NPC, Hall 1.

7:45 PM on a Saturday night, left for speculation before the day of the election.

I have already made up my mind. The fanatic inside me will vote for Patrick Bruce Metheny. I make myself comfortable behind the sound technician, slightly disappointed with the partially filled hall, despite the low ticket prices. This I can only explain with the fact that to understand Metheny’s music is a great feat, which even a big part of the audience has not achieved yet.

I boldly look around for our native musicians of all genres. Angel Zaberski- son, Kalin Veliov, Yavor Zachariev of Gravity Co., Vassil Parmakov… they’re all eagerly awaiting their encounter with the jazz virtuoso (some of them, also anticipating another distinguished musician- Sonny Emory, whose concert in Sofia Live Club is in two hours).

The eminent guitarist and the other two of his trio come on stage at 8:20. Without the unnecessary overture, with a nonchalant smile and an overt genius, the grown-up boy from Missouri took his listeners on a fusion journey through places, whose scenery is the sound of jazz! The genius showered us with music of many albums. This was definitely worth the long wait since he announced he will be visiting Bulgaria in an interview two days ago. Metheny was accompanied by the astounding Larry Grenadier (bass) and Bill Stewart (percussion). The trio presented us with the main piece of his album Bright Size Life (1975) from his ground breaking studio album, recorded with the late legend Jaco Pastorius. Question & Answer and Change of Heart loosened up the listeners, as a result of which a lot of us asked ourselves what galaxy the performers were from, since they were certainly not from ours. Every one of Petheny’s tones was a separate transistor, accepting some sort of alien signals; every one of Larry’s frets was a counterpoint to Pat’s sound, and every one of Billy’s basses and cymbals- a new paragraph in the musical magic. It was as if (at least) two people were on the drums- such was the sound of the combinations written by his drumsticks. For us- here and now. As well as in projects with renowned artists such as John Scofield, Maceo Parker ,Jim Hall, Joe Lovano,…

The poetical voyage continued with James (from Offtramp), Always & Forever (Secret Story, 1992) and the huge surprise- Find Me in Your Dreams, the studio version of which is enriched with the flamenco voice of Estrella Morente. Metheny’s last album- What’s It All About (2011), containing outrageous covers, was represented by the classics of Paul Simon (The Sound of Silence), Henry Mancini (Slow Hot Wind), and Lenon/McCartney (And I Love Her) in a monstrous electro-acoustic mix.

Every music verse was served with enviable ease and a certain lack of seriousness, without this affecting the deep ideas in the compositions. This virtuosity, which I am not able to comprehend, cannot be explain with words. It hits you right in the heart, and that is all to it!

The climax of the 2 hour long concert was the 42-string guitar Pikasso, which came alive in Metheny’s hands for his final performance of Orchestrion/ Soul Search. This literally filtered our brains, freeing some latent space in the crowded with absurdities hard disk. It through us, understandably, in an uncomprehendable trance and made everything seem insignificant up against Metheny’s sound.

I believe that there should not be people sitting at such concerts…

That is why I am standing, to express my gratitude towards not only Pat Metheny and his trio, but also Sofia Music Enterprise for giving me the opportunity to meet such a genius.

Rediscovering my dreams.

A Columbian playing rychenitsa in 7/8? A kettle-drum and salsa? A piece in 9/8 dedicated to a Swiss band? If that’s not jazz, I don’t know what is! Precisely that sound struck the audience in Studio 5, where the promotion of the Wladigeroff Brothers’ new album For the Greatest and Little Things took place last night. The inheritors of the great composer- Konstantin and Alexander, together with Stoyan Yankoulov (percussion) and “The Snow Owl”, the legendary Juan Garcia-Herreros, came on stage at 10:30 PM. The event began in 3/4 and a tint of folklore, humble smiles, and a premonition for an unforgettable night. The brothers’ distinctive experimental style took the fans in faraway places. Samba, salsa, additive meters, crazy solos, devilish fusion, ballads. Every single piece had a unique style, message, and sound on a superior level. And Stoyan Yankoulov and Juan Garcia-Herreros’s improvisations in the second half of the concert burned us on the stake, as Alexander Wladigeroff said. For the encore (The Pink Panther), Tsvetan Choubanov (saxophone) was invited on stage, and he completed the harmonious circle, which we did not want to leave all night. The Wladigeroffs left us with our jaws dropped, wandering about between the highest and lowest tones of their performances. As I was leaving the club I found out that along with the unforgettable concert, the lunar eclipse had ended as well.I think I was in a time machine last night…

You can do it too.
Every Tuesday in Swingin’ Hall.

