The I.T.D Gallery, ThePetrovaradin Fortress
11th November, 9pm
THE HAKO TRIO
Luka Ignjatović, saxophone; Lav Kovač,drums; Vasil Hadžigrudev, double bass
LUKA IGNJATOVIĆ
After finishing elementary music school for classical flute, he enrolled into the Jazz Department of Music School “Stanković” in Belgrade. During his high school years, he was often employed as a 2nd alto at the Big Band of RadioBelgrade.
With them Luka played many concerts and made a few studio recordings with artists such as Ack Van Royen, Peter Herbolzheimer, DuskoGoykovich, and others.
After finishing his high school, Luka was accepted at the Jazz Department of the Conservatory Van Amsterdam where, after six years of studies with Dutch saxophone greats Ferdinand Povel and Jasper Blom, he obtained a Master of Music Degree.
During and after his studies, Luka performed and recorded with his quartet and other bands such as “European Saxophone Ensemble” in almost every country in Europe. Upon returning to his home town he became a Professor of Jazz Saxophone at the Jazz and Popular Music Department of the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade.
LAV KOVAČ
Although he completed his primary and secondary education at the Music School “IsidorBajić”for classical percussions, his primary instruments are drums and piano, as of lately.He graduated from the Jazz Department of the “Prins Claus”Conservatory in Groningen, Holland, inclass of Steve Altenberg. His active creative career started in Western Europe, within the groups KUHN FU, Howling Owl, HAKOS trios and the Boris Kovač New Ritual Group, being the author of music in some of them. On the local scene the band he is most active with is Dragon’s Fuel, honing the idea of live jazz band that regularly performs at the same club, but always with a different repertoire.
He is active as a composer as well, and is interested in exploration and finding out possibilities of eclecticism in music. Stylistically diverse, yet not belonging to any of the established movements, he approaches both the instrument and the music authorship in the most intuitive and inclusive way, seeking the freshness of musical expression.
Some of the names he regularly performs with include: Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, VasilHadzhigrudev, Christian Kuhn, Enrique Oliver, Julian Sanchez, Boris Kovač, and Michael Moore.
Some of the festivals he has had a chance of performing at are: The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Sounds Of Music Groningen, ZomerJazzFiets Tour, Mittelfest, Fusion Festival, Positivus, Interzone, Novi Sad Jazz Festval,…
VASIL HADZHIGRUDEV
Coming from a traditional Bulgarian family, Vasilknows well and appreciates his roots. His grandfather was a professional traditional music dancer, sohe passed on a deep awareness of this kind of art to the family.
Recently becoming a very busy bass player on the music scene of Sofia, he previously spent 3 years in Malaga teaching music at the Spanish Riviera, where he had a chance to perform with some of the best Spanish musicians of today. He graduated in 2014 from the “Prins Klaus” Conservatory in Groningen, Holland, Department called “New York Comes to Groningen”, followed by a short presence on the music scene of Berlin.
Currently Vasil writes and performs music with several different ensembles. In spring 2017 his project Hakos Trios released their debut album for Rizoma Records fromSpain. To quote AllAboutJazzreview of this album in one quote: “This group definitely has stories to tell and they are revealed through patient listening”.