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Miroslava Katsarova goes beyond jazz, "Under the Sky of Plovdiv"

Photo: Dilyana Florentin

The long-standing collaboration between jazz singer Miroslava Katsarova and pianist and composer Miroslav Turiyski has reached new dimensions in their new joint album entitled BEYOND JAZZ. In it, they really go beyond jazz – a style with metamorphoses that Mira Katsarova has been observing for years. According to her, "music, just like other arts, is a reflection of life itself, of time, of changes." Here's what she adds about the album: "BEYOND JAZZ is a reflection of the stories I want to tell through music. It's a collection of some of my favorite songs of the 20th century that are 'beyond jazz', influenced by pop style. I chose to interpret them in a chamber version - just piano and voice, together with my long-time stage partner, virtuoso pianist Miroslav Turiyski. We perform songs by Joni Mitchell, Sting, Michael Jackson, Billie Holiday, transformed in our own way - with new harmonies, with delicate, unobtrusive improvisations and more breaks."

Mladen Dimitrov who frequently works with Miro and Mira is the sound designer. The sound itself  is warm and mellow, reminiscent of 20th century analog recordings.

The idea of making a studio album in a minimalist version with just piano and vocal is not new. Such a chamber version allows enormous freedom for interpretation, improvisation and escape from conventional schemes. The album will have two concert performances - on June 18, in the yard of the Plovdiv Drama Theater and on June 22, in the cultural space PORTRAIT in Sofia.

The album BEYOND JAZZ also includes two original compositions by Miroslav Turiyski based on lyrics by Mira Katsarova. One of the songs has been especially created for the singer's fifth studio album, and the piece is titled "Under the Sky of Plovdiv." This is the city where the two artists live and work.

A special bonus track on the album is the song "Long Shadows of August".

Editor: Dilyana Tracheva
Photo: Dilyana Florentin


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