100% BALKAN TRAFIK creations
The Balkan Jazzović Quintet and The Rocking Beez are 2 brand-new musical performances created and produced by the Balkan Trafik festival. These two creations symbolise the festival by bringing together Belgian, European and Western Balkan artists around a common composition. The festival asked two Belgian artistic directors, one specialised in jazz and the other in rock, to create, compose and perform two unique shows featuring 4 legendary artists.
BALKAN JAZZOVIĆ QUINTET FEAT. THEODOSII SPASSOV & IBRAHIM MAALOUF
No Balkan Jazzović quintet without the internationally renowned Bulgarian composer and kaval player, Theodosii Spassov and the famed French-Lebanese jazz trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf.
Theodosii Spassov has developed his unique style of playing kaval (traditional wooden flute) by mixing traditional folklore with jazz, fusion and classical music. He was designated as a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2016 in recognition of his talent, his innovation in creating a unique music style and his virtuoso performance, his commitment to raise public awareness about music as a force to enhance dialogue among people, cultures and communities, as well as his profound commitment to the ideals and aims of the Organization.
While the French-Lebanese jazz trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf, one of the most popular instrumentalists of the French musical scene has been well-recognized around the world over the years for his work mixing genres. Ibrahim has received several awards, which are also the first Victoires de la Musique awards given to an instrumentalist since their creation over 30 years ago.
THE ROCKING BEEZ FEAT. AMPARO SÁNCHEZ & NELE KARAJLIĆ
For the presentation of this special Balkan Trafik Festival creation, the musicians of the Rocking Beez (Rocking from Belgium to South East Europe) will be accompanied by the legendary Serbian-Bosnian artist Nele Karajlić and the award-winning Spanish “mestizo singer” Amparo Sánchez.
Amparo Sánchez who is the singer of Amparanoia and still one of the most important groups of the Spanish alternative Latin American music scene. They have won the BBC World Music Award in the past. Besides Amparo Sanchez, we also have one of the living legends of the great “Yugoslavian rock scene” of ex-Yugoslavia Nele Karajlić. He is also one of the founders and singers of the No Smoking Orchestra.