The audience in concert hall Bulgaria went through all possible and impossible states of the flamenco, whose soul was released by its masters- David Peña Dorantes, Renaud Garcia- Fons and Theodosii Spassov.The three virtuosos, united by their admiration of this one style and even more by their love of improvisations, met in front of their Bulgarian fans. Like the rest of the events, organized by JaZZ Plus, this concert offered way more than what was pre-planned. It offered a spiritual journey, of which the artists and the listeners were legitimate voyagers.I believe that everybody who attended this concert came to feel the sound of love… the gypsy love.At 8 PM, a solo performance by David Dorantes enthralled us so tenderly. Exceptional technique, hidden messages, love, agony, passion, and magic! By the end, two bizarre beasts were unleashed- Renaud Garcia-Fons and the percussionist Nano Peña. After them emerged the adversary of all standards in music- Theodosii Spassov. Free flamenco trio… I do not know how the pipes of the organ in the almost full concert hall did not fall off.The audience was struck dumb! Like the lights on stage, we turned red too, heated with emotion. Every composition and its titillating performance brought an immense amount of energy. Our senses were completely vulnerable to the musicians, who took us across the slopes of Andalusia. The bow in the hands of Fons and the kaval in Spasov’s were like weapons. We were killed by their insane flamenco and unbounded improvisations, among which, understandably, was the piece We Are Water.The concert officially ended at 9:15 PM but the concert hall turned out to be a seismic zone. The second earthquake lasted until 9:30 PM. Another story was told by the trio during the encore, with the added bonus of a solo performance by Dorantes. Thunderous applause and friendly hugs on stage!This was a concert, an art-happening, which obliterated all traditional understandings of the flamenco and left us happily dazed.We couldn’t have had it any other way, considering the roaring tenderness that prevailed.

Excuse me?! Who said Scandinavia is a chilly region?Definitely somebody, who missed the concert of the queen of Danish vocal jazz (and occasionally pop) Caecilie Norby at Sofia Live Club several nights ago. A cool timbre and hot repertoire- this was the combination, which astonished the audience. In two parts.Alongside Norby’s voice we heard Lars Danielsson (bass), Hubert Nuss (piano) and Anders Kjellberg, who present her album- Arabesque. Heated jazz and pop, distant rock and blues, ballads…With her appearance on stage and her performance of Both Sides Now by the legendary Joni Mitchell, Caecilie captured our senses with her charisma and voice.Then, with the wave of her hand, she drowned us in a boundless dimension. The memorable Big Time  from the album Slow Fruit was followed by the tender The Dead Princess and Wholly Earth, and an interpretation of a piece by Debussy, The Tears of Billy Blue. After the intoxicating series of songs and the weightlessness in which we all found ourselves, the first half was brought to a conclusion with the fresh Bei Mir Bist du Schön, again from the current album Arabesque. After an intermission, the story continued with Scheherezade and a dumbfounding improvisation from Lars and Caecilie. They left us breathless when they presented us with the delicate composition No Air. This was how the puzzle of happiness was completed.The Dutch artiste and the rest of the incredible musicians offered Cuban Cigars for the final. They left us with sparkling gazes, looking back at our own selves. The encore was the legendary melody Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, the last move in the dance of the wind.The wind, which disappeared with a possessing tenderness and style.Yet it left the muted lustre of aged gold around us.

Raul Midón blew the caps off of our heads when he took us in the wonderland of his music. He swirled us up like a tornado with the first sound that came from his guitar in Sofia Live Club. The guest stopped by on his way from Amsterdam to New York with Reel Feel.The event was first heated with Funkusion and Makora. The contemporary Nat “King” Cole, as they call him, spontaneously appeared on stages, said “How are you doin’?” and the audience went nuts. The chain reaction of the acoustic prodigy began with the tender Mystery Girl from the album State of Mind. The club is packed. Everybody is gazing at the genius. The listeners’ enchantment continued with Moment to Moment. As soon as the piece ends, there comes a wave of ecstasy and loud applause, which suddenly cease. At once, everything around us is in a tint of blue- we hear the first chords of Suddenly, with a brilliant improvisation of the “trumpet”, bongos, and guitarMidón takes a sip of water and cracks us up with a story about some DJ, who asked him to make a house song together. A genre, which according to Raul, has an exceptional rhythm and “It’s full of lyrics man!”The club echoes with a crisp “check it out”..What could be the next surprise, we all wonder. Some local colossi are around- Hilda Kazasian, Funky, Zhivko Petrov, Jivko Petrov, Milen Kukosharov… We also catch a glimpse of Kostantin Wladigeroff, who together with Alexander and Ekaterina Wladigeroff and the virtuoso Stoyan Yankoulov- Stundji, performed twice at the Bulgarian festival in Canada last month.An intro ala Richard Bona triggers yet another explosion from State of Mind- Sunshine. Before we realize it, we find ourselves in Brazil. We flew there with Everyone Deserves a Second Chance, a song from Midón’s current album- Synthesis.And yet another jolly story takes us in the world saturated with the smell of cannabis, the world of reggae. Behind me I hear somebody shout “You’re legendary!” The audience burst into laughter and in just seconds, everybody is swaying to the rhythm of Invisible Chains, also from Synthesis. Now, with Bonnie’s Song we’re somewhere among blue waves. Without a single thought, the sea devours us with the sorrow of the next song- When You Call My Name. The fanatic shrill of a lady, “I love youuuu!” echoes in the club as the tune of Waited All My Life begins.>Like in a dream, Raul jumps to the hectic About You.The audience is in ecstasy, but towards the end, the song is interrupted with a completely contrasting improvisation.Yes! Finally! We hear the piece most of us are here for- State of Mind.Hysteria prevails as a result of Raul Midón’s stupendous, syncopated solos. An odd Balkan character blurts out a “What’s happening with you, man?!” But I turn my back to him to face the master of the acoustic. The piece is over as if in a few seconds, and the club bursts with applause and cheering. Raul humbly replies with a “Thank you.” The spotlights come off. The stage, together with the guest, is suffused with darkness. But we, the fans, did not give up so easily! The crowd did not take a break before the genius came for an encore. A starry background and Midón’s angelic voice, which presents us with Expressions of Love for the final.