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Regarding new formats

About new formats, no pretentious musicians or how much really depends on the audience. While traveling around the world for various musical events and having close encounters with some of the musicians, I periodically think about how everything has a human face, stripped from the vanity, that usually goes hand in hand with these things…

Some years ago, at Borispol airport in Kiev, while awaiting out return flight, we stood in line with the members of Aquarium, being cordial and kind to one another, letting the other person go before you. You couldn’t tell who’s who…

Then, in 2013 in San Sebastian, during the Masada marathon in honour of John Zorn’s 60th anniversary, we used to run into most of the great musicians participating in his projects all over town. Again, in a very laid-back manner.

A couple of years ago at Athens airport, while awaiting a tiny plane that was bound to take us to Leros, we ended up in the waiting area with the Berlin Philharmonic. Since we’ve been following their work for years and saw them live in Berlin just a couple of months earlier, it wasn’t at all hard to recognize what company we are in. Just like that – some wearing flip flops and Bermuda shorts, some on their phone, some dragging their instrument with them. Once again, in a very laid-back manner.

Close encounters with musicians in Istanbul clubs are a whole other subject. In Istanbul, regardless of the size of the format, there is no distance between audience and performer.

Doesn’t matter if you’re talking to Ibrahim Maalouf while having a drink at Nardis, or smoking a cigarette in front of Babylon with the musicians playing there that night, doesn’t matter if you’re having a short conversation with Dhaffer Youssef in front of his stage, or talking about music with Bugge Wesseltoft with Hakan Atala at Lale Plak – it’s part of everyday life there. We’re not even talking about all the constant friendly encounters with Ilhan Ersahin and the musicians playing with him in various formats.

This year’s edition of the Sarajevo jazz fest was also a small circle kind of event and gave its audience the opportunity to meet and talk to the musicians during the night concerts at one of the local jazz clubs.

Belgrade traditionally offers a very warm environment for both the artists and the audience with its vibrant night life and many meeting spots.

All these stories make me think about the change that is happening and how ready we are for it. The more open and prepared the audience – the shorter the distance.

Some musicians types of behaviour such as “Don’t breathe – I’m playing!” no longer work! Nowadays we’re all on the same side.

The respect for a big orchestra is a matter of good breeding. With small formats gaining popularity by the day, being a part of the movement is about having a feel of the world as a whole. You either distance yourself – or you participate. And things run smooth from there.

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