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Vasko Atanasovski
SLAVIKA ENSEMBLE

Vasko Atanasovski – sopran & alt sax, flavta; kompozicije / soprano & alto sax, flute; compositions
Jelena Zdrale – violina / violin
Nino de Gleria – violoncelo / violoncello
Matjaz Krivec – kontrabas / contrabass
Ciril Sem – bobni / drums

SLAVIKA Ensemble in interesting and rare instrumentation performs lyrical and powerful music of Vasko Atanasovski. Pieces are inspired by Balkan music traditions, but are also connected to other musical cultures like folk music, oriental music, contemporary music and jazz. Melodies are reflecting happiness, sadness, love and magic of the Slavic spirit; between exotic, dancing rhythms, the colorful and the open parts bring up the poetry.
Vasko Atanasovski is one of the most creative Slovene composers/musicians in the last years. He’s a founder of many successful music groups like Vasko Atanasovski Quartet (CD Heat Flower, Extraplatte (A) 2002), ADRABESA Ensemble, Atanasovski-Berden-Bartoli trio (CD Suite de passion, Goga (SLO) 2003)…
SLAVIKA Ensemble is one of his latest projects, which is continuing to tell and express individual stories, also exploring the ethno roots and bringing them into the spirit of the time.

www.vaskoatanasovski.com

Short biography:

Vasko Atanasovski
composer, saxophone and flute player

Vasko Atanasovski (born 1977 in Maribor) is one of a few Slovenian composers and musicians, who beside researching contemporary improvised music, Afro American tradition, European classical music, ethnic music from different parts of the world and self-knowledge, succeed to develop exceptional originality in composition and musical style. Behind him is a whole line of his own projects, with which he always research new concepts of communication, aesthetics and creativity.
In 1990 he won the 1st award on the competition of young saxophonists of former SFR of Yugoslavia. When he was seventeen years old he began to earn his money by playing gipsy music and he already started to collaborate in dance and theater projects. In 1996 he joined the group Quatebriga; Slovenian legendary jazz ensemble of already recognized musicians. Since 1997 he is devoted mostly to his own productions, so he is a founder and co-founder of many music groups and projects (The open trio, Trio Bahur, Kozica, Vasko Atanasovski iMPRODooM, Vasko Atanasovski Quartet, Atanasovski – Berden – Bartoli trio…), author of some dance & music performances (Prostor za zivljenje, Sound E (n) Motion, Jakerobavaa, Suite de passion…) and composer of music for puppet and theater performances.
Periodically he promoted concerts of creative music where he presented many internationally recognized musicians (Carlo Rizzo, Anthony Coleman, Simone Zanchini, Antonio Marangolo, Michael Jefry Stevens, etc.) from different parts of the world. In 2002 he published an important CD “Vasko Atanasovski Quartet – Heat Flower” at the Austrian record label Extraplatte, otherwise he also published in small edition a solo album “Vasko Atanasovski solo – Akupunktura” in 2001. And in 2003 he published “Vasko Atanasovski – Suite de passion” performed by Atanasovski-Berden-Bartoli trio at the Slovenian label Goga.
He’s shared his visions and knowledge with artists of various profiles; musicians, choreographers, directors and drama actors. Some of them are: Michel Godard, Zoltán Lantos, Simone Zanchini, Roberto Bartoli, Tamara Obrovac, Iko Otrin, Jernej Lorenci, Jasna Knez, Peter Bostjancic, All Capone ·trajh Trio, David Jarh, Quatebriga, Romano Rai, Krunoslav Levacic, Armin Pokorn, Nino Mureskic, Ewald Oberleitner, Igor Bezget and others.

Discography:
– Suite de passion / Suita pasijonska – Atanasovski-Berden-Bartoli trio (Goga 2003)
– Vrocinska roza / Heat Flower – Vasko Atanasovski Quartet (Extraplatte Vienna Austria 2002)
– Nino Manas / Nino Mureskic (GDK Kuhna 2002) – as sideman
– Arabian picnic / Ansasa trio (Samo records 2002) – as guest
– V. Atanasovski Solo – Akupunktura (Glasbarium 2001)
– Hasret / Klarisa M. Jovanoviç & Trio Bahur (Dallas Records 2001)
– Kozica / Kozica (2000)
– Stekleni Cas / Sedmina (Didakta 2000) – as guest
– Nirvana / Sagar (1999)
– Spev nad mestom / Vasko Atanasovski & Miran Stergulec (1998)
– Cigani so mocni / Romano Rai (Coda 1995)

