- Bojan Zulfikarpašić
Bojan Zulfikarpašić ("Бојан Зулфикарпашић", also using stage name Bojan Z.) (born
February 2 1968 inBelgrade ) is a Franco-Serb ianjazz pianist. He started playing piano at the age of 5, and as a teenager, he started playing in bands on Belgrade jazz scene, where he received Best Young Jazz Musician of Yugoslavia award in 1989.In 1986 studied with
Clare Fischer at theBlue Lake Fine Arts Camp inMichigan . He was influenced by the traditionalBalkan music playing in an army orchestra during his military service in former Yugoslavia, which would influence all his subsequent work. He moved toParis in 1988, playing withNoël Akchoté ,Julien Lourau ,Magic Malik ,Marc Buronfosse ,Henri Texier and other renowned French musicians.In 1993, he recorded the debut album with his
Bojan Z Quartet withLabel Bleu , followed by "Yopla!". In 1999, he was engaged in multi-ethnical project "Koreni" ("Roots") with musicians such asKarim Ziad fromAlgeria ,Kudsi Erguner fromTurkey , andVlatko Stefanovski from Macedonia.His solo piano album "Solobsession" (2001) brought him wider world-wide recognition.On "Transpacifik" (2003) he started collaborating with American jazz musicians
Scot Colley andNasheet Waits , and continued on "Xenophonia"(2006.) withBen Perowsky andAri Hoenig , as well as frenchmanRemi Vignolo .He's often using the combination of acoustic piano with
Fender Rhodes electric piano, often playing them simultaneously, and recently is claimed to be the inventor of "Xenophone", a hybrid instrument, based on the customizedFender Rhodes electric piano. It can be heard on "Xenophonia".In 2002 Bojan Zulfikarpašić was granted the title of "Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French government and received the Prix
Django Reinhardt for Musician of the Year from theFrench Académie du Jazz , and in 2005 he was granted the European Jazz Prize as the Best European Jazz Musician (part of "Hans Koller Prize ", founded by Austrian music office).Discography
Albums: (As band leader/solo):
*"Bojan Z Quartet" (1993.)
*"Yopla!" (1995.)
*"Koreni" (1999.)
*"Solobsession" (2001.)
*"Transpacifik" (2003.)
*"Xenophonia" (2006.)External links
* [http://www.bojanz.com Official site]
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