Bojan Zulfikarpašic
Encyclopedia
Bojan Zulfikarpašić was born February 2, 1968 in Belgrade
) is a Serbian jazz
pianist. He started playing piano at the age of 5, and as a teenager, he started playing in bands on Belgrade jazz scene, where he received an award as the Best Young Jazz Musician of Yugoslavia
award in 1989.
In 1986 studied with Clare Fischer
at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
in Michigan
. He was influenced by the traditional Balkan music playing in an army orchestra during his military service
in former Yugoslavia, which would influence all his subsequent work. He moved to Paris
in 1988, playing with Noël Akchoté
, Julien Lourau
, Magic Malik, Marc Buronfosse, Henri Texier
and other renowned French musicians.
In 1993, he recorded the debut album with his Bojan Z Quartet with Label Bleu, followed by Yopla!. In 1999, he was engaged in multi-ethnical project Koreni (Roots) with musicians such as Karim Ziad from Algeria
, Kudsi Erguner
from Turkey
, and Vlatko Stefanovski
from Macedonia
.
His solo piano album "Solobsession" (2001) brought him wider worldwide recognition.
On "Transpacifik" (2003) he started collaborating with American jazz musicians Scott Colley
and Nasheet Waits
, and continued on "Xenophonia" (2006) with Ben Perowsky
and Ari Hoenig
, as well as Frenchman Remi Vignolo.
He often uses the combination of acoustic piano with Fender Rhodes electric piano, often playing them simultaneously, and recently is claimed to be the inventor of "Xenophone", a hybrid instrument, based on the customized Fender Rhodes electric piano. It can be heard on "Xenophonia".
In 2002 Bojan Zulfikarpašić was granted the title of Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and received the Prix Django Reinhardt
for Musician of the Year from the French Académie du Jazz, and in 2005 he was granted the European Jazz Prize as the Best European Jazz Musician.
Albums as sideman:
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
) is a Serbian jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist. He started playing piano at the age of 5, and as a teenager, he started playing in bands on Belgrade jazz scene, where he received an award as the Best Young Jazz Musician of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
award in 1989.
In 1986 studied with Clare Fischer
Clare Fischer
Clare Fischer is an American composer, arranger, pianist and organist. His parents were of German, French, Irish-Scot, and English backgrounds.-Early years:...
at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp is a Michigan non-profit organization located in the Manistee National Forest that provides summer fine arts camp and international exchange programs in music, art, dance and drama.-Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp:...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He was influenced by the traditional Balkan music playing in an army orchestra during his military service
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
in former Yugoslavia, which would influence all his subsequent work. He moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1988, playing with Noël Akchoté
Noël Akchoté
Noël Akchoté is a French guitarist mainly active in the free improvisation, experimental music and free jazz.-Biography:Trained from the age of eight he debuted as a guitarist in 1990...
, Julien Lourau
Julien Lourau
Julien Lourau is a French jazz saxophonist. He is the son of sociologist René Lourau.Julien Lourau made his début in the group Trash Corporation with guitarist Noël Akchoté and pianist Bojan Zulfikarpasic...
, Magic Malik, Marc Buronfosse, Henri Texier
Henri Texier
Henri Texier, born , is a French jazz double bassist born in Paris.He is perhaps best-known for his 1960s work with Don Cherry and for his 1980s band the "Transatlantik Quartet", which featured Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano...
and other renowned French musicians.
In 1993, he recorded the debut album with his Bojan Z Quartet with Label Bleu, followed by Yopla!. In 1999, he was engaged in multi-ethnical project Koreni (Roots) with musicians such as Karim Ziad from Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Kudsi Erguner
Kudsi Erguner
Kudsi Erguner is a Turkish musician. He is considered a master of traditional Mevlevi Sufi music and is one of the best-known players of the Turkish ney flute.-Biography:...
from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and Vlatko Stefanovski
Vlatko Stefanovski
Vlatko Stefanovski is Macedonian ethno-rock jazz fusion guitar player.-Biography:Born in Prilep in 1957, he started playing guitar at the age of 13. Stefanovski was one of the founding members of Leb i sol with whom he recorded 13 albums between 1978 and 1991...
from Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
His solo piano album "Solobsession" (2001) brought him wider worldwide recognition.
On "Transpacifik" (2003) he started collaborating with American jazz musicians Scott Colley
Scott Colley
Scott Colley is an American jazz bassist and Composer.Scott has performed extensively in bands led by: Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Andrew Hill, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Pat Metheny, Carmen McRae, Edward Simon, Adam Rogers, Brian Blade, David Binney, Antonio Sanchez, Kenny Werner...
and Nasheet Waits
Nasheet Waits
Nasheet Waits is an American jazz musician who plays drum set.Son of legendary percussionist Freddie Waits; Nasheet is a New York native who has been active on the jazz scene since early in his life. Before pursuing a music career, he studied psychology and history at Morehouse College in Atlanta....
