Simon Kiselicki

Simon Kiselicki is one of the most influential personalities at the Macedonian music stage, particularly if we are talking about the jazz and the complete music expression. He is born in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1974 where hi is living and working. Temporary, he has resided in the neighborhood countries where he have been working, making music and coming into play. His first showing at the Macedonian music stage is in the early 1990s. 1992/1993 Simon started a collaboration with the band “Jet Set “as an electric piano player and after that, for the first time he participated at the International Festival in Sofia- Bulgaria. 1994 started another collaboration with the band “Last expedition” who with he had the first unplugged in Macedonian TV where he plaid on the concert stand-way.1995 – He wrote the composition “Svita za piano“ ( "Piano escort" ) that was performed by Marjana Nikolovska (piano). 1997 he wrote the composition “Abstract polizoltia “for the chamber band “Piano trio “(Vesna Angelovska – piano, Metodija Georgiev- violoncello and Valon Ademi – violin). In 1999, this band performed the same composition – Abstract polizoltia as part of its program that included opuses of Beethoven – No.1 S-major opp.1 and Mendelssohn – D-minor opp.49. Later on, this composition was performed in MKC and on the Festival “ Heraklea nights " – Bitola. The composition " Svita za piano" ( "Piano escord") that was done under mentory of Ph.D. Goce Kolarovski , was performed on the Classic Music Festival “ Denovi na Makedonskata Muzika 95 “ ( "Macedonian music days 95" ). In the meantime, Simon met and begun collaboration with the Macedonian jazz legends , as : Dragisa Soldatovic Labish - the first jazz guru . In one occasion, he said Simon : “My friend, don’t make weary, you have black and white bars, these are your friends, play as you soul tells you, nobody will get angry, but don’t make balls, because I will find out and will get angry “.) , further on Goce Dimitrovski and Goce Micanov - with them Simon had night performances in the clubs . After that, he started collaboration with Macedonia Radio and TV , where he met the producer Ilija Pejovski and recorded his first authorial jazz composition . That was in 1997 . A year before, together with the band ‘Klerzho” he acquainted studio experience, when are recorded the compositions: " Sonce " ( “Sun”) and "Pirunika". 1996/97 besides the school obligations and the commitments he beard as a part of the band “Klerzho”, he continued with the night clubs performances. It is worth to mention the jam session the club MCM – after party of the Skopje Jazz Festival 1996 ,where he plaid with the greatest famous trumpet player Roy Hargrove and Brian Lenz. 1998 he is engaged in the music and producer house “ Ezgija” as a composer and keyboard player, on an initiative of Bodan Arsovski – the former member of the “Leb & Sol” the bestseller Macedonian band and Igor Atanasovski – Hare. This year were created the compositions: Broken bits; Cubic socks and Devil Game. All three compositions were recorded as material for the album "Broken beats" published in 1999. After that followed the performances on the festival “ Skopsko leto" (Skopje summer Festival) and "Ethno Fest “ - Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina . This is a period when he made many trucks as marketing products , hymns , theater music and the multy -media project “ Budenje 7” ( Waking up 7“) 1999 he won an award for scene innovations in the Festival for alternative theatre “– Kocani, Macedonia.1999 , August 14th, in Dubrovnik – Croatia on the frame of the Festival in Lazareti, Simon for the first time had his own performance on the " Night of European Ethno Music “ . Between the other artists that came on that night, were: “Troista" - Byelorussia, Johnny Brennan - Ireland and Teo Martinovic - Croatia. 