Ante Gelo, guitar •Vladimir Samardžić, bass guitar • Maasej Kovačević, piano • Dalibor Dado Marinković, drums
CHEWBAKKA 4 is an electric jazz quartet founded in December 2013. More accurately, Maasej, Dado and Vlada had their first ‘musical encounter’ in the jazz club SAX in Subotica in 2010. After this remarkable evening that was the talk of the town in Subotica for a while, it was clear that there was a special quality to this trio. Three years later, in Zagreb’s club VIP, they were joined by guitarist Ante Gelo – the final piece of the puzzle completed the picture that evening, and the four musicians decided to set off on a musical journey together, first under the working title Apollo 4, and later under the name Chewbakka 4. Since then, while working on the debut album, the band has played in the clubs of Croatia and Serbia, and played its first official concert at the Makarska Jazz Festival 2015, to standing ovations.
About the album
Instead of the usual debut presentation with original material, the band CHEWBAKKA 4 decided to record the album SMOOTH CRIMINALS that brings some of the well-known pieces that made Michael Jackson famous. The covers and arrangements of the ten numbers were made in a joint creative effort, spontaneously, in two studio dates lasting over several days without much preparation and previously written arrangements. The album features guests who are some famous names of the Croatian music scene like singer Daria Hodnik, saxophonist Igor Geržina, percussionist Hrvoje Rupčić, among others… The entire album was recorded in the studio of Ante Gelo, who was in charge of audio mix and mastering of the material.
Ante Gelo
Guitarist, composer and arranger Ante Gelo graduated in jazz guitar from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. He started his master studies at the same University, Department of Composition and Arrangement, in 2001.
He has played at a number of concerts and festivals in Croatia, Hungary, Brazil, Serbia, Austria, Germany, France, Norway, Slovenia, Italy, as well as in major international venues: L’Olympia (Paris), Royal Albert Hall (London), Wiener Konzerthaus (Wien) and Carnegie Hall (New York).
He has worked with a number of renowned Croatian jazz names such as Boško Petrović, Matija Dedić, Krunoslav Levačić, as well as international jazz stars such as Antonio Sanchez, Jason Lindner, Daniele di Bonaventura, Lee Harper, Alberto Marsico, Sigi Feigl, among others. He has had especially notable cooperation as a guitarist and arranger with vocal soloists such as Oliver Dragojević, Arsen Dedić, Gabi Novak, Tamara Obrovac, Frajle, Tereza Kesovija, Nina Badrić, Gibonni, and recently Amira Meunjanin, with whom he has been intensively playing throughout the region and Europe.
Moreover, he has worked with major names of the international vocal scene: Gino Paoli, Luciano Pavarotti (in 2005 with Symphonic Orchestra) and the London Gospel Choir.
Ante has written and arranged for a number of orchestras: the Zagreb Philharmonics, the HRT Symphony Orchestra, the Zagreb Soloists, the HRT Big Band, the HGM Orchestra, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Zagreb Orchestra, the HNK “Ivan Pl. Zajc” Orchestra Rijeka, etc.
He has received several of Porin Awards for the best arrangement, composition, production, etc., Best Jazz Composition Award of the Croatian Composers’ Society, the Status Award of the Croatian Musicians Union for the best young instrumentalist, etc.
He has been active as a jazz educator at the jazz workshop Grožnjan with Boško Petrović and the Jazzinty seminar in Novo Mesto.
Maasej Kovačević
Maasej Kovačević graduated in Jazz Piano from the “Kartner Landeskonservatorium” (Carinthian State Conservatorium), Austria.
He has been a multiple nominee for the title of the best Croatian jazz pianist.
He is considered to be one of the most talented Croatian jazz pianists of the younger generation.
He works with one of the best and most popular Croatian performers – Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni as a permanent member of his ensemble. With the band accompanying Gibonni, he has performed in all major concert venues and halls in the territory of former Yugoslavia as well as a number of outdoor concerts. He is also a permanent member of the “Elvis Stanić Group”, with whom he has recorded several albums and played at numerous festivals.
