Much more effective than in previous years, an autonomous slogan Planet Jazz and yellow-black (coalition?) visualization announced the festival edition with a dynamic but unobtrusive (projector) scenography. In the middle of Serbia the greatest reach of this now five-day jazz festival in Belgrade is to show that many 'taken for granted' things do not have to be what they seem. It is not negligible, in a social climate when even the breaking of a wire can be interpreted as overthrowing the government, an attack on regional stability, and an attack on the prime minister - whose musical taste no one has yet kindly revealed to us.
Cyril.COM: The official opening, with a special domestic program, went to the pianist Vladimir Maričić, i.e. flipping through his well-known Romano-Cuban-Balkanopus. Brian Lynch (USA) from the last line-up of Jazz Messengers, an experienced Latin trumpeter, refreshed the material in front of the well-matched quartet. This connection was mediated by the well-known critic Tom Konrad, among the growing number of foreign reporters who have been regularly visiting the renewed Belgrade Jazz Festival (BJF) for years. Whenever it was necessary, Lynch even hit on 'our' sound/color, so when guests like this at the Sabor in Guca are more important than Milet Dodik, we will be less bothered by ultimatums and whatnot the Serbian trumpet can be heard from Kosovo.
On a related note, respected accordionist Vincent Perani with band/project Living Being he presented French jazz without grain/manouche, but still charming and melodious. Cramped and barefoot, with a thumbtack, accompanied by a playful soprano-saxophonist, he slalomed through lyrical passages and powerful riffs. Just as I was reminiscing about his countrymen Magma and Parisian Gong, for an encore - and to the general delight - they fried a real folk song. Speak Vous Chocheck? To come again! Ours is not less if others accept it, on the contrary.
photo: Ivan Šepic...and Gianluca Petrella
The concerts in the large hall of the organizers of the BJF, Dom omladine Beograd (DOB; tickets 800-1000 d) also served to inform us about the new activities of old acquaintances such as the Italian trombonist Gianluca Petrella with Cosmic Renaissance, but the ultimate experience was provided by a trio of Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez (b. '85). Ten years ago, talent and skill allowed him to become Quincy Jones' full-time agent and work in/from the USA. He failed to keep both of his high school friends in the rhythm section, so he is a guitar-minded bass player from Brazil. Alfredo excellently proves that i Qba can beautifully move out of stereotypes, and progress: its interpretation Veinte Anos prevents that after Buena Vista... that poignant song becomes Old Havana kitsch for tourists. It is followed by a spiritual one Kiss Me a lot, then a hilarious ending with deconstruction and juggling of parts Guantanamera - so that she doesn't stay alone either Young partisan… Bebo and Chucho Valdes get a musical heir.
Strengthened, BJF returned to the Sava Center this year, moreover, in two days dominated by the standards, if not the canons of what is usually considered contemporary jazz. The hall turned out to be too big for the financially depressed audience (tickets 1200-2000 dinars, slightly more than 2000 visitors for the evening). The second highlight, of course, was made by the favorite Avishai Cohen, whose euphoric participation with BJF in 2007 still resonates today. In the meantime, he became a star, but still immediate, almost infectiously joyful and fun. Naturally, in an excellent Israeli trio with a few elements of the Jewish musical tradition, he delighted again until a long crescendo. Clearly enjoying himself, he played the double bass for the percussion, took turns with the drummer, and even sang softly for the encore. Nature Boy NK Koula! Since he came off tour and flew home the same day, Avishai performed first, so everything after the break was an anticlimax. Even deeper because Antonio Serano's quintet is under the label Flame&Co delivered only a handful of easy notes, without the inventiveness and excitement to justify being at a jazz festival. Undoubtedly a virtuoso on the chromatic harmonica (also in Almodovar's films), Serrano did not excel even in the last composition of Paco de Lucie, in whose shadow this unconvincing program, Muzak-Flamenco, was languishing.
