The music of the “Vladimir Karparov Quartet” is both unique and expressive; it’s marked by an uncommonly successful fusion between contemporary jazz and the rhythmical and melodic color of Bulgaria’s lively folk music. As the head of his own band, the saxophonist Karparov skillfully combines the best of both worlds in his compositions; their harmonies are based on the refined tradition of American-style modern jazz, while their evocative melodies reveal a playful ornamental nature typical for Bulgarian folk music. Karparov mainly plays his own compositions; he has proven himself to be a versatile and multi-faceted musician and talented composer who nimbly leaps over the boundaries between genres, incorporating classical music and tango as well as Turkish arabesque and gypsy elements into his rich sound cosmos. In the process, Karparov has long since defined his artistic voice and style and can be regarded as an original talent in a new generation of Bulgarian music. When the young Bulgarian picks up his saxophone and spurs his fellow musicians on with rapid lines, odd meters, polyrhythmic structures, and dynamic changes, the audience has no other choice but to go along with him and become transported by the emotion and power of a sound that now and again taps into a melancholic vein. /Carina Prange /