Andy Pesendorfer
Dominik Krajnčan
Primož Fleischman |
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| BIG BAND RTV SLOVENIA |
The Slovenian Radio and Television Big Band (Big Band RTV Slovenija) has existed continuously since 1945 and prides itself with being among the oldest orchestras of its kind worldwide.
Its beginnings and first successes can largely be attributed to Bojan Adamič (1912 - 1995), a conductor and composer who already lead his own orchestra during World War II. Immediately after the war, in May 1945, he started reassembling the band, which soon made its first public appearance at the reopening of the Postojna Cave in June 1945. At a time of Socialism that strongly favoured regime-oriented repertoires over ‘Imperial American Music’, Adamič nevertheless subtly enriched his music with jazz elements. Whenever the opponents of this new music voiced their concerns and demanded censorship, Adamič would resort to his political connections and fend off attacks. As early as fall 1945 the orchestra was officially taken under the auspices of Radio Ljubljana. Adamič, justifiably called “maestro“ due to his prolific and ingenious musicianship, remained conductor of the Radio Ljubljana Dance Orchestra (PORL) until the early 60s. The most prominent soloists of that period were Ati Soss, Dušan Veble, Mojmir Sepe, Zoran Komac, Albert Podgornik, Franci Puhar, and the producers Dušan Hren and Jože Kampič.
In 1961 the baton was taken over by young Jože Privšek (1937-1998), an extremely talented piano and vibraphone player, whose greatest skills later proved to be composing, arranging and orchestra leadership. Under Privšek, the Radio Ljubljana Dance Orchestra evolved into a top quality band which not only dominated the scene within ex-Yugoslavia, but received high recognition abroad. In 1978 the band was awarded the prize of the German “Deutsche Phono Akademie” for the best record, competing - and winning - against rivals such as James Last and Max Greger Orchestra. Privšek was a man of exceptional musical talent; he had absolute pitch, near-photographic memory, extreme dilligence and precision and above all an accomplished artistic vision. He knew his musicians thoroughly and wrote his arrangements - over the years about 4000 - according to their specificities and outstanding skills. In this way he created the conditions for the development of leading soloists, who represented the pillars of Slovenian jazz for several decades: Petar Ugrin, Andrej Arnol, Tone Janša, Silvester Stingl, Ratko Divjak, Ladislav Rebrek, Milan Ferlež. Pavel Grašič dutifully fulfilled the highly exposed and responsible post of the first trumpet player until his retirement. The producer Jože Kampič was joined by Janez Gregorc, and a new generation of soloists such as Lojze Krajnčan, Emil Spruk and Milko Lazar appeared on the horizon. The Dance Orchestra was eventually renamed into the Ljubljana Radio and Television Big Band, which in turn became the Slovenian Radio and Television Big Band after Slovenian independence in 1991. After Privšek’s retirement in 1992 the orchestra was taken over by Lojze Krajnčan, together with Petar Ugrin, Milko Lazar, Emil Spruk, Tomaž Grintal and some others. We frequently hosted musicians from abroad, including some of the biggest jazz conductors (Peter Herbolzheimer, Mercer Ellington, Maria Schneider, Jerry Van Rooyen, Carla Bley, Herb Pomeroy, Mathias Rüegg, Miljenko Prohaska, David Murray, George Lewis, Bill Holman, Michael Abene, Bob Mintzer, Lars Moller) and soloists (Clark Terry, Stjepko Gut, Johnny Griffin, Ack Van Rooyen, Toots Thielemens, N.H.O. Pedersen, Diane Schuur, Jiggs Whigham, Jon Hendricks, Albert Mangelsdorf, Nancy Marano, Bobby Shew, Mario Gonzi, Duško Gojković, Bosko Petrović, John Riley, Dennis Mackrel, Bojan Z, Eric Vloeimans, Peter Erskine, Ronnie Cuber, Mads Vinding...) of our time. Most of them were impressed by the musicians, the professionalism of the orchestra and by the remarkable level of orchestral jazz production in Slovenia.
Today the band is rejuvenated - the average age of its members is just over 30. Most have studied at various jazz academies abroad and each of them masters their instrument with virtuoso skill. From 2002 the artistic director and manager is Hugo Sekoranja. The soloists who keep conquering jazz audiences in Slovenia and abroad are Primož Grašič, Tadej Tomšič, Dominik Krajnčan, David Jarh, Blaž Jurjevčič, Primož Fleischman, Matjaž Mikuletič, Aleš Avbelj, Ratko Divjak, Aleš Suša, Blaž Trček and others. Since 1997 the first trumpet has been played by one of the best European “screamers” Andy Pesendorfer. Dečo Žgur and Grega Forjanič are the band’s faithful sound producers.
Among the qualities of the Big Band are its diversity and the ability to fulfil the needs of various radio and television programmes. It has excelled in musical genres as diverse as film, dance, popular and classical music. Jazz, however, is the music they play with the greatest dedication and pleasure. "It is an honour and commitment for us to continue the tradition that has been unwinding for six decades. A deep respect for history coupled with a huge artistic potential are both our legacy and foundations on which we build the future of orchestral jazz in Slovenia. To the joy of all who like to listen to our music," they write. |
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