Filip Bulatović, piano
Luka Ignjatović, saxophone
Petar Krstajić, bass guitar, double bass
Peđa Milutinović, drums
Qzama Quartet is currently considered to be one of the best jazz bands in Serbia playing original jazz music.
The ensemble was put together as a result of one of its members wanting to inject some fresh talent and original music into Belgrade’s declining live jazz scene.
Their repertoire consists of Filip Bulatovic’sand Luka Ignjatovic’s compositions which are deeply rooted in classical and modern jazz with strong undertones of irregular rhythms and ethnic sounds.
Filip Bulatović
Filip Bulatović was born on 23. 11. 1987 in Belgrade. He started playing piano at the age 8. Very early at the age of 10 he discovered his perfect peach, and his passion for improvising. He studied classical music for over 6 years and than decided to study jazz, at the jazz department of music high school Stankovic in Belgrade. After only two years of studying jazz he was the very best student of his generation. One of the world’s biggest jazz composers, arrangers and band leaders Peter Herbolzheimer, heard Filip in Belgrade, and invited him as only student from Serbia to join the best German student Bu-jazzo later on YAMAHA big band. During his stay in this orchestra Filip he had a big opportunity to collect experience, and work and study with musicians such as John Taylor (English pianist), Ack Van Royen (Dutch trumpet player), John Ruocco (American saxophone player), Bruno Castelucci (Italian drummer), John Raily(American drummer) and many others who were working in this orchestra. Shortly after 2006 Filip started studying jazz piano at the jazz university of Cologne, where he also studied with two great names of jazz piano John Taylor and Hubert Nuss. On 2009 Filip recorded his first CD also in Cologne, and after that won the third price at the international jazz piano competition in Freiburg, as the youngest competitor of all. This was the only competition Filip ever applied. All this time Filip was coming back to Serbia and worked on many projects with many musicians such as Dusko Goykovich, Stjepko Gut, Johan Hoerlen, Martin Djakonovski, Vitno Giordanio and many others. 2013 Filip recorded his first popular song and video “Love And Trust”.
Filip is living and working in Belgrade. At the moment he is working on his new CD with Qzama Quartet and new popular song.
Luka Ignjatović
Luka was born in Belgrade, Serbia, on 2. 5. 1986. After finishing elementary music school for classical flute he enrolled into the Jazz Department of Music High School “Stanković” in Belgrade. During his high school years he was often employed as the 2nd alto at the Radio Belgrade Big Band. With that band Luka played many concerts and made a few studio recordings with artist such as Ack Van Royen, Peter Herbolzheimer, Dusko Goykovich and others. After high school, Luka was accepted at the Jazz Department of Conservatorium Van Amsterdam where, after six years of studies with Dutch saxophone greats Ferdinand Povel and Jasper Blom, he obtained a Master of Music diploma. During and after his studies, Luka performed and recorded with his quartet and other bands such as the “European Saxophone Ensemble” in almost every country in Europe. After returning to his hometown he became a Professor of Jazz Saxophone at the Jazz and Popular Music Department of Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade.
Predrag Milutinović
Predrag Milutinović attended private classes for jazz drumming with Dušan Ivanišević, and for classical education with Dušan Vrbić.
As a young musician, he started playing with the members of the Oktava School of Music band in Kragujevac at the age of 15. After that, he moved to Belgrade and started playing with the funk band Rich Bitch. In Belgrade he met a lot of musicians, and started playing in Ptica Jazz Club.
After a while he became a member of the Max Kochetov Quartet and the Vasil Hadžimanov Band. In Belgrade jazz clubs he has had the honor of playing with Peter Mihelich, David Jarh, Jure Pukl, Milan Nikolić, Predrag Revišin, Vanja Keveršan, Sava Miletić…
Petar (Pera) Krstajić
Petar Krstajić was born on 19. 08. 1995 in Belgrade, Serbia. When he turned 14, he showed his interest in bass guitar and right after that, he started to study in Music High School Stanković. Now, he is studying at the Beklee College of Music. Before he turned 19, he had the opportunity to play with the world-class musicians such as Bojan Z, Aruan Ortiz, Eric McFerson, Shai Maestro, Rez Abasi, Vanja Kervrešan, Sava Miletić. He is currently working with the Qzama Quartet.