Saturday, 18th November

The Serbian National Theatre

 

Antonio Farao’, piano

Martin Gjakonovski, double bass

Vladimir Kostadinović, drums

 

ANTONIO FARAÒ, piano

Antonio Faraò is a pianist of uncommon skill. With a career that extends over 30 years, he has realized his potential and established himself as one of the most respected jazz pianists on the International scene

He has collaborated and/or performed live with a number of great jazz musicians: Joe Lovano, Jack Dejohnette, Bireli Lagrène, Al Jarreau, Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller Franco Ambrosetti, Daniel Humair, Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, Steve Grossman, Christian Mc Bride, Chico Freeman, Miroslav Vitous, John Abercrombie, Richard Galliano, Toots Thielemans, Dave Liebman, Didier Lockwood, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, George Garzone, Cecil McBee…

On 30 April 2015, Antonio Faraò was invited to join the Unesco All Star Global concert in Paris to celebrate International Jazz Day together with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marcus Miller, Al Jarreau… and many more.

Since 2015 Antonio has been the Art Director of the prestigious Jazz Festival UnoJazz Sanremo.

His latest album Eklektik, which has just been released for Warner music, features amazing guests such as Snoop Dogg, Marcus Miller, Robert Davi and many more

Herbie Hancock says: “I’m not often surprised by the recordings of musicians the way I was overwhelmed the first time I heard Antonio Farao’ on one of his recent CD’s. What amazed me was what I felt inside of me. There is so much warmth, conviction and power to his playing. I was immediately attracted to his harmonic conception, the joy of his rhythms and swing feel and the grace and ingenuity of his melodic improvisational lines. Antonio is not only a fine pianist but a great one.”

 

MARTIN GJAKONCSKI, double bass

Martin Gjakonovski was born in Skopje, Macedonia, in a family of Jazz musicians. His father was the founder and conductor of the Macedonian Jazz Radio Big Band and his mother a jazz vocalist. Martin started playing classical double-bass at the age of 14, but soon his passion for jazz awoke and resulted in his founding his first band, the Trio Spato. The opening door to the international jazz scene was a jazz workshop with the Coltrane bass player Reggie Workman in Grožnjan, Croatia (1990). In 1991 he moved to Cologne, Germany studying jazz bass at the Music Academy of Cologne.

In the years following his education, he became one of the busiest and most versatile bassists in Germany playing with such musicians as: Dusko Goykovich, Paul Shigihara, Ferenc Snetberger, David Friedman, Lee Konitz, Atilla Zoller, Don Friedman, Pete Yellin, Matt Wilson, Tony Lakatos, Ingrid Jensen, Andy Middleton, Kenny Wheeler, Kenny Werner, Charlie Mariano, Greg Hopkins, Don Menza, etc.

 

VLADIMIR KOSTADINOVIĆ, drums

Vladimir Kostadinović, the award winning drummer (Tuscia in Jazz 2008, Jimmy Woode competition), composer & arranger, started his musical education at the age of seven when he began studying classical accordion. He began playing the drums at the age of eleven when he got his first drum set from his brother Srđan. Vladimir ranks high among drummers who are versatile and savvy enough to play different styles of music, as a sideman and with his own projects. In August 2009 he was invited to perform with a master of organ Tony Monaco. During that time, Vladimir also formed his own quartet with Jimmy Greene, Danny Grissett and Matt Brewer, which featured his own compositions.

He has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with: Antonio Farao, Jimmy Greene, Gregory Porter, Vincent Herring, Johnny O’Neal, Tony Monaco, Danny Grissett, Vicente Archer, Matt Brewer, Benito Gonzales, Donald Smith, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Tivon Scott Pennicott, Ben Flocks, Mansur Scott, Joel Holmes, Alegre Correa, Andy Middleton, Chris Jefferson, Rob Bargad, Jonathan Powell, Martin Djakonovski, Dusko Gojković, Eddi Palermo, Flavio Boltro, Max Grosch, Stjepko Steve Gut, Renato Chicco, Fritz Pauer