| Born in a music loving family in Belgrade
in 1968, Bojan Zulfikarpasic starts playing the piano at the age
of 5. “In my country, music is a very widespread activity,
and since working days finish quite early, family and friends would
gather at my parent’s house as early as 3 o’clock in
the afternoon to socialize and play music until late at night. I
used to go to sleep listening to these Yugoslavian folksongs. Then
I discovered Bach, Ravel and Debussy through my teachers, The Beatles
– thanks to a friend – and Brazilian music with my father.
I played these tunes by ear, trying to find the right chords, which
already amounts to a jazz attitude”. As a teenager, while
continuing his lessons in music school, he starts playing in bands
and becomes known musician on the Belgrade jazz and rock scene (resulting
in 1989 in receiving the award for Best Young Jazz Musician of Yugoslavia).
In 1986 he receives a scholarship to study three months with Clare
Fischer at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan in the USA.
Then, after his military service in former Yugoslavia, where in
the army orchestra he discovers the richness of traditional Balkan
music, he moves to Paris in 1988, to become in a few years time
an unavoidable name in French jazz. He applies for the CIM, a school
of reference for many young artists, where he quickly settles in
and starts working with other musicians. With guitarist Noël
Akchoté he plays all the Parisian bars and clubs, both as
a duo and in quintet formation. Next to that he starts playing with
contemporaries like Julien Lourau, Magic Malik and others.
The rise to recognition begins in 1990. Replacing the pianist of
bassist Marc Buronfosse’s quartet (with François Merville
on drums and Julien Lourau on sax), Bojan wins the prize for best
soloist at the ’Concours de la Défense’ and his
appearance does not go unnoticed by some of France’s biggest
names in jazz. From 1991 he starts working with famous French double
bass player Henri Texier in his successful Azur Quartet, later followed
by clarinettist Michel Portal, both of them bringing him on to the
big stages of France, Europe and further. With his special language
– consisting of a mature jazz vocabulary with subtly dosed
folkloric influences from the Balkans – Bojan leaves an indelible
imprint on all the groups he plays with.
Apart from playing and recording as a sideman, Bojan leads his
own formations.
In 1993 he starts his collaboration with Label Bleu with the debut
album of the Bojan Z Quartet, which he recorded in New York, followed
by Yopla!, his second quartet recording, released in 1995. In 1999,
he releases his successful multi-ethnical project Koreni, inviting
eight musicians from different horizons among whom Algerian percussionist
Karim Ziad, Turkish ney master Kudsi Erguner, Macedonian rock guitarist
Vlatko Stefanovski and some old friends from Belgrade, bassists
Predrag Revisin and Vojin Draskoci.
After some years of thought and reflection on the endeavour of
solo piano playing, Bojan records his internationally praised and
revered cd Solobsession, released in 2001. This album, full of superb
compositions and out-of-the-ordinary piano playing, confirms once
again his status as a jazz pianist who resembles no other, with
seemingly unlimited talents.
As well with the groups of musicians like Texier, Portal and Lourau,
as with his own bands, trio and solo he’s been playing at
big festivals like Montreal, North Sea Jazz, Paris Jazz Festival,
Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac, La Roque d'Anthéron
etc. and in famous concert halls like Palau de la Musica in Barcelona
and Konzerthaus Wien.
In 2002 Bojan Zulfikarpasic is granted the title of Chevalier de
l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and
receives the Prix Django Reinhardt for Musician of the Year from
the French Académie du Jazz.
His fifth album for Label Bleu, his first in trio format "Transpacifik"
marks the beginning of colaborations with american musicians, such
as bassist Scott Colley and New York jazz drummer Nasheet Waits.
It was recorded in New York in 2003. Since he's playing with Ben
Perowsky, or Ari Hoenig on drums and the great french bassist Remi
Vignolo.
In 2005 he was awarded the "European Jazz Prize" ( Hans
Koller Prize) as the best european jazz artist.
His latest CD "Xenophonia" was released in 2006, and
has won the prize "Les victoires du jazz 2007" as the
best album of the year.
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