Jazz Art Association

JAM 2012 – Jazz Crossing Borders and Cultures -

April and Jazz are here! We worked laboriously to prepare for Appreciation Month (JAM) in Montenegro. Our Program is diverse in its contents as the program joins the world-wide celebration of jazz music and culture. Our hope is to promote jazz and motivate younger generations of musicians so that they can become actively involved in music.

This year, the celebrations will last one entire month, from April 1st to April 30th. Six Montenegrin towns will be included: Podgorica, Cetinje, Tivat, Kotor, Herceg Novi and Pljevlja. The public will also have the chance to follow the programs via media coverage, which will be provided through our numerous media friends and sponsors.

From our inaugural JAM event to today, all the JAM events, including seminars and workshops, have been free for admission. We want young people, and the larger audience, to learn more about jazz and get involved in process of making it. Superb educators and performers help us achieve this goal, and the movie cycles, exhibitions, promotions, poetic and art performances and productions are there to give additional touch and facilitate the approach to the new art form of the 20th century. Finally, JAM provides a boost for the Montenegrin music scene. The new knowledge and fresh views expand our jazz potential and grow into many styles that have developed throughout the world. The initial experiences in this field are of great importance for the future of contemporary Montenegro.

The Jazz Appreciation Month in Montenegro 2012 shares the general motto Jazz Crossing Borders and Cultures and consists of several interconnected segments:
Educational workshop by Dena DeRose, head of the Vocal Jazz department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz is a guest lecturer at the Vasa Pavic Art School of Music and Ballet. The public will have the chance to see her perform in a duo with Kristin Korb, double bass and voice, in Podgorica concert.

The concerts will be held throughout Montenegro: Radio String Quartet Vienna are the special guests this year. Three Montenegrin concerts are a worthy contribution to JAM. But, that’s not everything. Young and creative, Montenegrin jazz quintet Baltazar is also on tour, opening new horizons for our jazz fans. Mix of classic music and jazz is also on the menu: newly founded Clazz Quintet promotes contemporary classics with a jazz twist; the premiere performance of Picnic Suite by Claude Bolling will be their “ticket” to the JAM.

Book promotion: Mihailo Blam, great bass player and jazz promoter, is our guest with his book “Jazz in Serbia: 1927-1944”. We will also hear him play with his Montenegrin colleauges so stay tuned.
Movie cycles this year are some great features exploring the subject of jazz and memorable for their jazz scores, but also documentaries. American Corner Podgorica helped select and coordinate the screenings in Podgorica, Tivat and Pljevlja. In Podgorica, the screenings will be accompanied by expert comments by Andro Martinovic, Nemanja Becanovic and Milos Pusonjic.

For the first time, JAM features the art photo exhibition by a well known Slovenian music photographer Ziga Koritnik: “Cloud Arrangers” in a great setting of the Center for Contemporary Art of Montenegro, Perjanicki Dom Gallery.

Our jam session partner this year is ethno-jazz club Sejdefa with MP Trio as the hosting band. Each Monday, the participants and guests of the JAM will be crowding Sejdefa.
Last but not the least, we will offer lectures on jazz, creative jazz readings of poetry, as well as informal events which will make the presence of jazz spirit visible and audible all over the place.

Please check out our calendar for further details on the program.

We are thankful for the support of our donors, partners, sponsors and friends who helped make us this event possible, despite the financial crisis. Special thanks goes to: Cultural and Information Center Budo Tomovic, US Embassy Podgorica, Austrian Embassy Podgorica, the Royal Theatre Zetski Dom Cetinje, Crnogorski Telekom, Embassy of Slovenia, Podgorička banka Societe Generale, Herceg Fest, Center for Culture Tivat, Center for Contemporary Art of Montenegro, Vasa Pavic Art School for Music and Dance Podgorica, Vida Matjan Music School for Elementary and High School Education Kotor, Merkur, Center for Vocational Education of Montenegro, Serbia Embassy, Sejdefa ethno-jazz club, Karver Bookstore, Habitat, Porto Montenegro, DPC. Great thanks to our media sponsors as well: RTV Atlas, RTV Crne Gore, Analitika and Cafe del Montenegro web portals, and the Vijesti, Pobjeda and Dnevne Novine dailies.

