{"id":8088,"date":"2021-01-13T13:05:18","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T12:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitdistrikt.rs\/?p=8088"},"modified":"2021-04-01T13:16:47","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T11:16:47","slug":"vasil-hadzimanov-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitdistrikt.rs\/en\/2021\/01\/13\/vasil-hadzimanov-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Jazz is Exciting Because You Never Know Where It Will Take You: Vasil Had\u017eimanov for the Upcoming Concert with Stefan Milenkovi\u0107"},"content":{"rendered":"

A musician whose pieces of music have been declared artworks of cultural importance for the country, a symbol of Serbian jazz, a man who plays the most beautiful Serbian traditional music with so much dedication and respect, a title holder of the best jazz pianist on electric piano within the 41st Annual Jazz Station Awards, a fan of improvisation but discipline as well – Vasil Had\u017eimanov. Vasil will perform as a special guest at Stefan Milenkovi\u0107 and Camerata Academica concert on 13 January, within the traditional Novi Sad Do\u010dek.<\/span><\/h4>\n

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This concert will mark the beginning of the work of the first City Concert Hall in Novi Sad, while all fans of excellent music will have an opportunity to watch this outstanding duo online via visitns.rs<\/a> platform and the Second channel of RTS, starting from 8 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vasil Had\u017eimanov is an experienced educator, thus; he will not only be a visiting professor and head of the jazz piano department at the Academy of Music in \u0160tip, Macedonia, but he\u2019ll also be teaching at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. Vasil Had\u017eimanov will surely be a big inspiration to piano students, and they will have an opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surrounded by music and love, growing up with dad Zafir, mom Senka and aunt Bisera, there was no doubt Vasil would follow the world of distinctive colours and sounds. He started attending music school when he was only five. In 1995, he graduated from the piano department at Berkeley. A year after that, Vasil returned to Serbia and formed the Vasil Had\u017eimanov Band, with whom he recorded 7 albums. The famous American magazine DownBeat awarded the band\u2019s album \u2018Alive\u2019 as one of the greatest releases of 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vasil Had\u017eimanov said he was delighted when Stefan Milenkovi\u0107 asked him to be the guest at the New Year concert<\/a>, hoping the audience will like the performance of the songs \u2018The Christmas Song\u2019 and \u2018Preko Brda, Preko Brega.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vasil<\/p>\n

Within Do\u010dek, on 13 January at 8 p.m., the audience will have an opportunity to enjoy classical music in jazz style since you will play two New Year\u2019s Eve songs together with Stefan Milenkovi\u0107. What will distinguish this performance from the ones we\u2019re used to?
\n<\/strong>– Stefan thought I would be a good addition to the whole story and I am very thankful to him for that. Given the New Year\u2019s Eve and the festive mood, I think these two songs were a great pick. \u2018Preko Brda, Preko Brega\u2019 is ours, while \u2018The Christmas Song\u2019 is a song by Nat King Cole<\/strong> \u2013 both classics, but we arranged the songs differently for this particular occasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Academy of Arts students in Novi Sad entered the New Year with great news. What made you want to become a professor in the first place? What is your goal when it comes to students?
\n<\/strong>– For now, my task is to give information about jazz to those studying classical music, but to also try and make them look at it from a different perspective. It\u2019s not about making jazz musicians out of them, but changing the prism of perception and broadening their knowledge. If the conditions ever allow, after I leave, I would love for a whole new department dedicated to this kind of teaching to exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Freedom or discipline? What do you enjoy more, composing or improvising?
\n<\/strong>– I believe these two are connected. I think improvising is composing, improvisation is not something that just happens on its own. You compose something on the spot, you play it that one time and never again. When you go to a jazz concert, you listen to a unique piece of music that happens at that moment and never again, unlike classical, pop or rock music, where you know exactly what you are going to hear. It\u2019s absolutely fantastic, but it\u2019s not exciting the same way jazz is. This music inspires me because not even I know what\u2019s going to happen.<\/p>\n