Saša Nestorović, saxophones, zurna | Mario Igrec, guitars, sargija | Borna Šercar, drums, tarabuka | Nenad Jura Vrandečić, double bass
i guest artists: Matija Dedić, piano | Vesna Pisarović, voice
A Day or Two has been published to mark fifteen years of the Portrait’s career and ten years since their first CD It’s Time for Jazz was presented to the public. ... They have remained true to the ideas fostered throughout their career: an author-oriented repertoire, a modern approach to jazz music and the use of Croatian traditional music, as well as to the influences of some other folkloric idioms, such as in the composition Sarai in which Nestorović, Igrec and Šercar play the zurna, sargija and tarabuka respectively. In most of the performances, they have been joined by their regular guest musician Matija Dedić, while the composition The Yellow Colours of Autumn presents Vesna Pisarović as a guest singer and lyrics author in quite a different musical genre with jazzy overtones.
On this album more prominence is given to well-coordinated ensemble playing, improvisational skills, musical maturity and the group’s distinctive sound. The music produced by the Zagreb Jazz Portrait has not been affected by any clichés, following along the lines of a direct, communicative, fresh and attractive approach instead.
(Davor Hrvoj)
Cantus, Croatian Composers’ Society, 2007.
