The Nikolov-Ivanović Undectet ensemble will hold a concert on Tuesday at the Philharmonic in Skopje, as part of their promotional tour of their new album.
The eleven-piece band of pianists, composer Vladimir Nikolov and drummer Srđan Ivanović seems to be trying to answer the question of the relationship between tradition and modern, “good old” times and contemporary approach to music, the Philharmonic said in a press release.
“The two Balkan musicians with respectable foreign careers are the right choice for this kind of experiment. Nikolov is prominent in his work as an arranger and composer, working with world orchestras and ensembles, while Ivanović is somewhat more active in smaller formations. The audience knows him as the leader of the band Blazin’ Quartet, presenting the original vision of joining modern European jazz with Balkan influences. Magazine JazzTimes called them ‘among the most creative current large jazz ensembles in Europe’. The orchestra itself is composed of the best musicians of younger and middle generations from the Balkan region, mixed with even younger forces from France into a symbiotic modern jazz ensemble,” the press release reads.
Their third album “Dystopia” is a new story with nine original compositions, dealing with social and themes of protests. The album will come out in Serbia and ex-Yugoslavia in December 2023, and in the rest of the world in 2024. First single “Scream” has already been published on YouTube.