Lolita -
HiEnergyTurboPornoFunkEtnoOverdriveCrossoverHardGroovieJazz Band
web: http://www.ljudmila.org/lolita, http://www.myspace.com/lolitae
email:
lolita@mail.ljudmila.org
home: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Band members:
Alt sax: Primoz Simoncic
(also
played in Srp, Quatebriga, with other friends)
Drums: Marjan Stanic (also plays in Dertum
band, Zoambo Zoet Workestrao and many more )
Bass: Iztok Vidmar (also played in
Orkester Titanic, Cao Picke, Basisti)
Bio:
Lolita was founded
in 1987 in Ljubljana (ex-Yugoslavia, now Slovenia) by three musicians. Primoz
Simoncic – sax, Blaz Grm – drums, Iztok Vidmar – bass had previously
performed in various Rock in Opposition, Jazz, Punk and New Wave bands in
Slovenia. After a year the guitarist Samo Ljubesic joined the group.
They recorded their first cassette-tape on a 4-channel tape recorder at their
home rehearsal room, which was released by FV-Ljubljana in 1989. The same
company published the LP called Lolita in 1991. During that time
Lolita was playing her own music in the Ana Monro Theatre play called
George Dandin. That year the guitarist Samo and the drummer Blaz left the
group. Mirsad Sabic replaced Blaz. Lolita participated with music and
movement in the dance performance "Vso
sreco ti zelim (I wish you all the luck)" together with the
choreographer Iztok Kovac and PTL (Dance theatre Ljubljana) in a
production of Cankarjev Dom Ljubljana. It was also performed at the dance
theatre festival in Budapest 1991. Music from that experience was released on
the tape Pik Pok in self edition. Before the split Lolita played all
around Yugoslavia and also at some concerts in Italy, Hungary, Austria and
Netherlands. With the money earned from writing the music for the performance
"Sluga dveh gospodov" by C.Goldoni/Andrej Rozman/Franci Krizaj
(LG Celje) Lolita recorded the live CD called BoPa (But It’ll
Be). For the promotion of the CD various Slovenian artists contributed
their illustrations, graphic designs and photos for the Spring ’95 T-shirt.
Lolita and KUD France Preseren released studio-made CD Lolipop in 1996.
The painter Oliver Marceta directed the video spot Zelenjavna Mavrica
(Vegetable Rainbow), a song from the CD. A guest at another song from that CD,
Modri Vlak (The Blue Train), was the actor Zijah A. Sokolovic, a Bosnian
actor currently working in Austria. Through that friendship a ‘humoresque for
jazz quartet and an actor’ called The Bear by Anton P. Cehov and Zijah
A. Sokolovic was put up in 1997 for the European Month of Culture in
Ljubljana. After more than 30 re-runs it is still performed around Slovenia and
Croatia. With The Bear violinist Jelena Zdrale joined Lolita and
drummer Marjan Stanic replaced Mirsad, which gave Lolita a new Ethno-Balkan
flavour. In 1998 Lolita wrote the music for the short movie Hotel
Intercontinental by Oliver Marceta. Together with the new guitarist
Igor Bezget a new CD called Lulu, recorded live in the club Channel
Zero, was released in 1999. At that time violinist Matjaz Sekne
replaced Jelena. Following the release of the CD Lolita again became a trio: Primoz
Simoncic - sax, Marjan Stanic - drums, Iztok Vidmar – bass. In 1999 the
trio performed in a show called Trnovo Orchestra where seven musicians
conducted by the actor Zijah A. Sokolovic improvised on his cues and thoughts.
The concert was recorded at the home bakery and released in limited edition for
fans on the CDR Trnovo Orchestra Dance. The year 0 was also the
year of Lolita’s jazz festivals: they performed at Jazz festival Cerkno 2000
(Slovenia), Ljubljana Jazz festival ’00 (Slovenia), Pepsi Sziget 2000
- Banán Jazz Stage (Budapest, Hungary), Kumanovo jazz festival
(Macedonia), Nishville Jazz Festival (Nis, Belgrade, Yugoslavia). In the
next years Lolita played at Jazz Festival Kragujevac 2001 in Novi Sad (Yugoslavija), IZ(Z)VEN
jazz festival 2002 (Maribor,
Slovenija), Jazzeuropa Festival 2004 (Tel-Aviv, Israel) and at
Ljubljana Jazz festival 2005, where the band performed together with German
trumpeter Axel Doerner. The cooperation with different musicians
resulted in the project of improvised music, called Lolita Libre. Live
recordings from the period between 2002
and 2006 were gathered on a double live
CD Lolita
Libre - Nero e Bianco, which was released in 2003 (6CD release
on internet free download). The basic Lolita trio of
Primoz, Iztok and Marjan, was joined by Tomaz
Grom (double bass), Matjaz Mancek (guitar), Jessica Lurie (alt sax) -
Tiptons, Living Daylights, and Ventzislav
Blagoev (trumpet) - Antoni Donchev, Vienna Symphony Orchestra – in live
improvisation, recorded on the CD. In 2005 Lolita recorded The triple X
album with Blagoev. Both CDs
were very well accepted among the music critics, as well as among the
listeners. Lolita and Zijah A. Sokolovic appeared at the Monodrama
festival in Bitola (Macedonia), winning the 1st prize for The Bear
performance (Chekov-Sokolovic), On the following Mid and East European tour the
show won prizes at the majority of the festivals (Bitola, Kiev,
Mostar, Yerevan, Moscow, Kiel, Ruma, Nizhnevartovsk, Smederevo), being awarded for direction and acting, but
also for music and innovative approach. Thus the performance from 1997 began to
live again. However, the 2007 is here and Lolita, not a teenager anymore, is
celebrating her 20th anniversary.
