On 11 November, In The Mood Jazz Club presents “Glimmer” – Borislav Yasenov’s original project featuring special guests Mihail Yossifov and Vladimir Karparov.
Three remarkable soloists come together, each bringing a distinctive voice to the evening: Yasenov’s refined flute, Yossifov’s virtuosic trumpet and Karparov’s expressive saxophone. Joined by Jivko Bratanov on piano, Radoslav Paunov on bass guitar and Aleksandar Kamenov on drums – a rhythm section central to the ensemble’s harmonic richness, dynamics and expression – they present music with a history spanning nearly three decades, now explored from a fresh concert perspective.
Created to mark 35 years of Borislav Yasenov’s artistic career, “Glimmer” revisits his second album of original compositions, “The Crazy World” (1998), presenting its pieces in previously unheard arrangements. At their heart lies an encounter between jazz thinking and a classical sense of form. The album’s title evokes the artist’s inner world: dynamic, unpredictable and filled with emotion. Returning to these works reveals how relevant their ideas can sound almost three decades after their creation.
Recorded in 1996 and released on cassette in 1998, “The Crazy World” already brought Yasenov together with Mihail Yossifov and Vladimir Karparov – a collaboration that today’s project revisits with a fresh perspective. Released on CD for the first time in 2026, the album reveals a diverse musical world: from the swinging dialogue of “What If…?”, through the free-form opening and funk and samba rhythms of “In the Fog”, featuring Karparov, to the lyrical “Reflection”, in which Yossifov’s muted trumpet creates an air of mystery. The concert takes its name from the jazz waltz “Glimmer” – a piece that moves through contrasting swing passages, expressing a search for light and hope for the future amid the momentous changes of the years in which it was written.
At the centre of this ensemble is the flute – with its airy timbre, delicate attack and ability to lend an almost vocal expressiveness to a melody. In a jazz setting, its sound offers a distinctive clarity: light and spacious in lyrical phrases, agile and articulate in rhythmic passages. Its combination with trumpet and saxophone promises a wealth of tonal colours, with each of the three soloists bringing a clearly recognisable voice.
Borislav Yasenov is a flautist, composer and educator whose artistic career brings together classical music and jazz. A soloist with symphony and chamber orchestras, a performer at international festivals and the creator of four released albums, he has steadily developed his compositional approach while exploring the flute’s expressive possibilities in a variety of instrumental ensembles. He has performed with Milcho Leviev, Anatoly Vapirov, Ognyan Videv and Theodosii Spassov, and in 2006 took part in an international project led by Jim Schapperoew featuring Ornette Coleman. A professor at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts “Prof. Asen Diamandiev” in Plovdiv, Yasenov combines performing and composing with teaching and masterclasses in Bulgaria and abroad. In “Glimmer”, this wide-ranging experience comes together around his own music – the compositions that shape the character and artistic direction of the evening.
Mihail Yossifov is one of Bulgaria’s leading jazz trumpeters – a composer, arranger and educator with more than three decades of stage experience. Since 2014, he has toured internationally with Pink Martini, and the musicians and ensembles he has performed with include Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, Randy Brecker, Mezzoforte, De-Phazz and Peter Herbolzheimer. He has received the Crystal Lyre award for Jazz Musician of the Year and the Golden Quill award for his outstanding contribution to Bulgarian culture. His extensive work as a composer and arranger ranges from collaborations with the Bulgarian National Radio Big Band to his own sextet, Sentimental Swingers and “Jazz News”. He teaches trumpet and improvisation and directs the big band at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”, actively supporting the next generation of Bulgarian jazz musicians.
Vladimir Karparov is an internationally recognised saxophonist and composer who has lived and worked in Berlin since 2002. His music intertwines contemporary jazz with the rhythmic and melodic richness of Bulgarian folk traditions. In 2020, he received an award from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Culture for his contribution to promoting Bulgarian culture around the world. His discography includes “Thracian Dance” (2007), “Live at BNR Sofia” (2008), “Forkolor” (2014), “Antihypocrisyl” (2016) and “Iglika” (2022). In 2024, Balkan Spirit Ensemble released “Balkan Fever”, produced by Karparov and featuring his arrangements of most of the compositions. He has performed and toured with Ivo Papazov, Nedyalko Nedyalkov, Theodosii Spassov, Martin Lubenov, John Hollenbeck, Diego Piñera, Nenad Vasilić and Babylon Orchestra – collaborations that reflect his broad artistic range and active presence on the European scene.
Jivko Bratanov on piano, Radoslav Paunov on bass guitar and Aleksandar Kamenov on drums complete the line-up for an evening dedicated to original Bulgarian music.