We have a pleasure to invite you to the concert «Remmembering Django» by Podgorica based ensemble ISHIJAZZ. Concert will be held on March 19 at ethno-jazz club Sejdefa in  Podgorica (10 Bokeska Str.) at 9pm.

The members of ISHIJAZZ are: Milorad Šule Jovović, guitar, Milutin Mićko Peruničić, guitar, Vili Ferdinandi, violin and Boban Aleksić, bass. They will perform some of famous Django`s compositions, such as «Nuage», «Minor» «Swing», «Daphne», «Bellevillee», «Djangology», «Swing `42».

While Jean Reinhardt, whose nickname “Django” means “I awake” in Romani, was born in Belgium, he spent most of his youth and formative years as a banjo, violin and guitar player in gypsy encampments near Paris. In 1934, French violinist Stéphane Grappelli invited him to found the Hot Club of France Quintet, one of the earliest and most significant continental jazz groups in Europe.

This event is organized by Jazz Art Association, French Institute of Montenegro and Sejdefa jazz club within the Francophone Days in Montenegro.

Christmas and the New Year are upon us – at the moment, we are busy compiling the results of the year and preparing for new projects. We are satisfied with the achievements –Jazz Art concludes a successful season and, in full sway, prepares the next sequel of the JAM 2012 project. The recently published annual JAM Bulletin provides our readers with an extensive overview of events and projects we made possible throughout 2011 (Jazz Appreciation Month in Montenegro, the Montenegrin tour of this year’s prestigious French award Victoire du Jazz winners, Eric Legnini Trio; as well as the first Montenegrin performance of the legendary American composer and guitar player, Ralph Towner); observes the activities of international institutions, musicians and critics; and many other things. The Bulletin is very important to us, it serves to boost our communication with the community, especially the people who admire and practice jazz music, and the cultural values associated with it. At the encouragement of the Central National Library of Montenegro, our publication has been deemed worthy of cataloging, and it enters the regular procedure starting next year, enabling its further international connections. Currently, the JAM Bulletin copies are available for free at the American Corners in Podgorica and Pljevlja, and the following Podgorica-based bookstores: Karver, Krug, Mamut, Gradska knjizara and Narodna knjiga, as well as at the jazz club Sejdefa.

JAM, our main project, is still alive: the video recording of the musical Nora’s Ark is available on Crnogoski Telekom’s Extra TV (under Miscellaneous), from October to December. Continue reading →

On Friday, November 25th at 1 pm, in the premises of the American Corner in Podgorica, we will present the annual Jazz Bulletin “JAM 2011″, a publication dedicated to our main event – Jazz Appreciation Month in Montenegro.

This is an opportunity to meet, talk, and take a look at the fragments from the video of the musical “Nora’s Ark”, which was masterfully performed at the JAM 2011 as a collaborative effort between the Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet, the choral ensembles and ballet group from the Art School of Music, the Ballet “Vasa Pavic”, and the organizational team of the Jazz Art Association.

Come, and bring your friends! Continue reading →

We are pleased and proud to present Ralph Towner, the great American composer who is going to perform for the first time in Podgorica, Montenegro, on November 10^th 2011, in main hall of Cultural Information Center (KIC “Budo Tomovic”, at 8pm), thanks to the great support of the US Embassy in Podgorica.

Ralph Towner - composer, arranger, guitarist, and bandleader, multi-instrumentalist (classical guitar, twelve-string guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet) has made notable jazz, classical, folk and world music recordings.

