This year, the sixteenth in a row, Don Branko's days of music will have a spectacular end. At the concert called "Music Forces United", which will take place tomorrow evening at the Summer Theater in Kotor, two excellent pianists, Vasil Hadžimanov and Matija Dedić, will unite their different stylistic and musical expressions. They will be joined at the Kotor concert by famous vocal soloists Bisera Veletanlić and Gabi Novak.
Matija Dedić has already performed at the KotorArt festival, first with the Croatian musician and singer Massimo Savić, and in 2014 with his parents, Gabi Novak and the late doyen of the music scene, Arsen Dedić.
A versatile musician ̶ pianist, band leader, singer-songwriter, composer of applied music, music editor, Vasil Hadžimanov will present himself to the Kotor audience for the first time. One of the best jazz pianists in the region, he is the son of famous musicians Zafir Hadžimanov and Senka Veletanlić. He received his classical music education at the "Stevan Mokranjac" music school. He continues his education as a scholarship holder at Berklee College in Boston, where he graduated in piano and arranging in 1995. After spending a year in New York, he returns to Serbia and founds "Vasil Hadžimanov Band". So far, they have released six albums, and their music has been declared works of art of high national and cultural importance for Serbia. The last album of the band "Alive", which was recorded at five concerts in Serbia, was declared one of the best releases in 2016 on the world market by the prestigious American magazine "Downbeat".
Regarding the program and concept of the upcoming concert at the KotorArt festival, Vasil Hadžimanov says that tonight will be the first time he will perform with this kind of composition.
"Matija and I have been planning to play together for a long time, but the conditions for that have never been met. At the invitation of our mutual friend Elvis Stanić, we finally got together and last year performed at the closing of the jazz festival in Opatija. The concert went great, and we have decided to hold a series of concerts in Belgrade, Zagreb, and Ljubljana next year. In the meantime, we received an invitation from Kotor, so a preview of those concerts will practically take place at the KotorArt festival. Gabi and Bisera, as special guests at the concert, will sing several songs, each from their own repertoire, while Matija and I will play our compositions, arranged for two pianos. It is planned that we will perform in the usual, well-known "combinations", when Matija accompanies Gabi and I accompany Biser, but also in completely new ones.
The Kotor audience will have a unique opportunity to enjoy the music and all-night music of two, we can say, leading musical families in this region. How do you see the cooperation between your two families?
Our cooperation is positive and beautiful on many levels. What I'm especially happy about is that these two families, each of which left a serious mark on the Yugoslav scene and beyond, are coming together, whether it's just Matija and I, or with guests from our families or maybe something completely different. Our two families have been playing music for 25 years, which turns out to be "second" music, because we have this "first", which is always in the foreground in terms of popularity. The union of our two families is important both for regional reasons and for cooperation in the areas of the former Yugoslavia. And it gives the message that wars and quarrels are behind us and that we can only move forward.
This year, the first vinyl edition of your last album was released by the publishing house "Metropolis music". Only ten years ago it was difficult to find and buy a gramophone or record in stores in our area. It seems that listening to music from records is back in fashion?
It is a well-known fact in the world that vinyl is back on the market, here it is a little late. What is important is that the focus is on listening to the music. Vinyl is a symbol of something that is a ritual of listening to music, something that represents total dedication to the concept and music that is on an album, then, the artwork that is on the album cover. The reduced value of the work and work is broken when the music is placed in one folder on the computer. In this context, I am glad that "Metropolis music" recognized it.
You are the editor and host of the music-educational series "M-leb" on RTV Vojvodina, which featured successful musicians such as Dejvid Bini, Bojan Zulfikarpašić, Dušan Kojić Koja, Zafir Hadžimanov, Antonije Pušić - Rambo Amadeus, Matija Dedić and others. Will you continue the implementation of this project and which musicians will you present in the next season?
We finished two seasons. Unfortunately, a new editorial team came to RTV Vojvodina and cut the budget. One of the first items that fail in those situations is the cultural and educational program. I am very glad that we managed to do this much, considering that culture is completely irrelevant in a television program. In two years, we managed to create 12 episodes, lectures and concerts of great and successful artists. Unfortunately, that is no more. Perhaps we will be able to continue this concept, which is a combination of educational and entertainment programs, the likes of which has not been seen on our, especially national television programs, somewhere else.
There is no lack of potential in these areas, neither musicians nor authors
At the beginning of June, you and your band performed in Podgorica as part of the second jazz festival "Made in New York". What are your impressions of the jazz scene in Montenegro, of Montenegrin jazz musicians?
The jazz scene in Montenegro is not big, but it deserves praise. Vlado Maraš, who is the organizer of this festival, really tried to make the festival like many other, more famous, festivals with bigger budgets. Let's not forget Milorad Šulet Jovović, one of the best jazz guitarists in the region and beyond, who teaches jazz to high school students at the Music School in Podgorica. This is how we get new, young, talented jazz students who come from Montenegro. That's why the Montenegrin scene exists and promises, as well as the Belgrade scene, which in recent years represents some new hopes, new talents. We also have original bands that work on original music. There is no lack of potential for musicians and authors, there is an evident lack of space in the media, in the programs of various institutions that should deal with art and jazz music.
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