Tone Janša

After having finished his studies in Classical music and Jazz in Graz and after his Jazz studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Tone Janša returned to Yugoslavia, joined the RTV Ljubljana Big Band as saxophonist and devoted more time to his own music and quartet. He recorded in Ljubljana at North German radio station in Hamburg, in Trieste in numerous Yugoslav TV and radio studios. Further he played and recorded on Jazz Festivals at: 1974 the Polish “Jazz nad Odra”, in Graz where he played in the international Big Band under the direction of Slide Hampton 1975 in Debrecen and Nagykanisza in Hungary, Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Finland “Pori Jazz Festival” 1976 in Prague with Gustav Brom’s Big Band, Ljubljana and Belgrade Jazz Festival 1978 UER/EBU (Europena Big Band) in Perugia – Italy 1979 Yugoslav Jazz Festivals (Maribor, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Zagreb) 1980 Yatra Jazz Festival in Bombay + an extensive tour of India Burghausen Jazz Festival in Germany 1981 Berlin Jazz Festival “Jazz Buhne Berlin 81”, Austrian Jazz Days in Linz, Aarhus EBU Jazz Festival in Denmark 1982 Saalfelden in Austria, Ljubljana and Maribor Jazz Festival, Nagykanisza and Sombathely in Hungary and many others Tone Janša is without doubt one of the most promising jazz musicians in Yugoslavia. He represents a new trend, which one readily recognizes after having listened to his music. His music is fresh, dynamic, and modally as well as rhythmically very interesting. He composes and plays his own music. from “Goa” album’s liner notes In 70’s Pharoah Sanders wasn’t listening to Tone Jansa, neither Tone was listening to Pharoah but two musicians at two different parts of the world were creating at the same time unbelievably similar music. It is obvious where both of them got inspiration – Coltrane. Two albums that Tone recorded in 70’s for RTB label are masterpieces of Yugoslavian Jazz. The third one that he did at the same time and in a same quality came out on Helidon label and is well worth checking. Tone’s music is not worth explaining, it has to be heard. It is very spiritual at the moments, very deep and soulful and sometime just cheerful and moving, giving you urge to dance or just wiggle. Couple of the tracks might sound to long for you but if you listen to them carefully, when they finish you want more and the main theme stays in your had all day long. from http://www.cosmicsounds-london.com

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