Primary Instrument: Piano
Samir Fejzic, composer and pianist, born in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), studied composition at Music Academy in Sarajevo, where he graduated in 1998. Currently he teaches renaissance and baroque counterpoint at Secondary Music School in Sarajevo.
His work is characterized by different influences, a variety of styles and the constant effort of assimilation of classical vocal styles, traditional folk music and contemporary techniques into his compositions under the personal perspective. His interest for vocal music resulted in the writing of the book Vokalni kontrapunkt, which he finished in September 2003 and was published by Svjetlost in Sarajevo.
He is also the co-author of the book of Bosnian Songs for Voice and Piano.
Simultaneously to composing and lecturing, Samir performs as a jazz pianist and has up-to-date recorded a couple of TV shows (”Jazz in action” for Bosnia and Herzegovina TV), three CDs from which he would single out the album Vintage, performed with the Swedish singer Karolina Ollinen. A remarkable part of his energy is focused on preserving the traditional Bosnian musical heritage: he arranged and stylized numerous traditional Bosnian tunes. For his work he got recognition of a wide audience at home and abroad and received several awards, the most important Charter, in 2001, attributed by the Association of Music Educators Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He founded the “Samir Fejzic Band” in 2008 and with that quartet he released an album Bosnian Songs For Voice And Trio, (Yaman doo, 2009).
Awards:
Charter, in 2001, attributed by Association of Music Educators Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the arrangements in the project "Bosnian songs for voice and piano".The album Bosnian Songs for Voice and Trio stands out, not only in terms of a beautifully unique attitude to the traditional Bosnian tunes and an extraordinary interpretation, but also for its energetic and emotional charge. The energy, enthusiasm, love and passion shine from every pore of the music, from song to song, and one can’t avoid letting oneself float and merge into this magnetic world. (Petra Oliveira Bachratá, composer)
“Simply - Sevdah Jazz”
Many have been trying lately to fuse jazz and Sevdalinka in an attempt to evolutionise and experiment with the Bosnian love songs and thus open it to new audiences in the Balkans and beyond. But what the Samir Fejzic Band does on their debut entitled Bosnian Songs for Voice and Trio, cannot simply be called jazz fusion - it is sevdah jazz in itself. Instead of merely finding a common language for both genres, they become an integral part of each other, fusing naturally rather than artificially. Stylized traditionals, which have been masterly arranged in a jazz frame, still have the chance to breathe in an endless space to show their free spirit in solos and impros, something which both jazz and Sevdalinka would be unthinkable without. And even beyond all this, the Samir Fejzic Band breaks even more musical boarders with excursions into classical music, funk, the occasional jazz standard and an own composition entitled “Oriental Dream”. A truly unique effort of very young and extremely talented musicians from Sarajevo brought together by an inspiring arranger and band leader with a broad vision. Tayfun Kesgin, freelance music jurnalist
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Primary Instrument:
Piano
Location:
Sarajevo