He has played with renowned jazz musicians: Joe Zawinul, Vlatko Stefanovski, Maya Azucena, Gwen Hughes, Tom Richeson, Giovanni Toffoloni, Paolo Muscovi, London Gospel Choir, Steve Stevens, Igor Gerzina and many others.
Vladimir Samardžić
Bass guitarist, composer and educator, born in Novi Sad (Serbia), Vladimir Samardžić is one of the most versatile bass players in Serbia and in the ex-Yugoslav territory.
He started playing the bass as self-taught at the age of 19, and after only 4 years (1993) he was engaged by the Dance Orchestra of Radio Novi Sad. The same year, he met Vasil Hadžimanov, which marks the beginning of cooperation that lasted for several years (2010) within the VHBend (4 albums for PGP RTS).
He was a member of the legendary rock group SMAK led by R. M. Točak 1995-1997 (CD “Bioskop Fox” 1995). As a student on scholarship, he graduated, summa cum laude, from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1999. During his studies he received the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Bass Guitar Department (1997) and the BMG Jazz Award (1998).
He has worked with the orchestras: The Mambo Stars, the Novi Sad Big Band, Balkanopolis and the Belgrade Philharmonics. He has performed and recorded with the artists: R. M. Točak, Kornelije Kovač, Bisera Veletanlić, Teresa Kesovija, Brankica Vasić-Vasilisa, Aleksandra Radović, Dado Topić, Frajle, as well as with a number of first-class musicians from the region and the world: Elvis Stanić, Nenad Gajin, Slobodan Trkulja, Dušan Jevtović, Amar Češljar, Ante Gelo, Marko Đorđević, Bodan Arsovski, Tony Kitanovski, Laki Akoš, Teodosi Spasov, David Rhodes, Luis Bonilla, Sami Amiris, Sean McGowan, Mark Milan, Maxim Zetel, among others.
In the period 2002-2010 he was a member of the band accompanying singer and songwriter Vlado Georgiev, and since 2007 the band of singer Željko Samardžić.
He has been active as a private tutor, teacher in music workshops and a studio musician. He has appeared at all major jazz festivals in Serbia and region, as well as numerous jazz and world music festivals in Europe, including the particularly outstanding performance with the VHBand at the 2005 World Expo in Nagoya (Japan).
He leads the jazz quintet PANNONIA PROJECT (CD “The Bridge” 2010), for which he composes and arranges, and is a member of the Novi Sad world music piano trio MORAITIKA. Since 2013 he has been the music editor of the jazz programme for Radio Novi Sad, RTV Vojvodina.
Dalibor Dado Marinković
Born in Doboj, (B&H), Dalibor Dado Marinković started playing the drums at the age of 5.
He is considered one of the most active and successful drummers in the ex-Yugoslav territory.
Besides music school, where he played the accordion and piano, he learned to play the drums from his father Ivan. He also studied with Garry Chaffe, John Railey and Marco Minnemann.
He lived and actively played in Vienna, Stuttgart, Salzburg, Heidelberg, and since 2001, in Zagreb.
He is a multiple winner of the Status Award of the Croatian Musicians Union for the best drummer in the field of pop – rock and jazz music (2004, 2005 & 2006).
In 2009 he received the “Mega muzika” award for an outstanding contribution to music in the field of drums.
Dado has worked with different major names of the Croatian music industry as well as great music artists of the region: Gibonni, Oliver Dragojević, Parni Valjak, Zdravko Čolić, Dino Merlin, Tereza Kesovija, Toše Proeski, Vanna, Nina Badrić, Dino Merlin, Tony Cetinski, B. R. K., Voice Of Nature…..
Moreover, he has shared the stage with the musicians of the world renown: Tommy Emannuel, Saskia Laroo, Maya Azucena, Tony Levin, Manu Katche, Vlatko Stefanovski, Matija Dedić…