It is 9th October, 20:00h, Concert hall. 

Undoubtedly, this is one of the most interesting events in the calendar of the Plovdiv Jazz Evenings this year. It is organized by the Plovdiv Municipality as part of the Autumn Arts Fest – 2009 and in memoriam of Randy’s brother – Michael Brecker and Freddy Hubbard. 

“It was a great challenge for me to put together in the same project those incredible musicians”, said Ventsi Blagoev who invited the guest jazzmen. “First of all, I want to thank the organizers – for their unconditional help and love for jazz. Thanks to Randy, Plamen and Triffon – for coming from the USA especially for this concert and to Shibil and Mitko for their support!” 

Ventsi Blagoev is well-known and popular with the Plovdiv audience. In May this year, together with his band TrumPoetry Jazztet he made an impressive concert at the Ancient Theatre in honour of the poet Boris Hristov for his “Orpheus garland” award during the Plovdiv Reads festival.

 
“Playing with Mr. Brecker is a kind of testimony for every musician”, Ventsi Blagoev explains. Randy is one of the mile-stone trumpet players in the history of jazz. At the beginning of this year “Randy in Brazil” brought him his fifth Grammy award in a row, in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category.  

James Taylor, Horas Silver, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Frank Sinatra, Larry Coryell, Billy Cobham, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen – these are only some of the stars Randy has worked with during his longer than 40 years career. He molds the contemporary sound of jazz, R&B, and rock in general, while his featuring in the debut album of Blood Sweat & Tears rockets the group in 1968. His true talent, however, shines in his partnership with his little brother, the saxophone player Michael, with whom he issues several incredible albums in the span of 30 years, which have a big impact on jazz and lay the foundation for fusion.

 
It is curious that Randy Brecker comes to Bulgaria as early as in 1988 with his quintet Barry  Finnerty (guitar), David Kikoski (piano and keyboard), Dieter Ilg (double bass) and Steve Smith (drums). His concert in the Universiada hall is organized under the patronage of the USA State Department as part of the policy for warming up relationships with the totalitarian states from East Europe. At that time Ventsi Blagoev is first year in the Musical Academy. “Some months before that I had discovered the Brecker Brothers album Straphangin’. It had changed the direction of my development. When playing classical music the performer, as good as he may be, needs to follow. But it felt too tight for me under the conductor’s stick. I knew then that jazz is my music. Not only because I liked it. But also because it showed me the limitless horizons of improvisation, a different way of playing, playing with a soul! Can you imagine – Randy Brecker in Bulgaria! I was overjoyed after his wonderful concert and although then I didn’t know a word in English, I didn’t hesitate even for a second to congratulate him. A young man translated my words then and I did not remember his name but until today I feel grateful to him. Randy listened very carefully to the load of questions I asked him, he advised me how and what to play to learn to perform in the “modern” way and he gave me his address to send him my recording”, says Ventsi Blagoev passionately.  

So when the municipality of Plovdiv offered me to make a project for the Plovdiv Jazz Evenings this year, naturally I invited Randy, because the dream of every musician is to play with someone better than him. With the best!” 

21 years after their first meeting Ventsi Blagoev and Randy Brecker will play on the same stage, together with Plamen, Triffon, Shibil and Mitko. “I support these Bulgarian musicians because to a great extent their music is influenced by the music of the Brecker brothers and Freddy Hubbard. Because they are recognized professionals worldwide and because none of them is ready to make compromises in his work”, Ventzi Blagoev explains. And he does not hide his idea for a CD with classical jazz and original pieces together with his friends.  

The American critics have received extremely favourably the debut album “Crossing Lines” of Plamen Karadonev, who went to USA last year. In addition to jazz standards the album contains some pieces by the piano player. Individuality that comes forth, excellent interpretation skills, controlled, elegantly spotless, without unnecessary eccentricity - these are only some of the laudations for the first CD of the Bulgarian musician. “Unfortunately, his name is more popular in Boston, where he has been working and living since 2001, than in Bulgaria. That is why I don’t miss a change when he is here to organize at least 2-3 meetings of the audience with the talent of Plamen”, Ventsi Blagoev adds. Plamen shares that when he composes music it is important for him to weave into it his Bulgarian roots. He often uses national folk themes which give his music warmth and incredible depth.  

