WEDNESDAY, 7TH NOVEMBER

Studio “M”, 3 Ignjata Pavlasa Str., 7 pm

The Aleksandar Dujin Orchestra

tribute to

The Radio Novi Sad Dance Orchestra

When I first entered Novi Sad Radio-television’s studio PR1 back in 1977, I could not dream that it would change the rest of my professional life.

I was engaged as a substitute for the RTVNS Dance Orchestra pianist on a temporary contract. That was when I first heard the Big Band sound. From the first day, Pera Bahun, the Dance Orchestra’s guitar player, called me “son”, and I called him “pops”; Josip Kovač – Kiki, the saxophone player, used to spend his rehearsal breaks playing with me; Triva Petrović, the drummer, also used to enjoy jamming with us, so I got infected with that sound forever.

I received my education at the Vienna Conservatory, where I prepared to take the place of the conductor at RTVNS. I came back to Novi Sad upon graduation in 1984. Ever since that time, music has been my life, my continuous occupation, for all these years. This period has seen emergence of a number of different projects, I have performed in formations from solo piano to large ensembles, but the Big Band has remained the formation whose sound has always brought me particular joy.

Several years after the RTVNS Dance Orchestra was disbanded, I succeeded in gathering young musicians and establishing the Vojvodina Youth Big Band, which has, with several short interruptions, continued its activities, today as the Novi Sad Big Band.

Although I have often worked with the Novi Sad Big Band, my life took a different, parallel course, and I established the Aleksandar Dujin Orchestra, which has been active for more than two decades. The AD Orchestra consists of forty musicians engaged according to the concept of the repertoire to be performed. I hang out and work with them on a number of projects that result from my need for a new expression. I regard the music traces created in this process as the proof of my existence.

It is my great honour and pleasure to be engaged in this project, which will involve participation of 16 musicians. Together with them, I will enjoy the music dedicated to one of the notable institutions of Novi Sad’s culture – The Radio-television Novi Sad Dance Orchestra.

Aleksandar Dujin

In Novi Sad, 10th October 2018

 

THE RADIO NOVI SAD DANCE ORCHESTRA

Founded on 1st August 1959, The Radio Novi Sad Dance Orchestra (later the Radio-television Novi Sad Dance Orchestra) has been the main actor in production of jazz and popular music of Radio-television Novi Sad for almost four decades. Formed as a Big Band, consisting mainly of musicians who were playing in the small ensembles of Novi Sad (Bogdan Dimitrijević James, Josip Lorbek, Bora Višnjički, Triva Petrović…) the Orchestra had its debut appearance at Radio Novi Sad’s 10th anniversary celebration on 29th November 1959, in the house of the Serbian National Theatre of that time (Sokolski dom).

The first Radio Novi Sad Dance Orchestra:

Trumpets: Imre Benak, Miša Tot, Marko Molnar, Mikloš Miki Varga, Božidar Noev – Make

Trombones: Vinko Valečić, Đura Lukenić Fifika, Žika Todorović, Šandor Olah

Saxophones: Bogdan Dimitrijević Đžems, Mihailo-Miša Kelbli, Kiralj Ištvan, Petar Jurić, Bogoljub Boca Živković

Rhythm section: Ladislav Rebrek, bass; Triva Petrović, drums; Bora Višnjički, guitar; Josip Lorbek Pepi, piano

The Orchestra was finally affirmed and admitted among the elite of Yugoslav jazz with its appearance at the jazz festival in Bled in 1962. The album Bled 62, the 3rd Yugoslav Jazz Festival, 7th–10th June (released on PGP RTB label) featured Robert Hauber’s James Gonna Tell You Everything played by the Orchestra, which appeared at the Bled festival in the following line-up (data from the record cover):

Conducting: Stevan Radosavljević; Tenor sax: Bogdan Dimitrijević, Saxes: Mihailo Kelbli, Rihard Hajnc, Petar Jurić, Bogoljub Živković, Ivan Švager; Trumpets: Ludvig Nemeček, Ivo Medić, Marko Molnar, Imre Benak, Mihajlo Tot Trombones: Đura Lukenić, Ištvan Domonkoš, Borislav Stojčić, Bela Kovač; Josip Lorbek, piano; Ladislav Rebrek, bass; Branimir Mijatović, drums; Miroslav Cvijanović, vibrapfones

The Orchestra reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s when it was a constant participant of the YRT Music Parades in Radenci, the Days of Jazz festival in Novi Sad, with a number of studio recordings for Radio Novi Sad, TV appearances and tours in Yugoslavia and abroad (GDR, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary).

The Orchestra’s conductors include Stevan Radosavljević (1959-1980), Rudolf Tomšič (1980-1990), while during the 1980s and early 1990s Josip Lorbek, Jovan Adamov and Aleksandar Dujin.

The guest conductors/band leaders include Vojislav “Bubiša” Simić, Miljenko Prohaska, Steve Gut, Dusko Goykovich, Tony Scott…

Vitomir Simurdić