Vasil Hadžimanov
Tenacious, ever-present, and a musician of endless work energy and musicality, Vasil Hadžimanov, a pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, is an essential and connecting link of Serbian jazz from the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new millennium. He carries within himself a binding line of genes from his ancestors who, each in their own way, left their mark on the music of the Balkans as an unbreakable chain of guardians, interpreters, and new exponents of tradition. Ever since the first lessons that the renowned double bassist and composer Vojin Draškoci gave him with great patience, introducing him to the world of jazz, Hadžimanov has followed his world of unique colors and sounds.
After studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, that unique jazz music institution, Hadžimanov decided to return to his country where he soon founded his own “Vasil Hadžimanov Band”, with which he performed in clubs throughout Serbia in the early 1990s.
Since band’s first lineup to the present day, “Vasil Hadzimanov Band” has gone through several sonic and personal transformations, remaining true to the principal of giving each band member full autonomy, full support for independent expression, whether it is the choice of repertoire or solo performance. From the first album 11 razloga za… (2001), through the album Can You Dig It? (2013), to the album Lines in Sand (2019), and Keyf (2023), Vasil Hadžimanov appears as a confident follower of contemporary trends, progressive sound, and fusion of different musical genres that he successfully combines into what we could call world music today In addition to larger ensembles, Hadžimanov also performs successfully in smaller formations, predominantly in the form of jazz trios, while being a full member of several different groups- Trio Sveti (with Marko Đorđević and Branko Trijić), Toni Kitanovski Trio, Bace Quartet, Csaba Toth Bagi Balkan Union, Miško Plavi trio, Theodossi Spassov, his own Piano Jazz Trio with Martin Djakonovski and Alek Sekulovski, and many others.
Throughout his long career, the Vasil Hadžmanov Band has released eight albums, many of which have achieved impressive sales and numerous positive reviews worldwide and in the time of global discography crisis in the domain of classical, jazz, and artistic music in general. Beside recording music with his Band, Hadžimanov also recorded albums with his trio “El Raval” (2011) and “Melody Rhymes” (2021).
In 2016, the World Music Association of Serbia and the magazine Etnoumlje released a compilation CD to celebrate Vasil Hadžimanov’s 25 years of work.
Since 2011, Vasil has been teaching as a guest professor and head of the jazz piano department at the Music Academy in Štip (Macedonia), and since 2020, he has been teaching as a professor at the Academy of Arts, University in Novi Sad. He is involved in educational work privately, as well as in numerous workshops, including the international project Tutti, in cooperation with the Norwegian Ministry of Culture.
In 2015, Vasil Hadžimanov became a moderator and host of a music-educational series on RTV Vojvodina called “M Lab.” Many renowned musicians such as David Binney, Bojan Zulfikarpašić, Koja (Disciplina Kitschme), Zoran Kostić Cane (Partibrejkersi), Zafir Hadžimaov, Toni Kitanovski, and many others were guests on the show.
That same year, he began collaborating with Bojan Zulfikarpašić, and the two of them performed as a piano duo in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Paris, receiving unanimously excellent reviews from the audience and critics. The piano duo released their first live CD in December 2017, which was also promoted at a concert at Kolarac Endowment.
In 2016, Hadžimanov started collaboration with Croatian pianist Matija Dedić in a successful piano duo that continues to perform throughout the region today.
In 2022, all three of them unite and perform as a piano trio with a premiere concert in Novi Sad, the European Capital of Culture, as part of the “At the Crossroads” project.
Vasil Hadžimanov’s sound reflects his desire to fuse Balkan motifs with jazz in a way that is both direct and sincere, rather than relying on clichéd folkloric elements. He draws on his rich experience in folk music, which he believes “should not be ashamed of but instead supported and given more space.”
In addition to numerous concerts and performances throughout the former Yugoslavia and internationally, Hadžimanov also composes film music for a variety of documentaries, movies, and TV series.
As a key figure in the national music history during a period of disappointing production that failed to support genuine artistic values, Vasil Hadžimanov has taken inspiration from his predecessors and created an authentic musical expression that has been recognized in Serbia as significant cultural works.
All releases and music by Vasil Hadžimanov have been proclaimed as works of art of cultural significance for Serbia.