Triffon Dimitrov is also one of the talented Bulgarian musicians who chose to build his career across the Atlantic. He graduated from the Music Academy in 2002. As student he plays at various jazz festivals and in television programmes. He records a lot for the Bulgarian National Radio and the Bulgarian National Television. During 2002-04 he studies in Frankfurt. He is one of the members of a jazz trio opening the emblematic jam sessions each Wednesday at the famous Jazz Keller. He works together with the worldwide known saxophone player Tony Lakatos. In 2004 he moves to New York. He has recently graduated from the prestigious Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music. He actively performs in the USA and Europe and records a lot for TV channels and in the studio. To join the project of Blagoev Triffon Dimitrov turned down an arrangement in Las Vegas where he is working with The Prodigals and Darren Maloney (banjo) spoken of as one of the best Irish music performers.  

They say that Shibil Benev’s guitar organically fits the style of the best jazz icons. The music critics compare him to Joe Pass and John Scofield. “You should have a lot of discipline and work a lot when you have set yourself a high aim and you have got the ambition to follow it until the end”, says Shibil. Although he performs mainly abroad, in Bulgaria he is known from his work together with Hristo Yotsov, Teodosii Spasov, Yaldaz Ibrahimova, Hilda Kazasian. And Milcho Liviev describes him as the musician who performs most precisely his works. He is a graduate of the Music Academy, and he also plays the piano. 

Dimitar Dimitrov is a popular name on the Bulgarian jazz scene. In addition to his active performances, he also teaches drums and has worked in the New Bulgarian University. He is a graduate of the Music Academy and after that the Richard Strauss conservatory in Munich. He has played together with the Bulgarian National Radio Big Band. Mitko Dimitrov is one of the jazzmen who helped most beginner musicians. As a true lover of jazz, his passion is to open up clubs where jazz is performed. 

An incredible feast for the music fans promises Ventsi Blagoev, who participates in the Plovdiv Jazz Evenings since the beginning of the festival. Original pieces by Randy, Michael Brecker and Freddy Hubbard, jazz standards, unique improvisations… - things that the six men are not just good at, but phenomenal.  

“It is high time we, the musicians from East Europe, stopped being looked upon as people who wear shepherd’s caps, girdles and national costumes”, Ventsi fires up. As the presenter of the regular jazz concerts in the Bulgarian National Radio he strives to go across limits and makes projects with Russian, Romanian, Greek and French colleagues. He discovers the trumpet when he was nine, almost as a joke – “because it as a fad in my neighbourhood”, he confirms. His talent develops in the partnership with famous musicians such as Milcho Liviev, Liubomir Denev, Antoni Donchev, Airto Moreira, Glenn Ferris, Sylvain Luc, Bireli Lagrene, Didier Lockwood.

 
But it is not only talent. “To make the audience explode it requires love – not so much for music, but for the people for whom you make it”, says Ventsi. “When I play I always put in it the whole whirlpool of emotions and thoughts that have possessed me. And when I’m in Plovdiv I feel even more charged, because I’m in love with this city and I feel at home here”, he adds. 

Blagoev created maximum excitement when during the BlueZZ Fest in Rousse performed in stead of on a trumpet on a… teapot! His slant for unusual musical instruments is known from last year’s jazz festival in Bansko when he thrilled the audience with his performance on sea-shells he brought from his traveling across the world. “In every creation of god there is music, you only have to manage to hear it and to take it out”, he laughs. And he says openly that after several years of working abroad he is firm about staying some time in Bulgaria – “because here are the roots of my tree, because here are the friends and people I love… And because I know that here there are a lot of very good – at international level – musicians who it is pleasure for me to work with!” 

… Then the audience flew to the sounds of the famous trumpet belonging to the giant Randy Brecker and one of the emblematic figures of the Bulgarian jazz, Ventsi Blagoev. With them on the stage performed well-known national jazzmen who came from the other end of the world especially for the jazz evening in the Plovdiv Concert Hall. The dream team had prepared a tribute to the late Freddy Hubbard and Michael Brecker. While playing the piece of his brother Randy Brecker did not conceal his emotions. While Ventsi blew the trumpet, Randy stuck out his tongue having a good time and bowed down in front of our virtuoso. “You are great, boys!”, the five times Grammy awards holder told his colleagues after the first and only encore. An artist from Varna, fan of the grand trumpet player, surprised him with two paintings of his brother Michael and stated that the late Brecker with always live in his own works.