Here is what drummer Ilko Petrov told us:„When I was seven years old I started with violin lessons and later switched to viola. I graduated from both high school and music school. I started studying in the Institute for internal combustion engines in Russe. There were various theatre and music groups part of the cultural club of the institute and even a big band comprised of students and lecturers. Head of the band was Boris Rusev - Bobby. I listened to their rehearsals. Once the drummer could not play a piece and Boris was angry. In the break I got on stage and because there was no one around, I decided to try to play the piece. This was my first time on drums but I did fine with the rhythm. It turned out that Boris had heard my efforts and invited me to play in the band. After a concert Petyo told me: ‘I do not know whether you would become an engineer, but if you want to become a drummer you need to work a lot.’ I listened to him and I started taking lessons in percussion, studied drums, xylophone, etc. For a whole year I was playing 12 hours a day. I lived in a big house and did not disturb anyone. I prepared a program and I was practicing and studying alone and that was how I made some serious progress. Then I held an exam and I was given a job in the Philharmonic Orchestra of the city.”

It is known that Petar Petrov a.k.a Petyo Parcheto (The Piece) was the basis of all events related to jazz music in Russe for decades. He is the founder of the Jazz Meeting and was its main organizer until his last days.

„Petyo had a number of bands before we started working together. When we started playing together, part of the band was also Boris Rusev - alto saxophone. Not long after that the band had to split - each of us had found a job abroad, which was the only way to buy good instruments. After some time in Russe a Youth Cultural Center opened and director Sergei Baranov gave us the opportunity to play jazz. With his help the first Jazz Meeting in Ruse was organized, exactly 40 years ago. The Big Band of the Bulgarian National Radio Big Band with conductor Villi Kazasyan took part in it. A few years later, another admirer of jazz convinced the Russe municipality to support us. The band became a sextet. We have participated in all national jazz meetings that existed back then - in Sopot, Sofia, Plovdiv, and in Rome, Italy. Later me and Petyo founded the quartet along with Stayko Staykov – a guitarist who quickly learned to play bass and Alexander Vladimirov - piano. With this quartet we had great success on a number of big stages; we toured the world. We had a long tour in the countries of the former Soviet Union, together with soloist Yildiz Ibrahimova. We took part in the festival in Servantino - Mexico (Festival Internacional Cervantino); in "Jazz Jamboree" – Warsaw; the Festival in Debrecen - Hungary, as well as in Jazz Yatra in India and many others. Unfortunately, I had to go to Germany and play other types of music, so I parted with jazz.”

Ilko has a great number of stories to tell about the times when jazz made its first serious steps in this country and about musicians whose names are now somehow forgotten or they are no longer among us. Today Ilko Petrov is proud of the success of his children. His son is a businessman and his daughter Mirela is a young pianist with countless international awards and career abroad.

English: Alexander Markov