Bassist Veselin Veselinov - Eko and pianist Milen Kukosharov are among the most renowned jazz musicians in this country. For them, the challenge of experimentation has no limits. Proof of this is their joint project "ImproviSatie". Together they develop their improvisational talent on selected pieces by French composer and pianist Erik Satie - representative of the avant-garde of the early 20th century. More on the joint album of the two musicians from Eko:

“We gathered with Milen to continue a musical tradition set by our late friend Vasco Parmakov. He used to perform several times a week in different clubs in Sofia. He liked to improvise on works by various classical composers such as Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and others. Unfortunately, Vasco passed away last year on May 21 and I felt like I need to continue the tradition. So I invited Milen to do this together as Parmaka as they called him, was a very dear friend. In fact, this album is dedicated to him. At the end of last year, I was looking for some notes that I wanted to play on the piano, because I'm not a good pianist. I wanted to play something that is technically easier but with a rich and beautiful melody. So I came across these plays by French Erik Satie. I started playing the works that he calls gnossienne and gymnopedie - words coined by him. I made light arrangements and that evening we played them in a bar. The audience liked them very much.  Mario Krastev heard us and offered us to record a CD with plays by this composer. Arrangements are the work of me and Milen.”

That is how "ImproviSatie" emerged – an album, containing 9 compositions.

Eko and Milen have adhered fully to the musical notes of the plays composed by Erik Satie. Their work is the addition of the double bass, as well as individual improvisation moments by the two musicians. For Milen Kukosharov as a pianist with classical music background, recreating the music of the French composer was a challenge. Listen now to Gnossienne №2 performed by Veselin Veselinov Eko and Milen Kukosharov.

The new album was presented on March 30 in the Peroto  Literary Club in Sofia where Veselin Veselinov-Eko and Milen Kukosharov performed some of the pieces included in their project. Designer of the cover of the CD is Stefan Chinov and the artwork was created by Aminun Zheneva, close friend of Eko. Let’s listen to Gymnopedie 1 and 2.

Audio contains the following pieces:

 №1 Gnossienne

№1 Gymnopedie

English: Alexander Markov