VANJA LISAK QUARTET - Live! (Swing Party 4) - CD

Vanja Lisak was a well-known director of the Zagreb Festival, a member of the Croatian Radiotelevision Popular Orchestra (HRT) as well as an editor and producer for the HRT, pianist, composer, arranger and producer. After participating in several Zagreb jazz ensembles, Lisak decided to establish a quartet at the beginning of the 1980s that would perform in clubs and at jazz festivals. It has remained the best-known ensemble of Lisak’s career. Along with Lisak, the Quartet also included clarinet player Vladimir Bolčević, bass player Zvonimir Makar, who replaced Mladen Kos from the original lineup, and drummer Vladimir Vuković. Whoa, this was a spectacular foursome! Whenever I went to their gigs I knew I would be treated to a terrific jazz show – a real “swing party”. They always performed with big smiles on their faces and special fervor, as if there was nothing more important in the world at that moment.

Apart from the artistic value, the release of this CD also has a musicological value. Music has been preserved from being forgotten and the public has been presented with material that deserves to be documented and valued in the context of Croatian jazz history.