Veteran guitarist Ralph Towner founded the influential group Oregon decades ago. His unique style of playing, and his compositions, are inspired by a wide array of influences, from Bach to Brazil and jazz. He has been famous artist of ECM label for years.

Since 1970, Ralph Towner has recorded over forty albums under his own name and has collaborated in concert or recording with many famous musicians, like Keith Jarrett, Egberto Gismonti, Gary Burton, John Abercrombie, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, Jan Hammer, Eddie Gomez, Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Michel Portal, Dave Holland, Paul Winter Consort, bands Oregon and Weather Report (with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter), and many others. He has won Continue reading →

Jazzers of the Eric Legnini Trio will soon be playing in Montenegro – Thomas Bramerie (double bass), Franck Agulhon (drums) and the band leader Eric Legnini (piano) will next week perform in Podgorica, Cetinje and Kotor. These concerts will be extraordinary events. Legnini’s skills and experience certainly promise so.

Born in Huy, Belgium, on 1970, Eric Legnini is one of the most talented
young pianists in international jazz scene. After spending two years working in New York with American pianist Richie Beirach, Eric Legnini is now performing and touring Europe with his own group. He has played with leading musicians such as John Ruocco, Félix Simtaine, Michel Hatzi, Dré Palemaerts, Emanuel Cisi, Toninho Horta, Philippe Catherine, Serge Reggiani, Hein van de Geyn, Marcia Maria, Jacques Pelzer, Joe Lovano, Aka Moon Electric, Eric Le Lann, Aldo Romano, André Ceciarelli, Belmondo 5tet, Stefano di Battista and Flavio Boltro Quintet. Eric Legnini used to tour also with world famous Toots Thielemans. In 1990, Eric Legnini has been appointed teacher of jazz piano at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music. That same year, The Belgian TV has featured 50 minutes of film about Eric’s life in Belgium and the U.S. In October 2005, he received the Belgian DJANGO D’OR (confirmed musician). In 2006, he receives the award “Octaves de la Musique” in Belgium, in the jazz category, and in 2011 he is in selection  for the prestigious  prize “Victoire du Jazz” in France.

Montenegrin tour of Legnini’s Trio is organized by Jazz Art Association and French Institute, in cooperation with partners – KIC, Royal Theatre Zetski Dom and club Evergreen. Here is the schedule of the concerts:

October 5^th, Podgorica, KIC Budo Tomović, 20:00
October 6^th, Cetinje, Royal Theatre Zetski Dom, 20:00
October 7^th, Kotor, club Evergreen, Old Town, 21:00

Welcome!

After a memorable, ecstatic and enthusiastic celebration of jazz back in April, the Jazz Art Association team is now preparing the annual bulletin. This publication is dedicated to Jazz Appreciation Month in Montenegro, as well as to other important jazz events and past and future projects of Jazz Art. Promotion of the bulletin is scheduled for the beginning of October at the American Corner in Podgorica. We’ll keep you posted – hope to see you there!

We are proud to announce our upcoming projects, planned and carried out with the support of our regular partners. Thus, in a cooperation with the French Institute and KIC from Podgorica, the Royal theater Zetski dom from Cetinje and the Evergreen Club from Kotor, we’re bringing you the French ensemble Eric Legnini Trio which will tour Montenegro in early October (Podgorica – October 5^th, Cetinje – 6^th and Kotor – 7^th).

Another guest will be the legendary American guitarist and composer Ralph Towner. His concert, scheduled for November 10^th, will be held at KIC Budo Tomovic in Podgorica under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro. Ralph Towner, one of the founders of the famous group Oregon, is one of only a few jazz musicians who expressed his talent for composing through the masterful skill of playing the acoustic guitar. At solo gigs he usually plays his own original music that transcends the boundaries of jazz convention, uniting a wide range of expressions – from impressionism to folk, connected in an unusual way. His fine solo and duo albums are published by the famous ECM records.

