Blazin' Quartet
genre: JAZZ
• "The rhythmic richness of Balkan music is used subtly by the quartet. Just like the melancholic melodies that through the use of effects and sample get an exceptional tone...
...Strong soloists but mostly powerful compositions that create an image or a sphere right away."
The Blazin' Quartet is a group of young, passionate musicians with no sense of music borderlines and a broad sense of musicianship. Their compositions and playing draw inspiration from the musical culture of the Balkans, the freedom of Jazz and the sounds of the Electronic music era, creating an explosive mix in a well constructed form.
Born out of initiative of drummer Srdjan Ivanovic and saxophonist Alex Simu they quickly went on to surprise audiences with other energetic performance, organic sound and originality in composition and playing. In short time they went on to win the 2008 Holland Casino Jazz&Pop Award and later in the year the prestigious Dutch Jazz Competition, with finals held during the North Sea Jazz Festival. They have also appeared in clubs around Amsterdam where the band is based and at festivals such as Jazz-A-Palooza Festival and Novi Sad Jazz Festival.
The Blazin' Quartet has recorded it's first album "Finding a Way" and presented it during the 12 concert long Young VIPs Tour across te Netherlands and at the 2009 edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival where they are scheduled to perform.
Blazin' Quartet is:
- SRDJAN IVANOVIC – Drums (Bosnia)
- ALEX SIMU - T.Sax, Clarinet (Romania)
- MICHAEL RORBY – Trombone (Sweden)
- MIHAIL IVANOV - Bass (Bulgaria)
translations from excerpts of press:
• "With an extra set of the winner of the "Sena Best Group Prize" the "Srdjan Ivanovic Blazin' Quartet" closed the exciting finals in the Volga Hall of the North Sea Jazz Festival.
The Jury:
The jury, with the Belgian masterguitarist Philip Catherine, the successful saxophonist-composer Yuri Honing and saxophonist/producer Bart Suer chose the Srdjan Ivanovic Blazin' Quartet on basis of the original, organic, most free and interactive playing with enough space for improvisation. The bassist of the band Mihail Ivanov won the "NORMA Best Soloist 2008" award already in the semifinals of the competition. The jury (Tineke Postma a.o.) said then: The apparent freedom and a fabulous technique of Mihail Ivanov bring the sometimes complex sound of the band to a whole in a singing and fresh way."
- From North Sea Jazz - Dutch Jazz Competition
• "...One of the memorable acts was also the winner of the Dutch Jazz Competition, the Srdjan Ivanovic Blazin' Quartet, that plays driving music with a light Balkan influence while the horns use a tasteful amount of electronics."
- Koen Schouten - De Volkskrant
• "The most surprising event that I visited that evening they moved the audience with a contagious mix of jazz, Balkan influences and electronic."
- Mijn NL
• "The rhythmic richness of Balkan music is used subtly by the quartet. Just like the melancholic melodies that through the use of effects and sample get an exceptional tone...
...Strong soloists but mostly powerful compositions that create an image or a sphere right away."
