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www.bojanz.com
Photograph: Jean Marc Lubrano
This native of Belgrade has trodden many paths since 1988, when he arrived in France at the tender age of 20. Raised in a family of music lovers, this pianist has been steeped in a classical musical education since the age of five—Ravel, Debussy et al. A jazz fan, he spent his time wandering off the beaten track, steeping himself in the earthy jazz of the Balkans, freeing himself with his encounters with influences more to the west—pop and rock—and even farther, with Latin music. He’s always had all that in his fingers—an original sense of inflection, a very personal sense of style. At the age of 18, he studied with the admired esthete Claire Fisher—an experience that would not fail to leave a powerful imprint. Since then, Bojan Zulfikarpasic has settled in France, where he has quickly established himself as a fixture on the French jazz scene. It’s a curious paradox since this pianist’s music is inherently liminal and resists most attempts at being defined by borders of any sort. For the last fifteen years, he has been one of the most sought-after accompanists because his skill at toeing the line in a group is just as great as his talent at stepping out of the framework and challenging accepted forms. Henri Texier, Michel Portal, and Julien Lourau can all testify to the contributions made to their music by this tempered rebel pianist. Bojan Z won the first soloist prize at the Concours de La Défense in 1990, became a decorated Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2002, but perhaps it’s the title of Django d’Or that suits his personality best. Like his illustrious elder, this Bosnian simultaneously embraces both popular and classical musical styles, puts his own personal stamp on them, a rhythmic signature if you will, while managing to preserve their harmonic and melodic treasures. A musician is a melding of the training imbibed from others, a composer whose universe is as singular as it is full of multiplicity, a leader of men and projects. A handful of albums provides ample testimony to his success at this, whether single or group endeavors: Quartet, Yopla, Koreni, Solobsession, Transpacifik… All done with Label Bleu, original blues. So much for a basic summary about this artistic personality.
As for current events, we have to travel once again into the past. To the agitation and excitement of his first days in Paris, when he was blasting out in all directions from the heart of the Trash Corporation, a madcap group of musicians, many destined to make good. Why bring up this adventurous, avant-garde yet ephemeral group destined for self-destruction? Because this new album of Bojan Z’s will evoke nostalgic memories for those who had known them in their prime. Traces of them can be detected in the sometimes dirty sound of the keyboards, and in the spirit of certain compositions as well. Nothing explicit, just fleeting impressions, felt between the lines, a slight punctuation, an explosive inflection. That was fifteen years ago, and it is hard not to see this new album as the end of a cycle, something coming full circle…the better to strike out for new horizons. This album is also the tribute of a son for his father, who passed away on April 10th, 2005. “Barely three months after the birth of my little girl… Yes, this album is reflective of a momentous year on a personal level, full of changes.” Nevertheless, he insists that it is not a rupture with the past: “It is definitely part of a continuum, even if it is quite different from the others, if only because it was recorded over a longer period of time—between December 2004 and July 2005. Also because it is the album that I have done the most work on at home.”
The concept that permeated these sessions: “Don’t aim for a first take, let the tapes roll to accumulate material, to obtain the energy that comes with balance, that magical moment when the musicians really let go, without pressure. Moreover, the main theme is the balance of the album. We were just making sound.” And what a sound. Paradoxically, there were few edits, a collection of ten takes, mostly in their integrity.
The end result is that Bojan Z has conceived a rather strange album, approaching the searing intensity of Zappa, veering away from orthodox jazz—to a place where we have been waiting for him for ages. You just have to hear his electronic keyboards, tones that are rarely polished, often tinkered with, suddenly sublimated the next second by a melody of delicious clarity. At his side, Rémi Vignolo holds a solid baseline, Ben Perowsky and Ari Hoenig share the drumming—two drummers whose sticks could crack the image of jazz wide open. On top of that, guesting on two cuts is Krassen Lutzkanov’s kaval, lapping in impressionistic layers. It was taped many times over, to get it to sound like a section. As is his wont, it begins with Ulaz (the entrance), and ends with Izlaz (the exit). Each title is carefully crafted and reflects the mood of the author. Biggus D is an homage to the famed character in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Wheels is a salute to a Serbian guitarist who inspired him in his adolescent years, complete with a paraphrase slipped right into the middle of it. Pendant ce temps-là, chez le general (“Meanwhile, at the General’s”) is a collective improv done at the Davout Studio. CD-Rom is a remake of a theme he did on his album Koreni, a lively and vibrant tribute to the sellers of pirate CDs in Belgrade. There is also Xenos Blues, a lovely rustic blues number that takes you right down to the bayou. Finally, there are two covers: David Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes and Horace Silver’s The Mohican and The Great Spirit, both themes that emerged from the pianist’s adolescence. Above all, there is the title of the album, the emblematic Xenophonia. A curious neologism, part of the medical lexicon… Stranger, foreigner. It was the idea I had in mind. In Paris, I never felt like I was 100% French, and in Belgrade it was the same! But, if you look inside yourself, you can reverse that type of prejudice and feel at home wherever you are… Being a foreigner is a profession in and of itself.” Here it is a profession of faith that you will adopt as an old familiar friend.
Contacts
Tourneur
Country: France
Name: Reno Di Matteo
Tel: 0145080000
Fax: 0145080333
E-mail: reno.dimatteo@wanadoo.fr
Website: www.anteprimaproductions.com
Adress: Anteprima
22 rue de Navarin
75009 Paris
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