Rising star Eric Legnini, a Belgian residing in Paris, with two years of American experience, belongs to a younger generation of virtuoso pianists-composers, who have a special place at the European jazz scene. In his Trio, Legnini plays with famous musicians: Thomas Bramerie (double bass) and Franck Agulhon (drums). His music vibrates through the influences of classical, jazz, funk, soul, hip hop and other modern musical styles.

Fall is coming, with the great energy and beautiful music – so, see you at the concerts! Welcome!

From intensive preparations leading all the way to a glorious finale, the European premiere of the jazz musical Nora’s Ark took place here in Podgorica, performed by the students from Vasa Pavic School of Music and Dance and Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet.  The euphoria that Jazz Appreciation Month raised in Montenegro is still not fading. While we savor all the compliments and excellent reviews from both experts and audience, let’s remember some of the best moments of this year’s event: here are some extraordinary photographs along with the story of JAM 2011 in Montenegro, the way jazz critic and senior contributor of Downbeat Magazine Virgil Mihaiu told it. Enjoy!

Continue reading →

JAM 2011 is almost here – April brings spring time and some wonderful music!
While we’re waiting for it impatiently, let us introduce our main guests for this season: Eli Yamin and his Jazz Quartet.

Eli Yamin is a jazz pianist, composer, educator, broadcaster, bandleader and Steinway artist. Eli’s joyful and swinging piano performances have led him to play at top concert halls and festivals in the United States, India, China, Mali, Japan and throughout Europe. During his tour experiences, Eli is continually blown away by jazz’s ability to uplift, inspire and build community all over the world.

Continue reading →

April is upon us – Jazz Appreciation Month – and we are in the midst of preparations for events in Montenegro.  Creative celebration of jazz — that is what we strive for when dealing with this unique art form born in the twentieth century.  Our efforts stem from the original idea of the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington DC.  This famous institution founded Jazz Appreciation Month in the U.S. some ten years ago and thus gave to everybody a template for celebrating jazz all over the world.  Encountering this conception during her visit to the U.S. inspired Maja Popovic to inaugurate JAM in Montenegro.

This year our JAM in Montenegro celebrates its fifth anniversary, and expands: Podgorica, Cetinje, Tivat, Kotor, Niksic and Pljevlja are the places where various jazz programs will be held open to all lovers of music.  Thanks to our partner, the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica, we will have support from the very heartland of jazz.  Eli Yamin, pianist and composer and educator, will come from New York City, along with his colleagues Ari Roland (contrabass), LaFrae Sci (drums) and Zaid Nasser (saxophone).  He and his jazz quartet will have a seven-day workshop plus concerts in several cities in Montenegro.  They will also collaborate with the Vasa Pavic Art School of Music and Ballet in Podgorica, as well as work with instrumentalists, vocalists, and choirs!

This year’s JAM will also promote the music of Baltazar, a young Montenegrin jazz ensemble.  The members of this band – guitarist Filip Gavranovic, pianist Ivan Marovic, drummer Blazo Tatar, clarinetist/saxophonist Stefan Pavicevic, and contrabassist Nebojsa Miletic – are creating and playing wonderful music and this will be a great opportunity for them to showcase it.

Well-known journalist Virgil Mihaiu from Romania will also join us in April, lecturing on “Jazz at the Beginning of the 21st Century – Between Universal Lanague and Ehtno-Cultural Identities” and reporting on our JAM celebration.  Vid Juraj from Croatia will talk about the relationship between jazz and literature in a lecutre titled “Jazzology”.

Movie cycles, art exhibitions and impromptu music-making are inseparable parts of JAM in its mission to promote better udnerstanding of jazz art.

Stay tuned — soon we will publish the complete program for the April 2011 Jazz Appreciation Month in Montenegro!

If you wish to participate in, or simply observe, the workshops by Eli Yamin and his colleagues, please contact us by sending an e-mail to info@jazzartassociation.org.

Join us – and experience jazz!