success outside of Serbia, about whom the respected magazine "Jazz News" wrote: "Jimi Hendrix is a woman - her name is Ana Popović. Vlada Maričić, a pianist, explains that at all performances abroad he was met with ovations and shock "because people don't expect Serbia to be something fine and sophisticated." I once showed a photo on which it says: 'Sabaca Merchant Youth Jazz Orchestra founded in 1938', in which my grandfather is with a violin, next to a piano and a drum. In Austria, they asked me to reproduce it, they couldn't believe it," says our interlocutor.
The past few decades in world jazz have been marked by a strong tendency to combine various ethno-motives and classical jazz music. This trend did not bypass Serbia either, and a large number of musicians gained world fame precisely on the trail of these musical currents. However, there are different views about how much ethno-jazz is really the "new blood" of jazz and how much it is actually about "populating art music". Be that as it may, the largest number of jazz releases that saw the light of day in Serbia in recent years were precisely from the area of Balkan-jazz experimentation. Pioneering steps in this direction were made by Lala Kovačev with his project Balkans impressions. Jovan Maljoković believes that Lala Kovačev brought Balkan music into jazz. "We played together in the world and were an attraction." Bojan Zulfikarpašić achieved great success in the field of ethno-jazz among musicians of the younger generation, while Vasil Hadžimanov, Jovan Maljoković and Vlada Maričić successfully deal with this type of jazz music in Serbia.
After fifteen years, for the second time, Belgrade was given the opportunity to show if it really is the city of jazz. Perhaps in the near future the words of Prime Minister Kostunica that "he who does not understand the trumpet, does not understand Serbia" will get a new meaning...
During the days of the Belgrade Festival, jazz will be played all over Serbia. The festivals in Šabac and Pancevo have adjusted their schedule to the Belgrade event, so that all of them with joint efforts could facilitate the arrival of foreign musicians. A three-day manifestation "The Art of Giving" is being held in Niš, where six top jazz ensembles from the country and abroad will be presented. For the first time, Indjija opens the door to jazz, with a one-day event on the occasion of the city's day.
For Wednesday, October 18, when this issue of "Vremena" goes to print, a concert by jazz trumpeter Duško Gojković has been announced, which will celebrate his 75th birthday and 50 years on stage in the Sava Center. Gianni Basso, saxophonist, Ladislav Fidri, trumpeter, and the Belgrade Trumpet and Rhythm Unit will play with him, and in the second part of the concert, the premiere CD will be presented Samba gypsy with the band of the same name.
In Niš, as part of the "Art of Giving", on October 27, Black and White Fantasy (Anders' Accident, Vlada Maričić, Trio and Friends, ft. Luis) will perform; the following day, the program is The Art of the Trio (Wolfgang Matšpil Trio, Charles Gale Trio), and on October 29, Balkan Emotions (Bojan Z Trio, Dejan Terzić Underground).
In Indjija on October 25, Roy Natanson Shoto Voće, Kristof Grab Quartet will perform, in Pančevo on October 28 Vlada Maričić Trio and Friends, fit. Lewis, Christoph Grubb Quartet; the next day, the Wolfgang Matschpil Trio, Andersk's Accident will perform.
In Šabac on October 26, Roy Natanson Shoto Voće, Ognjen and friends will perform; On October 27, Kristof Grab Quartet, Jovan Maljoković Balkan Salsa Band, and on October 28 Anderskov Accident, Blues Trio.
As noted by our eminent jazz creator Vojislav Simić, the domestic jazz scene went through different stages and styles in the development of jazz: Dixieland, bi-bap, soul, mainstream, free jazz, symphonic and ethnic jazz and, of course, modern swing. While at the end of the thirties of the 20th century in the United States of America, large orchestras, led by Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington, largely represented the real stars of the then swing era of jazz, in our region this type of music appears only in hints, probably waiting some better days for your true expansion. Miloš Krstić, our famous jazz pianist, in the book Od Sent Luisa do Belgrade states that in the pre-war period only drummer Isa Alfandari and clarinetist Milan Pavlović are mentioned as domestic jazz musicians. These musicians mainly engaged in improvisation (which is certainly one of the significant characteristics of jazz music), but only decorating the melody of the musical theme, not creating new melodies.
The conditions for a more serious development of the domestic scene, both in terms of authorship and interpretation, appeared only after the end of the Second World War. Movies Young man sa with a trumpet, Serenade u valleys the sun i Honey na leads they had a lasting impact on the post-war generations. Our famous jazz drummer Lazar Tošić once said that it was the film that formed him as an artist Honey na leads.
Nevertheless, the openness of the domestic communist regime certainly did not mean that the authorities would look favorably on jazz (as an American product) in the coming years. To that should be added a very reserved attitude, even a clear resistance that came from the ranks of critics of serious music. Jazz arrangements could be found in the American Reading Room in Belgrade, but it should also be noted that this institution was closely monitored by the regime. However, jazz persisted.
If the initial capsule for the development of jazz music in our country was provided by the film, the role in its popularization was then equally assumed by the radio program. The Voice of America radio station with its show "Jazz Hour" is an excellent example, and also, beginning in 1950, Radio Belgrade's Second Program began broadcasting original jazz music from these areas. The compositions of Bora Roković and Aleksandar Nećak composed for small jazz ensembles were performed.