Vasko Atanasovski
SLAVIKA ENSEMBLE

SLAVIKA Ensemble v zanimivi in redki instrumentaciji izvaja liricno in hkrati udarno glasbo Vaska Atanasovskega. Skladbe so navdihnjene z glasbenim izrocilom balkana, a so tudi povezane z drugimi glasbenimi kulturami, kot so folk glasba, orientalna glasba, sodobna glasba in jazz. Melodije zrcalijo podobe veselja, zalosti, ljubezni in zasanjanosti slovanskega duha; med eksoticnimi in plesnimi ritmi v odprtih in barvastih delih zacutimo poezijo.
Vasko Atanasovski je v zadnjem casu eden najkreativnejsih slovenskih skladateljev / glasbenikov. Je ustanovitelj vec uspesnih glasbenih skupin, kot so Vasko Atanasovski Quartet (CD Heat Flower, Extraplatte (A) 2002), ADRABESA Ensemble, Atanasovski-Berden-Bartoli trio (CD Suite de passion, Goga (SLO) 2003)…
SLAVIKA Ensemble je eden njegovih novejsih projektov, ki nadaljujejo pripoved in ekspresijo individualnih zgodb ter odkrivanje etnicnih korenin in njihovo spajanje z duhom casa.

SLAVIKA Ensemble in interesting and rare instrumentation performs lyrical and powerful music of Vasko Atanasovski. Pieces are inspired by Balkan music traditions, but are also connected to other musical cultures like folk music, oriental music, contemporary music and jazz. Melodies are reflecting happiness, sadness, love and magic of the Slavic spirit; between exotic, dancing rhythms, the colorful and the open parts bring up the poetry.
Vasko Atanasovski is one of the most creative Slovene composers/musicians in the last years. He’s a founder of many successful music groups like Vasko Atanasovski Quartet (CD Heat Flower, Extraplatte (A) 2002), ADRABESA Ensemble, Atanasovski-Berden-Bartoli trio (CD Suite de passion, Goga (SLO) 2003)…
SLAVIKA Ensemble is one of his latest projects, which is continuing to tell and express individual stories, also exploring the ethno roots and bringing them into the spirit of the time.

MUSKA (2003) – “Vasko Atanasovski Quartet – Heat Flower”

With Vasko Atanasovski, his quartet and the album, wider home and international public is getting one of the most magnificence sprouts of jazz activity out of Ljubljana’s metropolis. It’s about more and more profiled Maribor’s jazz scene that offers a parallel with one which raised not long ago in North of Slovenian maritime province – around Zlatko Kaucic. With thoughtful changing of soprano, alto sax and flute, by convincing weaving of his interventions over rich sound stream in which contemporary jazz playing and recognised influences, mostly from eastern European music traditions, are intersecting – Vasko Atanasovski supremely leads his partners through eight compositions of his present project from the beginning to the end.
Zoran Pistotnik

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CANKARJEV DOM jazz abonma 2003 – Vasko Atanasovski Quartet

Vasko Atanasovski is indubitably one of the most creative Slovenian musicians in last years. In domestic Maribor he created a line of noticeable projects: from solo work. duets. trios and quartets. But it seams his last Quartet, with which he also cross the borders, is the highest point of his so far made career, which made essential progress specially because of chance to work in Austrian concert scene. The result is also a release of the album at the eminent European label Extraplatte from Vienna. Maybe success abroad will help him to acquire better recognition at home. With the album Heat Flower it will be much easier for him. Namely it’s about a diverse, rich with ideas and well-played jazz with recognisable musical roots. Jazz with Slavic soul – one of the rare in the family garden.
Bogdan Benigar

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VECER / 21.8.2001 – Vasko Atanasovski Quartet as band before Gato Barbieri

“ … Vasko Atanasovski, flutist and saxophonist and yet composer, music pedagogue and organiser from Maribor, is not counting thirty yet, but has already evolved his talent up to a great ripeness and famous style. In quartet with pianist Dejan Berden, contrabassist Ewald Oberleitner and great percussionist Nino Mureskic, he played a series of his own compositions with “impressionistic” titles – as well we could say that also the approach is reminding on musical impressionism. It’s about calm, melodic and smooth going jazz, continuing European “cool” tradition from the 70’s and 80’s, characterizing it with folk elements – above all use of syncopated rhythms (reminding mostly on Macedonian music – otherwise there should be Vasko’s ancestors from), which give a calm main stream much more liveliness and power – and all together discretely interlaced with extreme improvisation and “free” experiment. Their performance was enthusiastic and audience could not leave them of the stage, …”
Darino Kores Jacks