DISCOGRAPHY:
Vasil Hadžimanov Band
- „Keyf“ (2023, Croatia Records HR, CD DD|MoonJune Records, USA CD) – in production
- „Lines in Sand“ (2019, MoonJune Records, USA CD|VHBand, SRB CD|Croatia Records, HR DD)
- „Alive“ (2016, MoonJune Records, USA CD|Metropolis Records, SRB CD, LP|Croatia Records, HR DD)
- „Can You Dig It? ” (2013, Zmex, SRB CD|Croatia Records, CRO DD)
- „Života mi” (2009, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records, HR DD)
- „3 -Sega Mu e Majkata” (2007, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records, HR DD)
- „Kafanki” (2003, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records, HR DD)
- „11 razloga za…” (2001, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records, HR DD)
The album “Alive” has been honored as one of the top releases of 2016, by the acclaimed USA “DownBeat” Magazine.
Vasil Hadžimanov Trio | w/ Martin Djakonovski & Alek Sekulovski
- „El Raval“ (2011, SJF Records Macedonia CD|Croatia Records DD)
- „Melody Rhymes“ (2021, Macedonia-Serbia, independent edition CD|Croatia Records DD)
Vasil Hadžimanov & Bojan Zulfikarpašić PIANO DUO
- „Koncert na Kolarcu“ LIVE (2017 SRB CD, independent edition)
Vasil Hadžimanov
- “25 Years of Music“ – CD Compilation of various music works (2016, WMAS / magazine Etnoumlje)
Vasil Hadžimanov & Dušan Jevtović
- DUO (2020, Spain CD DD)
SOUNDTRACKS:
- “Debt to the Sea“ Leon Lučev & Milica Li Filipovska, III season, 2023 (TV series, Monte Royal Pictures)
- “How I Learned to Fly“ Radivoje Andrić, 2022 (Film– Sense Production)
- “Debt to the Sea“ Gorčin Stojanović, II season, 2020 (TV series, Monte Royal Pictures)
- “Forbidden Aunt“ Bojana Novaković (Documentary, SENSE Production- in production)
- “Mould“ Vuk Ršumović, 2020 (Limited TV series, Monte Royal Pictures)
- “Debt to the Sea“ Goran Gajić, I season, 2019 (TV series, Monte Royal Pictures)
- “Open Doors“ Radivoje Andrić, 2013 (TV series, Monte Royal Pictures)
- “Sisters“ Vlada Paskaljević, 2011 (Film, Monte Royal Pictures)
- “Heart’s Affair“ Mika Aleksić, 2006 (Film, Stvar Srca Production/Living Pictures)
- “Basketball Players“ Dejan Zečević, 2005 (TV series, Propaganda/RTS)
- “When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a Kangaroo “ Radivoje Andrić, 2004 (Film, Zoran Cvijanović/Milko Josifov)
- “Belgrade – to leave or to stay “ Goran Paskaljević, 2002 (TV Film, Arte TV)
AWARDS:
- 2020. “Annual Jazz Station Awards 2019“ An award for the best jazz pianist on electric piano at the 41st Traditional Jazz Station Awards
- 2019. “GODUM“ Award for Contribution to Jazz Music – Representative Association in Culture of Jazz, Pop, and Rock Music of Serbia
- 2019. Honorary Doctorate in Music Art – Goce Delčev University, Štip, MKD
- 2016. Award “Magistar Humanitas“ – Faculty of Pedagogical Sciences, Jagodina SRB
- 2015. “Golden Pin“ Award of the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Contribution to the Culture of Serbia.
- 2014. Award “Vojin Mališa Draškoci” – World Music Association of Serbia
- 2003. Award “The Best Instrumental Album“ – Festival „Sunčane Skale“ (album „Kafanki“)
- 2002. Award “The Best Debut Album“ – Beovision Music Festival (album „11 razloga za…”)
Istrajan, sveprisutan, muzičar beskrajne radne energije i muzikalnosti, Vasil Hadžimanov pijanista, kompozitor, aranžer i pedagog, nezaobilazna je, povezujuća karika srpskog džeza, sa kraja dvadesetog veka i početka novog milenijuma, ličnost koja u sebi nosi obavezujuć niz gena svojih predaka koji su, svako na svoj način, obeležili muzičke prostore Balkana u neraskidiv niz čuvara, interpretatora i novih tumača tradicije. Još od prvih pouka koje je Vasilu sa puno strpljenja, uvodeći ga u svet džeza, nesebično pružio slavni kontrabasista i kompozitor Vojin Draškoci, Hadžimanov sledi svoj svet osobenih boja i zvukova. Po školovanju na Berklee College za muziku, toj svojevrsnoj džez muzičkoj instituciji, Hadžimanov odlučuje da se vrati u zemlju gde ubrzo osniva svoj Vasil Hadžimanov Band, sa kojim, već ranih devedesetih nastupa po klubovima i, danas, kultnom, a ugašenom mestu Plato na Filozofskom fakultetu u Beogradu. Od prve postave (koju su sačinjavali, između ostalih i Igor Malešević, Vlada Samardžić, Goran Đorđević Sole, Branko Trijić, Bojan Ivković) do danas, ovaj Hadžimanovljev sastav doživeo je nekoliko soničnih i organizacionih transformacija, ostajući dosledan kredu po kome je svakom od članova benda pružena puna podrška za samostalan iskaz, bilo da je u pitanju odabir repertoara ili solo istup. Od prvog albuma 11 razloga za… (2001), preko albuma Can You Dig It? (2013), pa sve do albuma Lines in Sand (2019) i Keyf (2023), Vasil Hadžimanov se ukazuje kao siguran pratilac savremenih stremljenja, progresivnog zvuka i fuzija različitih muzičkih pravaca koje uspešno slaže u ono što bismo danas mogli da nazovemo terminom world music. Osim većih postava Hadžimanov uspešno nastupa i u manjim sastavima, pretežno u formi džez trija, dok je punopravan član u više različitih grupa od kojih valja pre svega istaći Trio Sveti (sa Markom Đorđevićem i Brankom Trijićem), Toni Kitanovski Trio, Bace Quartet, Csaba Toth Bagi Balkan Union, Theodossi Spassov, Miško Plavi trio i drugi.
