SNT – CLUB, 11,30pm
6-9th November
ADAM KLEMM, saxophone
IGOR MOLNAR, double bass
ROBERT PONGO / NENAD KOJIĆ, drums
MILAN STANISAVLJEVIĆ / ALEKSANDAR UZELAC, piano
ADAM KLEMM
Born in Novi Sad in 1976, after graduating from secondary music school “Isidor Bajić” in Novi Sad, Department of Clarinet, Adam Klemm continued his education at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. In 2005, he received the title of MA-jazz saxophone player. During his Graz studies, he earned a scholarship from the Austrian Ministry of Culture to study at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Upon his return from Finland, he played with the legend of the Austrian jazz scene Karl Ratzer and released a CD with Sarajevo’s jazz group “Minority”. He has performed with: Dennis Rowland, Gianni Basso, Lee Harper Little Big Band, Karl Ratzer, Barbara Hendriks, Ladislav Fidri, and many others. As the leader of his own Adam Klemm Banda he has released his first album “Hot Coolen” under the independent Sensor Records label in 2007. Since 2012 he has been working in the studio on his second authorial project, which is currently in post-production. In 2008 Adam became an endorser for the P. Mauriat saxophone for the South-East Europe. Since 2008 he has been a soloist for the RTV Slovenia Big Band, also teaching saxophone and jazz band at the music school GCEW in Ljubljana. As a member of the RTV Slovenia Big Band, he has had an honour to share the stage with the jazz greats such as: Mike Stern, Ernie Watts, Joe Lovano, Ronnie Cuber, Patti Austin, Peter Erskine and Nicholas Payton.
He is a member of the Novi Sad Jazz Festival Council.
IGOR MOLNAR
Bass guitarist, double bass player and composer Igor Molnar was born in Novi Sad in 1965. After completion of his high school education at Music School “Isidor Bajić”, he studied composition in class of Prof. Rudolf Bruči and Miroslav Štatkić. In 1991 he started studying jazz music at the academy “Franz Liszt” in Budapest. Upon graduation in 1995, he returned to Novi Sad where he worked as an editor of programme called “Jazz Impuls” on “NS+” television channel and the conductor of the Vojvodina Youth Big Band. From 1997 to 1999 Igor Molnar worked as an editor of music programmes at the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, founded a small jazz festival called “Jazztime Fest” and the first jazz school under the patronage of the Soros Open Society Foundations. At that time he also led his group Havana Jam with a Madagascar singer and percussionist Jeanot Randimbiarison. Since 2002 he has been leading jazz workshops of SMS “Isidor Bajić” and collaborating with a number of foreign and domestic jazz musicians. Many students of this class have continued their studies of jazz at music academies throughout Europe. He works for the “YALE SMN” University and is a jazz instructor licensed by British “Royal College of Music”. Igor Molnar has appeared at numerous important jazz events in Serbia and the countries of region as an author and performer. He is currently leading his own band Round Midnight Quartet, which fosters post bap style, and the project City Raiwalker. He took part in the realisation of the Summer Jazz Academy Novi Sad – Dortmund 2011.
MILAN STANISAVLJEVIĆ
Milan Stanisavljević was born in Kragujevac, Serbia. He started to play the piano at the age of 9. He completed primary and secondary music school, Classical Piano. His very first jazz steps were made together with famous Belgrade jazz pianist Miloš Krstić. At the age of 18, Milan entered the FMU in Belgrade, and graduated in Harmony with Harmonic Analysis in class of Prof. Rastislav Kambašković. After Belgrade, he went to one of the oldest European jazz schools, University of Music and Performing Artsin Graz, Austria. He studied Jazz Piano with Dr. Harald Neuwitrh, Claus Raible and Olaf Polziehn. He also had a chance to learn from great pianists such as Renato Chico, Fritz Pauer, and drummer Howard Curtis, among other great professors at this school. He received his Bachelor Diploma in January 2008, immediately continuing to Master studies, graduating in January 2010. Numerous workshops at the school enabled him to meet Billy Hart, Ron McLure, Jerry Bergonzi, Dave Santoro, John Holenback, Geofrey Keezer, George Cooligan, Peter Helbotzheimer, etc. Milan is currently co-leading a trio with Anđelko “Đelw” Stupar (drums) and Milan Nikolić (bass). Among others, he has played with Stjepko Gut, Mima Mitrović, Ratko Divjak, Christopf “Pepe” Auer, Valentin Czihak, Gasper Bertoncelj, Jure Pukl, Igor Matković, Cene Resnik, Gaspar Persl, Robert Jukić, Nikola Matošić, Marko Đorđević, Vladimir Kostadinović, Dušan Simović, Brank Sterpin… He frequently plays with singer Jadranka Juras in a duo or in her group J.J.J.Q. (Jadranka Juras Jazz Quartet). In 2011 Milan had his first release entitled “Awakening”, which got excellent reviews on the prestigious jazz web site All About Jazz. Since 2012 he has been teaching Piano at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet (Konservatorij za glasbo in balet-Ljubljana) in Ljubljana.