Drummer Jack DiJohnette and double bassist Dave Holland are connected by much more than Miles and ECM through the decades. This time in Belgrade, they shared the evening, each with their current line-up. In the shortlist of the best drummers in the world, Jack's age (75) does not affect his refined musicianship and stunning, if not noisy, technique. Of all the stars, he collaborated the least with John Coltrane, and for this trio he chose the sons of that famous line-up: the worthy saxophonist Ravi, and the descendant of Coltrane's bass player Jimmy Garrison, the bass guitarist Matt(ju). Aside from Matt's occasional electric-howling, a perfect performance of a not very impressive repertoire, in which Di Johnette presented some of his compositions partly as a pianist.
The Aziz Quartet differs from the lineup of Holland's previous star group, the Overtones, as pianist Jason Moreno has been replaced by guitarist Lionel Lueke. An English gentleman in the US for many years, the well-mannered Dave was reliably the most melodic, on the shaft with top saxophonist Chris Potter. The shouted Lueke stood out from the mainstream, fortunately more moderate - in the excesses of 'inventing Hendrix where there is no need' - than during his earlier visits to Belgrade. There is a nice echo of the fusion and funk of the 70s in mostly acoustic arrangements (jazz-rock unplugged?), but speaking of the multiple guests of the concert spaces here: the excellent drummer Eric Harland is a member of Joshua Redman's trio, and I would easily trade this entire program for theirs. set.
BUFFET: Around midnight dates in the hall of the American DOB (500-1000d) fell mainly to Scandinavians and pianists, and all of them - the Icelandic trio of Ms. Suna Gunnlaugs, even the Austrian one of David Helbok - were cool, but not cold and boring. Moreover, and energetic enough to dance the late hours, especially cornetist Rob Mazurek (USA), who from work in Brazil led the rhythm section (drums + bass synths) of Sao Paolo Underground. It was, however, unoriginal; not to hear Truffaz.
Little professor Tineke Postma (ex Sisters Of Jazz) did what she needed to do in the USA, like Sune, and now, accompanied by three young men, she shows that K. Dahlfer is not the only - and especially not the best - saxophonist from the Netherlands. Swedish-Norwegian quintet (three brass players + r. section) All Included in the program Satan In Plain Clothes creatively all-rounders, such as the barefoot septet in colorful tunics Horse Orchestra from four Nordic countries mix periods and styles in a fun way. The pearl of this BJF section is the Tord Gustavsen Quartet (Norway) whose (online?) followers packed the hall (few chairs, lots of standing) to enjoy the delicate nuances of musicianship completely in line with the trend of scandi-thrillers, books and movies. A clear reason for the concert under better conditions for concentration. And a festival that has this kind of youth does not have to worry about its audience; but the predominance of state funding (even through embassies) over the participation of sponsors is not carefree. Just like the exhibition of the official BJF photographer Stanislav Milojković, the young local jazzers are quite inappropriately placed, in an attempt to have a jam session in the hall, when everything else is over. They hardly got a little more attention due to the absence of Dieter Ilg (Germany) due to illness. With that, the final evening 'fell' to the Portuguese big band Matosinhos, who performed his compositions with the pianist Ž.PE da Silva, trained musicians outside the mainstream of American and Central European orchestras of that format. The performance was marred by the endemic problem of the NJF with rented equipment - specifically, a failure of the double bass, and at the very back there were the locals: Ščime trio + 1 of the young sax professor Luka Ignjatović, Konzilium of the guitarist Branko Trijić with his second album, and the septet of the hyper-productive multi-instrumentalist Silard Mezei (Serbia/Hungary).
The attempt of the average Croatian pop singer Vesna Pisarović to jazz is a complete failure The Great Yugoslav Songbook, old hits from a better shared past. Fakes, cowardly non-syncopation, incomprehensibility in arrangements and limping after an international line-up have a hard time even under the guise of Yugonostalgia. She equally crushed songs from all exYU republics, and I guess that superficial 'trip to jazz' is over forever.
