New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Dimitar Liolev (7/01/1973) is a second generation professional musician. He is the son of Kostadin Liolev - an accordeonist, classical clarinetist, composer and arranger of Bulgarian folk music. Dimitar began studying music at age of five, and saxophone - at age sixteen. He is a graduate of both the Secondary
Music School and the Academy of
Music in Plovdiv, with piano and fagotto as his majors. His first professional experience followed over a ten year period of working as a musician in pubs, restaurants and wedding celebrations, performing Bulgarian, Serbian, Turkish and Greek folk music, together with popular music and jazz.
In 2000, Dimitar became a member of the young folk-fusion band "Brainstorm". The band performed at numerous jazz clubs, festivals, TV and radio shows across Bulgaria. 2002 brought the acceptance, at the Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen, the Netherlands. He graduated from the "New York Comes To Groningen" program, under the expertise of such American and Dutch jazz educators, as: Ralph Peterson, Don Braden,
David Berkman, Conrad Herwig, Brian Lynch, Dena DeRose,
Joris Teepe,
Miguel Martinez, Yuri Honing.
In 2004, he reached the finals of the concours "Dutch Jazz Competition", where he presented his first group "Rakia" on the stage of the prestigeous North Sea Jazz Festival. In 2005 he won second prize at the "Leidse jazz award" and was nominated for the 'outstanding young performer award': "Harten Aas jazz award". Each year has brought Liolev new heights. In 2006 he established himself in Bulgaria and began a busy recording and performing career with some of the most recognized Bulgarian and world artists - Dianne Reeves,Don Braden,Ralph Peterson,Conrad Herwig,JorisTeepe,Theodossi Spassov,
Angel Zaberski Jr., Anthony Donchev, Hristo Yotsov, Stoyan Yankoulov, Hilda Kazasyan,
Lili Ivanova and many more.
Leadership is a strong role for Liolev, he started a number of projects under his leadership - a quartet, a quintet and a septet. In 2008, he taught at the Academy of
Music in Plovdiv.
Currently, he is a member of the renown
National Radio Big Band, the Brass Association Big Band and sat as a musical director of July Jazz Festival for a few years. His discography includes "
The Other Side" (2014) and "Rhodopology" (2014) and in 2017 "Eastern Shadows".
Deeply influenced by Bulgarian artists: Kostadin Liolev, Theodosii Spassov, Ivo Papasov, Ivan Milev, Miltcho Leviev, Anthony Donchev, as well as the American legends: Charlie Parker,
Sonny Stitt, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Chris Potter,
Miguel Zenon,erbie,
David Binney,
David Berkman,
Herbie Hancock among others. Liolev is a fresh saxophone voice on the current scene.
Young Bulgarian composer and saxophonist Dimitar Liolev mixes rhythms and ornaments of Balkan folk and jazz, with an impressive avant-garde and creative approach. The strong rhythmic Bulgarian heritage and the creative and collective jazz improvisation together create an outstanding and quite unique band on the modern European jazz.
His original compositions are performed by some of the most well-known musicians of the Balkan music scene, trumpeter
Martin Tashev and drummer Dimitar Semov. With the international jazz experience of Italian bassist Massimiliano Rolff the music is a constant flow of energy.
Tracks:
Four talkers - (Liolev, Tashev, Rolff, Semov) - 04'14"
Day One (Liolev) - 05'08"
Filipopolis (Liolev) - 07'20"
New song (Liolev) - 04'50"
Still wondering (Liolev) - 05'56"
Night hope - (Rolff) - 05'55"
At this moment (Liolev) - 06'16"
Jazz me (Liolev) - 05'09"
Eastern shadows - (Liolev, Tashev, Rolff, Semov) - 05'52"
Players:
Dimitar Liolev - Alto Sax
Martin Tashev - Trumpet, Flugehorn, Vocals on track 9
Massimiliano Rolff - DoubleBass
Dimitar Semov - Drums