Tokom svoje dugogodišnje karijere, Vasil Hadžmanov Band izdao je osam albuma, od kojih su mnogi doživeli zavidne tiraže i mnogobrojne pozitivne recenzije širom sveta u doba opšte redukcije diskografske industrije u domenu klasične, džez i umetničke muzike uopšte. Pored snimanja za domaće diskografske kuće sa svojim matičnim sastavom, Hadžimanov se prihvata i izdavanja trio albuma „El Raval“ (2011) i „Melody Rhymes“ (2021).
2016. godine World Music Asocijacija Srbije i magazin Etnoumlje izdaju kompilacijsko CD izdanje povodom 25 godina rada Vasila Hadžimanova.
Od 2011. godine Vasil predaje na Muzičkoj akademiji u Štipu (Makedonija) kao gostujući profesor i vođa odseka za jazz klavir, a od 2021. i na Akademiji Umetnosti u Novom Sadu, kao vanredni profesor. Bavi se edukativnim radom privatno, kao i na mnogobrojnim radionicama, uključujući i internacionalni projekat Tutti, u saradnji sa Norveškim Ministarstvom kulture.
2015. godine postaje moderator i domaćin muzičko-edukativnog serijala na RTV Vojvodina, pod nazivom “M Lab”, gde su mu gosti mnogobrojni eminentni muzičari kao što su David Binney, Bojan Zulfikarpašić, Koja (Disciplina Kitschme), Zoran Kostić Cane (Partibrejkersi), Zafir Hadžimaov, Toni Kitanovski i mnogi drugi.
Iste godine počinje saradnju sa pijanistom Bojanom Zulfikarpašićem. Njih dvojica, kao klavirski duo, nastupaju u Beogradu, Novom Sadu, Banjoj Luci, Parizu i nailaze na jednoglasno sjajne kritike publike i kritičara. Ovaj klavirski dvojac objavljuje svoj prvi live CD, u decembru 2017. godine, kada je i koncertno promovisan u dvorani Kolarčeve zadužbine.
2016. godine ostvaruje saradnju i sa hrvatskim pijanistom Matijom Dedićem i takodje u klavirskom duetu, njih dvojica veoma uspešno nastupaju po celom regionu i danas.
2022. godine sva trojica se spajaju i nastupaju kao klavirski trio sa premijerno izvedenim koncertom u Novom Sadu, Evropskoj prestonici kulture, u okviru projekta „Na raskrsnici puteva”.
U Vasilovom zvuku, u kome svakako čitamo i težnju ka sećanju na ono što je još u toku svojih mlađih godina čuo od znamenitog pijaniste Džoa Zavinula, pre svega uočavamo neprestanu želju za fuzijama i unošenjem novina koje je donelo, kako to i sam kaže „korišćenje balkanskih motiva na neposredan i iskren način“, van dotadašnjih, klišeiziranih kalemljenja narodnog stvaralaštva na džez potku.
Pored brojnih koncerata i nastupa širom prostora bivše Jugoslavije, ali i predanog internacionalnog rada, Hadžimanov se bavi i komponovanjem filmske muzike za niz dokumentarnih, igranih fimova i televizijskih serija.
