Biography
Balkan Clarinet Summit is a collective of eight musicians playing music inspired by the Balkans.
Naoussa-born Klarino player Stavros Pazarentsis descends from a family of folk musicians and has a playing style that is steeped in the many Greek Klarino traditions. For this ensemble, he composed the pieces "Nostalgia" and "Naoussa". His taksims are formative poetic solo moments. He works as a studio musician and runs a live music bar in Naoussa.
Musical chameleon Slobodan Trkulja originates from Novi Sad in Serbia. For his unique project Balkanopolis, he united his traditional Serbian musical influences and playing style with the sound of a large studio orchestra. His impressive virtuosity can be heard on his composition "Pitagorino Oro", featuring a rhythm that takes a 7/7/7/4 form.
Sergiu Balutel was born in Moldavia. He is a classical Romanian Folk musician and master of the staccato playing. His infectiously light rhythmic phrasing can be admired on "Breaza" and "Geamparale".
Oguz Büyükberber is the only bass clarinet soloist in his country. Born in Istanbul and residing in Amsterdam, he is, alongside his German colleague Tobias Klein, considered one of the leading representatives of the contemporary jazz and improv scene in Europe. Büyükberber's ties to turkish folk music are woven into his very individual style. Together with Klein, he formes an impressive duo that
includes all the instruments of the clarinet family.
Orlin Pamukov represents the Bulgarian style of play, which, with its articulation and wily rhythms, is one of the most complicated forms of popular music in Europe. His composition "Severniaski Tanc" is based on virtuosic 9/8 timing. He is the only one in the group who plays a clarinet of German construction and fingering.
Claudio Puntin's elegance and warm and flexible clarinet sound can be heard on the soundtrack to many films, theatre pieces and radio plays. He effortlessly traverses ambient, electronic and melodic musical forms and ranks among the most creative improvisors on the scene, as can be heard here on the customised bass clarinet on ,"Snake Lick Jab''. His solo on Slobodan Trkuljas ,"Za Moc Oza'' is one of the highlights of this recording.
Steffen Schorn is a deep woodwind instrument specialist. His experience as one of the world's best conductors of large orchestral jazz bands and his own personal compositional style are in high demand internationally. He is a professor and director of the jazz department at Nuremberg's Musikhochschule and a conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble. His expanding harmonic worlds can be heard on "Poéme" and "Colors of Istanbul".
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