However, certainly one of the crucial events when it comes to domestic jazz music is the founding of the Radio Belgrade Entertainment Orchestra in 1948, which will grow into the Radio Belgrade Jazz Orchestra in 1954, when the string players leave it. For years, Vojislav Simić and Zvonimir Skerl will play a significant role in leading this orchestra. For many years, every better jazz musician in this area will take his first steps in this orchestra. Although the Dixieland style of jazz appeared in our area in the early fifties, it was only in 2001 that Belgrade got the Dixieland Orchestra, the only one of its kind in the territory of the former SFRY.
The founding of the Association of Jazz Musicians in 1953 only confirmed that even then jazz in these areas was moving along well-trodden paths. As part of the Association, there was also the Metronom publishing house, which published the works of domestic and foreign jazz composers. Its first editor was Dragomir Ristić, a composer. A lot of local jazz composers appeared in this period. They wrote music either for small ensembles (then they could express their creativity to the maximum) or for big bands (in this case they were mostly influenced by Glenn Miller, Count Basie and Quincy Jones). Vojislav Simić, Mihajlo Živanović, Aleksandar Nećak and Bora Roković, followed by Duško Gojković, Zvonimir Skerl, Robert Hauber, Milan Kotlić, Predrag Krstić, Predrag Ivanović and Mica Marković stand out for their work in this period.
The compositions of these artists made their way to many significant foreign festivals. A lot of quality vocalists appeared on the domestic jazz scene, such as the vocal quartet Ivanović, Nada Knežević, Tanja Jovićević, Vladana Marković, Zdenka Kovačiček, Katarina Kačunković... At that time, there were also jazz ensembles outside of Belgrade. They mostly perform at local clubs or festivals. In addition to them, until today our jazz scene has produced many other important artists such as Miloš Krstić, Stjepko Gut, Jovan Maljoković, Lala Kovačev, Miloš Petrović, Miša Blam, Lazar Tošić, Ivan Swager, Luka Bošković, Jovan Tošić, Bata Božanić, Nenad Petrović, Vlado Maričić, Aleksandar Jaćimović, Vasil Hadžimanov and many others.
Guest appearances by foreign musicians gave a significant impetus to the development of jazz in our country. The appearance of Dizzy Gillespie and his large orchestra in the mid-fifties opened a whole series of guest appearances by world jazz legends. The establishment of the Newport Jazz Festival in Belgrade in 1971 (since 1974 the Belgrade Jazz Festival) contributed to this trend, which enabled our audience to enjoy the best quality jazz music every autumn. The festival ceased operations in 1990, only to be revived again last year. The fact is that our jazz scene, starting in the fifties, has always had important artists who, in addition to their popularity here, have also gained world fame. Certain compositions of our jazz authors found their place in the repertoire of one Clark Terry or Alvin Quinn.
(The text uses data from Vojislav Simić's article "The Development of Jazz and Entertainment" and Miloš Krstić's book Od Sent Luisa do Belgrade)
An important moment for all jazz connoisseurs in our country was October 31, 1971, when Duke Ellington opened the first Newport Jazz Festival in Belgrade. This festival, organized by Dom omladine Belgrade, was a replica of the festival of the same name, which existed in America since 1954. For the first time, our audience could enjoy the music of current stars for several days in a row. At the time of the strongest communism, the state administratively and bureaucratically controlled jazz musicians through the Association of Jazz Musicians, most of whom were anti-communist. There is an anecdote that Peca Vujić, the founder of the Association, was cut off his pants up to the knees by street gangs with scissors, because he was a jazz musician and played American music. Compared to other communist countries, ours was milder, because at the top there were people who loved jazz, so they turned a blind eye. At the Belgrade Jazz Festival, starting from the mid-seventies, many local performers also performed - RTB Jazz Orchestra, Duško Gojković, Nada Knežević, Branislav Lala Kovačev, Saša Radojčić Trio, Bora Roković Trio, sextets Marković-Gut and Maljoković-Krstić, Vlado Maričić's Jazz Alliance, Mikan Zlatković's United YU band...
As well as its name, the conception of the festival was also changing. In 1974, the festival changed its name to the Belgrade Jazz Festival, and the concept of the previous dominance of bands from the USA was changed by bringing in other jazz bands from around the world, which created a kind of balance. The list of performers who found their place at this festival is really large, which coincides with the claims that our country was an important destination for many jazz performers from around the world. There were, of course, guest appearances before the festival, but it was the festival that encouraged and attracted the famous names of world jazz. Our audience was presented with the best of the current world jazz scene, from tradition to modern trends: Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Mingus, Chick Corea, Lionel Hampton, Gary Burton, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Art Blackie, Sonny Stitt, Thelonious Monk are just some of the names. We should also not forget that this festival took care of the presentation of significant achievements on the domestic jazz scene. The festival shut down in 1990, but after a fifteen-year hiatus, in 2005, jazz enthusiasts in our country, led by Dom omladine, would start it again.
