Three experienced musicians established a trio that plays
in-time composed music. The only condition that they take is totally relaxed and
free fluid of ideas, spirit and energy. So it happens that each of the three can
take the concert in any direction in any moment. Its nothing strange if we hear
a mix of »Deutsche Rundfunk« waltz together with the most squared version of
rock'n'roll from which arises the Ornette Coleman's proto-free sound that goes
to happy »Calypso« continuing through wedding party spices to the full-blooded
Balkan-bop. Probably the best chance to pleasure the very instinct beat of music
and its numerous metamorphosis and forms of appearance. As this can sound quite
abstract, music of the trio is far away from experimental seeking of artistic
concepts, but its incredibly live and entertaining musical-social experience.
BIO
Vasko Atanasovski is one of Slovenia's most creative composers and
musicians. “Over a three-year period he released three CDs – Heat Flower, Suite
de Passion and the recent Tanatos Eros – that are, without exception, placed on
a domestic jazz pedestal.†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, Druga godba, Porgy&Bess Club
Vienna, Tenera è la notte 2003 (ITA), Vrijeme je za jazz HTV (CRO), Avantguarde
MusicFest Wien (A), Rasa (HOL), Cinema Nova (B), Euro Jazz Festival 2004
(Athens), RingRing (YU), Mediawave (H)...
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 (projects) and also composer for some puppet,
dance and theatre plays. He has collaborated with choreographers and directors:
Vito Taufer, Brane Potocan, Jernej Lorenci, Mojca Horvat, Jasna Knez, Matevz
Gregoric, Miha Golob, Peter Bostjancic... At the moment he is mostly working
with his last project Tanatos Eros and Adrabesa Quartet.
Ziga Golob plays mostly double-bass, bass guitar less than that, and
ukulele even less. He whistles quite often. Interesting enough he is a quiet
person, except for the moments when he becomes loud. His primary interest is
acoustic music, especially the kind that leaves much space for improvisation.
Ziga also writes poetry. He lives in Ljubljana, where he wasn't born and is
slowly growing old.
He plays with: Trio Atanasovski & Golob & Levacic; Mildreds; Tamara Obrovac
TransHistria Ensemble;-
»Patty Diphusa – izpovedi porno dive« (kabaret); Bostjan Gombac Bachology; a
member of:
Kuhna Production Team (Marko Gregoric, Bla-- Celarec, Z.G.)
Collaborations:
Big Band RTV Slovenija (+ Johnny Griffin, Carla Bley, Bosko Petrovic, Peter
Herbolzheimer) Lado Jaksa, Mia Znidaric, Steve Klink, Vinko Globokar, Peter
Mihelic, Petar Ugrin, Dejan Pecenko, Primoz Grasic, Ratko Divjak, Drago Gajo,
Sheila Jordan, Renato Chicco, Garrett Wall, Vlado Kreslin, Zlatko Kaucic, Elvis
Stanic, Matija Dedic, Folkestra, Terrafolk, Caminoigra, Iztok Kovac/En-Knap,
Olivija, Ales Hadalin, Igor Leonardi, Milko Lazar, Chris Eckman, Jure Ivanusic,
Peter Lovsin, Rihard Zadravec, etc.
Krunoslav Levacic 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, 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).
PRESS
Jazza me mucho!
When I first heard the music of the Atanasovski – Golob – Levacic trio I did not
know who I was listening to. And when I found it out I was quite surprised. In a
positive way, of course. That was mostly due to the fact that the playing I have
heard from these three musicians before (each of them being very active in
numerous local and international settings) was often directed into exploring and
reinterpreting different traditional musics. The harmonious Golob – Levacic
rhythmical tandem is doing this most visibly in the Tamara Obrovac TransHistria
Ensemble, Atanasovski on the other hand with his Adrabesa Ensemble.
The playing of this new (I hope permanent and stable!) trio is much different,
however. Here we have free improvised music, open-minded jazz which nevertheless
touches (also) on traditional musics every once in a while. But these come more
as tiny marks, a pause before a passage, or better still before a deprature into
unkown and unexpected. We can hear, along with a traditional or a folk tune,
quotations from classical music, but rest asured, our sturdy trio knows all too
well how to deal with quotations. When they quote they do not imitate, but
rather mutate, and do not mistify at all. Speaking of qoutations, one can hear
the inclination toward wittiness, but it always keeps a low profile. At the
forefront there is an incredibly agitated and varied music (witty too, don't
worry), thoughtfully structured, excellently performed and full of both striking
power and subtle moments.
The inspired interplay of these seasoned musicians creates a feeling of
liveliness, directness of music. Which takes its time to develop, because this
music is in no hurry. At the same time one can hear deepness and lightness of
playing, the playing is seemingly careless, yet in the background there is
pondering and reflection, mutual knowledge that was there before this erruption
of sound. It is a playful and amusing music, next thing you know it is dead
serious, demanding, almost all-embracing. But the most beautiful thing is that
these changes in fact happen between the inhalation and exhalation, while
switching from the thick string to the one a little less thick, between two
strokes with the same stick. That is why I recommend that you listen with both
halves of your brain, in order not to miss something!!! Oh, and you can dance as
well.
Mario Batelic
"We can say with absolute certainty that after John Zorn there was no equally
good jazz concert this year in Pula until yesterday, when the Atanasovski –
Golob – Levacic Trio had performed."
Boris Vincek / GLAS ISTRE, 12.12.2005