ALEKSANDAR UZELAC
Born in Novi Sad, where he graduated from the Academy of Arts, Piano Section, Aleksandar Uzelac achieved important results in international piano competitions during his studies: Japan, Cuba, France and Holland. As part of projects “Invisible Gypsy”, “Cocksin Trio” and “Govor duše”, he has participated in international music festivals in Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary. In the last several years, he has been focused on jazz music. Aleksandar has participated in the following jazz workshops: “Paros Jazz Academy”, “Premises Jazz Workshops” as well as “Summer Jazz Academy Dortmund-Novi Sad” with renowned jazz musicians from France, Great Britain, Germany and Serbia (Marc Buronfosse, Tim Richards, Nikki Yeoh, Uwe Plath, John Crawford, Vincent Bourgeyx). He was a member of the Jazz Youth of Vojvodina Big Band from 2010 to 2013. He works with different bands such as: The Frajle, Jazz quartet Round Midnight, etc. and teaches piano at the Music School “Isidor Bajić” in Novi Sad. He has appeared at the Belgrade Jazz Festival 2013 performing at the concert “Glasovi” (The Voices) with Ana Sofrenović.
ROBERT PONGO
He was born in 1976 in Novi Sad. He started playing professionally in 1994 when his band Flying Rabbit released their first album with their own songs in a jazz-rock style, while at the same time playing jazz standards. In 1996 he started playing with a funk band called Colibri as well as in a jazz trio with pianist Prof. Aleksandar Dujin. He has performed with different formations at various festivals such as the jazz festivals in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Valjevo, Šabac, etc, as well as at the Pepsi-Sziget Festival in Budapest where he played British pop with the Simic Quartet. He has played not only with small bands but has also acquired experience playing with big bands, learning music notation. Among the popular performers on the domestic scene he has collaborated with: Vladana Marković, Maja Odžaklijevska, Tanja Jovićević, Ksenija Mijatović, Dejan Cukić, etc. In 1997 and 1998 he attended the Music Academy in Budapest, studying with Koeszegi Imre and Javori Vilmos. In 1998 he played at the Budapest Jazz Festival and recorded an album with famous musicians from Budapest. At the competition of drummers held in Budapest in 2002, he was one of the six drummers who entered the finals out of seventy participants, and was awarded as the best drummer of Hungarian nationality living outside Hungary. During the competition he had the opportunity to meet and play with one of the world’s leading drummers – Jack DeJohnette. In 2002 he began playing the timbales in the band Fiesta Latina, featuring Branko Marković, the bass player in the Radio Television of Serbia Orchestra. At the beginning of the year 2003, he became a member of the Novi Sad Big Band conducted by Fedor Vrtačnik. In the same year he became a member of the Drum Factory, where he plays timbales and percussions to disco and Latin music played by a DJ. He has appeared at a number of festivals in our country and abroad, participated in different music projects of pianist Aleksandar Dujin, played in various theatre performances and worked as a studio musician.
NENAD KOJIĆ, vocal, neshtophone
After the completion of primary music school for piano, Nenad Kojić (b. in Novi Sad, 19th January 1985) started exploring music – drums and percussions. Several years later, he met eminent professor Miroslav Karlović, who introduced him with the roots of percussion instruments. His music career started before he turned 18. The Berklee Summer School awarded him the title of the best drummer of the summer school in Perugia in 2005. He records each inspiring moment by composing and arranging. Studying sound, sound effects and phenomena by Foley art speech device, after graduation and earning the BSc title in Sound Design from the Art Academy of Novi Sad, Drama Department, he invented and patented his own hybrid instrument ”Neshtophone”, which he uses and presents in the group ”Mr. Balloon”. Nenad Kojić has collaborated with: The Dortmund Big Band (conducted by Uwe Platt), the Goethe Institute Big Band (conducted by Peter Herbolzmeier), the NS Brass Orchestra (conducted by Fedor Vrtačnik), the Perugia-Berklee ensemble (conducted by Mark White), ballet performance “Jezik zidova”, the Igor Molnar Quartet, Interplay, Space Umbrella, the Mayoke Group, Mr. Balloon, Aleksandra Radović, Saša Vasić, Petar Jelić, Vlado Georgiev, Zafir Hadžimanov, Bisera Veletanlić, Fipa, The Blues Hammer, the Blues Halters, Tanja Jovićević, Tijana Bogićević, Shanene, Billy The King, Zoran Šandorov, Milacopezzo, Maja Odžaklijevska, Sergej Ćetković, Jelena Tomašević, Slobodan Trkulja, the IQ band, Azil5, Bane Krstić, Studio Alektik, Cveta Majtanović, Madam Piano, Aleksandar Dujin, the Vladimir Samardžić Trio, Zdravko Čolić… He has composed the soundtrack for the film ”Liftovi Jedu Ljude”, and created the sound and sound effects for the theatrical performance “Parastos u belom” directed by Petar Jovanović.