Oslanjajući se na bogato iskustvo folklora koji je, po njegovim rečima „muzika koje se ne treba stideti već je, naprotiv, podržati i dati joj više prostora“, Vasil Hadžimanov je svakako autor koji je, u jednom od ključnih trenutaka nacionalne muzičke istorije, u doba poraznog vakuuma u produkciji koja bi podržala prave vrednosti, na pravi način uočio poruku prethodnika i pretočio je, inspirišući se njome, u autentičan muzički iskaz.
Sva izdanja i muzika Vasila Hadžimanova su u Srbiji proglašena za umetnička dela od kulturnog značaja za ovu zemlju.
DISKOGRAFIJA:
Vasil Hadžimanov Band
- „Keyf“ (2023, Croatia Records, CD DD | MoonJune Records, USA CD) – u produkciji
- „Lines in Sand“ (2019, MoonJune Records, USA CD|Croatia Records DD)
- „Alive“ (2016, MoonJune Records, USA CD|Metropolis Records, SRB CD, LP|Croatia Records DD)
- „Can You Dig It? ” (2013, Zmex, SRB CD|Croatia Records DD)
- „Života mi” (2009, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records DD)
- „3 -Sega Mu e Majkata” (2007, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records DD)
- „Kafanki” (2003, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records DD)
- „11 razloga za…” (2001, PGP RTS CD|Croatia Records DD)
► Album “Alive” nagrađen je kao jedan od top izdanja 2016. godine, od strane čuvenog američkog muzičkog časopisa “DownBeat”
Vasil Hadžimanov Trio
- „Melody Rhymes“ (2021, Makedonija-Srbija, CD Samizdat|Croatia Records DD)
- „El Raval“ (2011, SJF Records CD|Croatia Records DD)
Vasil Hadžimanov i Bojan Zulfikarpašić DUO KLAVIRA
- „Koncert na Kolarcu“ (2017, SRB CD Samizdat)
Vasil Hadžimanov
- „25 godina rada” – kompilacijsko CD izdanje (2016, WMAS / Magazin Etnoumlje)
Vasil Hadžimanov & Dušan Jevtović
- DUO (2020, Španija CD DD)
FILMSKA MUZIKA:
- „Dug Moru“ Leon Lučev & Milica Li Filipovska, III sezona, 2023 (TV serija, Monte Royal Pictures)
- „Leto kada sam naučila da letim“ Raša Andrić 2022 (Film– Sense Production)
- „Dug Moru“ Gorčin Stojanović, II sezona, 2020 (TV serija, Monte Royal Pictures)
- „Forbidden Aunt“ Bojana Novaković (Dokumentarni, SENSE Production- u produkciji)
- „Kalup“ Vuk Ršumović, 2020 (Mini TV serija, Monte Royal Pictures)
- „Dug Moru“ Goran Gajić, I sezona, 2019 (TV serija, Monte Royal Pictures)
- „Otvorena vrata“ Raša Andrić, 2013 (TV serija, Monte Royal Pictures)
- „Sestre“ Vlada Paskaljevića, 2011 (Film, Monte Royal Pictures)
- „Stvar srca“ Mike Aleksić, 2006 (Film, Stvar Srca Production/Living Pictures)
- „Košarkaši“ Dejan Zečević, 2005 (TV serija, Propaganda/RTS)
- „Kad porastem biću Kengur“ Raša Andrić, 2004 (Film, Zoran Cvijanović, Milko Josifov)
- „Beograd – otići ili ostati“ Goran Paskaljević, 2002 (TV Film, Arte TV)
NAGRADE:
- 2020. “Annual Jazz Station Awards 2019“ nagrada za najboljeg džez pijanistu na električnom klaviru u okviru 41. tradicionalnih nagrada Džez stanice
- 2019. “GODUM“ nagrada za doprinos u Jazz muzici – Reprezentativno udruženje u kulturi džez, zabavne i rok muzike Srbije
- 2019. Počasni doktorat nauke iz oblasti muzičke umetnosti – Univerzitet „Goce Delčev“, Štip, MKD
- 2016. nagrada “Magistar Humanitas“ – Fakultet pedagoških Nauka Jagodina, SRB
- 2015. „Zlatna značka“ nagrada Ministarstva kulture i informisanje i Ministarstva inostranih poslova za doprinos kulturi
- 2014. nagrada “Vojin Mališa Draškoci” koju dodeljuje World Music Asocijacija Srbije
- 2003. nagrada „Najbolji instrumentalni album“ – Festival Sunčane skale (album „Kafanki)
- 2002. nagrada „Najbolji debi album“ – Muzički festival Beovizija (album „11 razloga za…”)