, and continued on "Xenophonia" (2006) with Ben Perowsky
Ben Perowsky
Ben Perowsky is a New York City based drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger and record producer.-Biography:Exposed early on to jazz from his parents, Frank and Ginger Perowsky, and teacher Bobby Thomas, as well as rock and roll from his older brother Ricky, Ben watched the great musicians...
and Ari Hoenig
Ari Hoenig
Ari Hoenig , is a jazz drummer, composer and educator known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms. He currently leads a group that makes regular appearances in New York jazz clubs including the 55 Bar and the Blue Note, in addition to performing worldwide...
, as well as Frenchman Remi Vignolo.
He often uses the combination of acoustic piano with Fender Rhodes electric piano, often playing them simultaneously, and recently is claimed to be the inventor of "Xenophone", a hybrid instrument, based on the customized Fender Rhodes electric piano. It can be heard on "Xenophonia".
In 2002 Bojan Zulfikarpašić was granted the title of Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and received the Prix Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
for Musician of the Year from the French Académie du Jazz, and in 2005 he was granted the European Jazz Prize as the Best European Jazz Musician.
Discography
Albums as band leader / solo:- Bojan Z Quartet (1993)
- Yopla! (1995)
- Koreni (1999)
- Solobsession (2001)
- Transpacifik (2003)
- Xenophonia (2006)
- Humus (2010)
Albums as sideman:
- Jacques Bolognesi Big Band, Caravanserail (OMD 1988)
- Vincent Courtois, Turkish Blend (Al Sur 1992)
- Sylvain Beuf quartet, Impro Primo (Big Blue Records 1993)
- Henri TexierHenri TexierHenri Texier, born , is a French jazz double bassist born in Paris.He is perhaps best-known for his 1960s work with Don Cherry and for his 1980s band the "Transatlantik Quartet", which featured Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano...
Azur quartet, An Indian's Week (Label Bleu 1993) - Sarajevo suite, Deux Z / L'empreinte digitale (1994)
- Henri TexierHenri TexierHenri Texier, born , is a French jazz double bassist born in Paris.He is perhaps best-known for his 1960s work with Don Cherry and for his 1980s band the "Transatlantik Quartet", which featured Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano...
Sonjal septet, Mad Nomad(s) (Label Bleu 1995) - Michel PortalMichel PortalMichel Portal is a composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist.Portal studied clarinet at the Conservatoire de Paris...
, Dockings (Label Bleu 1997) - Simon Spang-Hanssen, Instant Blue (Storyville 1997)
- Nguyên LêNguyên LêNguyên Lê is a French jazz musician and composer of Vietnamese ancestry. His main instrument is guitar, and he also plays electric bass guitar and guitar synthesizer....
, Maghreb Friends (ACT 1997) - Henri TexierHenri TexierHenri Texier, born , is a French jazz double bassist born in Paris.He is perhaps best-known for his 1960s work with Don Cherry and for his 1980s band the "Transatlantik Quartet", which featured Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano...
Azur quintet, Mosaïc Man (Label Bleu 1998) - Karim Ziad, Ifrikyia (ACT 2000)
- Julien LourauJulien LourauJulien Lourau is a French jazz saxophonist. He is the son of sociologist René Lourau.Julien Lourau made his début in the group Trash Corporation with guitarist Noël Akchoté and pianist Bojan Zulfikarpasic...
, The Rise (Label Bleu 2001) - Henri TexierHenri TexierHenri Texier, born , is a French jazz double bassist born in Paris.He is perhaps best-known for his 1960s work with Don Cherry and for his 1980s band the "Transatlantik Quartet", which featured Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano...
Azur quintet, String Spirit (Label Bleu 2002) - Nguyên LêNguyên LêNguyên Lê is a French jazz musician and composer of Vietnamese ancestry. His main instrument is guitar, and he also plays electric bass guitar and guitar synthesizer....
, Purple-celebrating Jimi Hendrix (ACT 2002) - Marimanga Trio (Gramofon 2004)
- Julien LourauJulien LourauJulien Lourau is a French jazz saxophonist. He is the son of sociologist René Lourau.Julien Lourau made his début in the group Trash Corporation with guitarist Noël Akchoté and pianist Bojan Zulfikarpasic...
, Fire and Forget (Label Bleu 2005) - Julien LourauJulien LourauJulien Lourau is a French jazz saxophonist. He is the son of sociologist René Lourau.Julien Lourau made his début in the group Trash Corporation with guitarist Noël Akchoté and pianist Bojan Zulfikarpasic...
, Karim Ziad, BoZilo LIVE (JMS 2009)