2000, he worked on his next project “Darsan”. This project was performed in the Zagreb and cult club K.S.E.T, where Simon plaid together with well-known Croatian names as are: Lino Devic- bass and Boris Bestak – drums. In June, the same year, at the same place, Simon with “Ethno duo “ have a concert. He played piano and Drazen Franjolic – Persian lout.2001, he collaborate with "Sentence “ a band that mixes the modern expression with the past , Simon Kiselicki – piano, Ferus Mustafov – sax, Mikhail Parushev – drums ( all from Macedonia ) , Ivana Husar and Valerija Nikolovska - vocals ( both from Zagreb – Croatia ) Their first concert was on the Festival “ Days of Macedonian culture “ in Zagreb . Between the others, here its performance had the Macedonian bands Anastasia and Foltin . The project "Sentence” , during the year 2001, continued with concert tour throughout Croatia : Pula, Rieka , Zadar, Dubrovnik and Makarska. The breaking-point in Simon’s career is 2002 when he went to work on his new compositions just in the geographical centre where are mixed many different cultures - Budapest . In Budapest he wrote the material for his new album “Beneventan” This material was performed for the first time in the Culture House “ Grigor Prlichev “ in Ohrid where Simon came out with Djole Maksimovski – bass and Dino Milosavljevic – drums ( actually the rhythm section of '"Vlatko Stefanovski Trio"). Later on, at the Festival "Skopje summer” they repeated the performance of the same material. This time its performance was recorded and the material was published under the label of Skopje Jazz Festival as “ Beneventan trio”. After that, the band “ Simon – Beneventan trio” on October 21st, 2003 promoted the album " Beneventan" at the ‘ Skopje Jazz Festival” The same night its own performance had the famous Petar Molvar and Eric Trufaz . This was a closing night of the Skopje Jazz Festival . After that the critics wrote : Jazz? Yes ! but European jazz. The same year, 2003 was the performance at the Festival " Crosses and bridges" in Pec – Kosovo as a guest – player of the band "Blla Blla Blla" . Near the end of this year, Simon got invitation to participate at the “Kumanovo Jazz Fest" where beside Beneventan participated well-known names as Ian Ackerman - Holland, Darko Juricic trio - Croatia and etc. Simon’s engagements with the trio “Beneventan” continued during the year 2004 with the concert in "Universalna sala “ Skopje “ . Those months, one of the more interesting projects was " Sound drive and dense "performed of the opening night of the Festival “ Peace unlimited - Skopje together with Alexander Petrov ( drums and trombone ). In the meantime he started to write the music for his second authorial album " Levitation ". 2005, July 8th, “Beneventan trio” had its performance in the Symphony orchestra hall in Nis – Serbia . 2006 Beneventan was in " Lazareti" Dubrovnik -Croatia. 2007 begun a new collaboration with " La kolonie volvox" The result of this collaboration is the project "Play through it " that it is not published yet .The music of this project was performed in the Museum of Macedonia in the frames of the Festival " Night of museums” and l at the “ Skopje Off Fest 2007” . In the mean time Simon continued to compose a music for his second album " Levitation " where he collaborated with Dave Wilson - sax and Marie Petrov - trombone., then Dionis Stratrov and Sale Stojanovski - rhythm section and a mini-collaboration with "Project Zhlust "- Macedonia. In the same time, Simon engaged its self at the music and organizational field with two festivals. The first one is of classic music character and for this festival Simon wrote a music for the project " Future Balkan Music “ - two Macedonian ethno themes that were already recorded on the album “ Levitation” . These two themes , but in some different concept were performed at the festival “ Glazba i Rec” ( Music and Word) – Konavje – Croatia On August 20th, 2007 in the church St.Nikolaus Simon came out with the project " Future Balkan music" together with the members of the symphonian orchestra " Knezev dvor " from Dubrovnik . Here for the first time he performed his new composition " For Divna” where he was accompanied by : Djuro Drobac – violin, Antonea Gjaja – flute and Matija Novakovic- fagot. The second Festival was in Montenegro "Petrovac Jazz Festival" , September 2007. Here Simon with his trio came on with Darko Mucev - bass and Mihail Parushev - drums . This opportunity was use for promotion on his last album “Levitation “. Other famous names that had their performances on this festival were : Josip Jo Pandur - guitar and Maja Grgic - vokal – Croatia as well as Vasil Hadjimanov Group – Serbia . The Skopje promotion of the album " Levitation " was happened in the Multi-media space ‘Mala Stanica “on October 6th, 2007 - published under label "Chicken madness “. The year 2008 was started with a performance in Tirana – Albania where was accompaigned by DJ Feki Faris. Presently , he has been working on the project " The lighters of the dark obsidian "