Articles by Nenad Georgievski
Milcho Leviev: Letter To America
by Nenad Georgievski
Milcho Leviev's Letter to America (reissued on vinyl from his final 2015 solo piano studio recording, on Perfect Records, originally titled Quiet March) distills a lifetime of defiance, cinematic grandeur, and cross-cultural mastery into its rawest, most intimate essence. Comprising a selection of movie soundtrack themes written over the span of 40 years, the album captures the legendary Bulgarian pianist (who passed away in 2019), revisiting the melodies that once rattled the communist regime and ultimately defined his path from Plovdiv ...
Continue ReadingPetr Studený: Listening as a Creative Act
by Nenad Georgievski
For Petr Studený, music has never been a passive background hum. Since 1979, he has operated under the self-assigned title of “active listener"--a designation that treats the intake of sound as a foundational creative act. Based in Prague, a city whose “magical" atmosphere he credits as a silent collaborator, Studený has spent decades navigating the intersections of industrial noise, minimalism, and the historical avant-garde. He has emerged as a vital bridge between the radical traditions of the 20th century and the ...
Continue ReadingPeggy Lee, Julien Wilson, Theo Carbo, Dylan van der Schyff: Waiting Music
by Nenad Georgievski
Improvised music operates through a productive tension: collective intuition on one side, and the constant risk of collapse into formlessness on the other. When a group sustains that balance without resolving it into comfort, the results tend to resist easy classification. Waiting Music, the second release by the Australo-Canadian quartet Open Thread, belongs firmly in that space--an album shaped by real-time decision-making, where continuity is always provisional. Open Thread brings together cellist Peggy Lee, saxophonist Julien Wilson, guitarist Theo Carbo, and ...
Continue ReadingJazz Without Borders: The France–Balkans Network Conference in Dijon, France
by Nenad Georgievski
Sixth gathering of the Jazz France Balkans Network / D'Jazz dans la Ville Festival (featuring the France Balkans Jazz Band residency and the Sašo Popovski Trio concert) Dijon Conservatory & Cour de Bar at the Palace of the Dukes Dijon, France (Burgundian capital) May 14-15, 2026 Arrival: From Skopje to BurgundyThe distance separating North Macedonia from the historical heart of Burgundy cannot be measured by the mere mechanics of flight hours or transit connections. It ...
Continue ReadingJazzkaar Festival 2026
by Nenad Georgievski
Jazzkaar festival 2026 Fotografiska / Von Krahl Theatre / Alexela Concert Hall / Philly Joe's Jazz ClubApril 25-May 2, 2026 Tallinn, Estonia Returning to Tallinn for the Jazzkaar festival for a second time felt a bit like visiting an old friend who always has something new to say. The atmosphere was remarkably expansive, reinforcing the festival's reputation as one of the most imaginative cultural gatherings in the Baltic region--and a reminder of why it proved ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Forcione & Cenk Erdogan: Storytellers
by Nenad Georgievski
On Storytellers, the duet album by guitarists Antonio Forcione and Cenk Erdoğan each song is delivered personally to the listener, like a letter. Some albums do not arrive loudly. They sit beside you, quietly, and start talking. This duet feels exactly like that--intimate and conversational, as if you are being invited into a dialogue that began long before the record button was pressed. What makes this project especially moving is the path that led to it. Their story starts ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Forcione and Cenk Erdoğan: A Masterclass in Musical Storytelling
by Nenad Georgievski
In the world of contemporary string music, there are collaborations born of convenience, and then there are those born of destiny. The union of Italian acoustic virtuoso Antonio Forcione and Turkish fretless master Cenk Erdogan belongs firmly to the latter. Their debut duo album, Storytellers (Jazz Plus, 2025), is not merely a collection of compositions; it is the culmination of a musical dialogue that has been waiting twenty years to find its voice. The two musicians first crossed ...
Continue ReadingJulius Gawlik: It's All in Your Head
by Nenad Georgievski
When jazz musicians talk about composition, they often mean something closer to architecture--blueprints that guide but do not dictate. Julius Gawlik's debut album takes this idea seriously, treating written material as a starting point rather than a destination. The Berlin-based saxophonist and clarinetist has assembled a quartet that thrives on incompleteness, where sketches become conversations and melodies exist to be challenged. The personnel tells part of the story: drummer Jim Black brings decades of boundary-pushing work, vibraphonist Evi ...
Continue ReadingDuo Réflections: Duo Réflections
by Nenad Georgievski
Piano and guitar duos walk a fine line. Too much harmony, and the sound collapses into density; too little, and the music drifts apart. In the hands of the French group Duo Réflections, this fragile balance becomes something alive and breathing. Pianist Sylvain Rey and guitarist Leandro López-Nussa have been refining their partnership for nearly a decade, and La Tregua marks the moment when trust, risk, and restraint coexist in perfect tension. Their debut album reimagined standards, but ...
Continue ReadingHarper Trio: Dialogue of Thoughts
by Nenad Georgievski
With their sophomore album, Dialogue of Thoughts , the Harper Trio returns with a record that feels both intimate and expansive, a journey through sound that. is subtly exhilarating. Maria-Christina Harper's electric harp, paired with Josephine Davies' expressive saxophone and Evan Jenkins' precise, yet fluid drumming, forms a trio that listens as much as it plays. The album is less about showcasing individual virtuosity than about the subtle chemistry of three musicians shaping each moment together. “Quiet Mind," ...
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