Music description:
"The music is lolipopesque - in other words: their own. It
cannot be classified to any of the modern music fields because it steals from
everybody (free, Coltrain, funk..). Somebody labelled them as hardboppop... The
music is pleasant, very energetic at moments (drummer cuts loose from chains),
stomping its feet from joy and then the bass barges in which is lyric after all
and the scene is cooled off. Sax, after all these recordings is clearly
recognisable, makes an artistic intermezzo that may be followed by either everything
or nothing at all...".
Rok Juric
The music of Lolita is
based upon a characteristic approach to different musical trends, an
exploration resulting in a composite synthesis where every member of the band
has its clearly defined role. Together with the bass, the drums constitute a
hard and fluid background for melodic streams of the saxophone. The bass
ingeniously substitutes for an electric guitar in certain sections, and at the
same time links up with improvisational excursions of the saxophone. At
concerts, Lolita gives excellent performances as well, and has thus filled the
gap prevailing on the Slovene jazz scene - to some extent, at least. With its
coalescence of the traditional jazz 'jive' and the striking rock rhythmic,
Lolita can easily enrapture both jazz-fans as well as rockers.
Discography:
MC Lolita (1989 FV Ljubljana),
LP Lolita (1991 FV Ljubljana),
MC PIK POK (1992 Lolita Music),
CD BoPa (1994 Lolita Music),
CD LoliPop (1996 KUD F.Preseren),
CD Medved (The Bear) - A.P.Chekov/Zijah A. Sokolovic/Lolita (1998
KUD fp)
CD Lulu (2000 KUD F.Preseren),
CDR Trnovo Orchestra Dance (2000 Lolita Music),
CDR Trnfestovske - Live at
Trnfest (2000 Lolita Music)
CDR Lolita - Novi Sad Jazz 2001 (2002 Lolita
Music)
CD Nero e Bianco - Lolita Libre, 2CDs (2003
KUD F.Preseren)
CD The triple X album - Lolita, (2005 KUD F.Preseren)
Compilations:
Nov. 1995 - Surrender /CD Elvis de luxe - compilation /Toaster records
Oct. 1996 - Sivala je deklica zvezdo /CD Nekega lepega dne - compilation / FV
Ljubljana
Mar. 1997 - Lonec brez medu /CD Druga godba II - compilation
Maj 1999 - RS hit /CD "1998/1999 RADIO STUDENT & CLUB K4 ALIVE"
/Radio Student compilation
Some
concerts:
Aug.
1989 Budva Theatre City - Budva, Yugoslavia
Nov. 1990 Pre Stab Festival - Eindhoven, Netherlands
Mar. 1992 East Culture Festival - Bekescaba, Hungary
Jan. 1993 De Slovenen Komen - Peron 55, Venlo, Netherlands
Sep. 1995 SOU rock - Krizanke, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Jun. 1996 Druga godba - Krizanke, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Oct. 1996 Lolita + Living Daylights
- Druga godba Slovenia tour, Ljubljana, Novo mesto, Ilirska Bistrica
Sep. 1998 Forbiden fruits of civil society, Utrecht, Netherlands
Jun. 1999 Forbiden fruits of civil society, Mala Loka castle, Slovenia
Dec. 1999 Trnovo Orchestra project, Ljubljana, Kud F.P., Slovenia
Apr. 2000 Lolita - Live net casting from Radio
Student, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Maj 2000 Trnovo Orchestra project, Jazz
festival Cerkno 2000, Slovenia
Jul. 2000 Ljubljana
Jazz festival, Slovenia
Aug.00 Pepsi Sziget 2000 - Banán
Jazz Stage, Budapest, Hungary
Aug.00 Kumanovo jazz festival, Macedonia
Nov.00 Nishville Jazz Festival, Nis, + SKC Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Aug.01 Banan Jazz Stage, Pepsi Sziget
Festival, Budapest, Hungary
Nov.01 Jazz
Festivals Kragujevac, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
Nov.02 IZ(Z)VEN festival - Jazz klub Satchmo Maribor, Slovenia, Mar.04 The Tiptons (ZDA) & Lolita jam session, KUD France Prešeren, Ljubljana, SiMay.04 Jazzeuropa Festival, Tel-Aviv, IsraelSep.04 Lolita - Ars Poetica 2004 Festival (Budmerice Slovak Writers Home) koncert @ Studio 12 Bratislava, Slovakia30.Jun.005 Lolita + Axel Doerner (trumpet, Berlin), Jazz festival Ljubljana, Slovenia13.Jun.006 Lolita Libre project, P74 sentvid, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 20:30h27.sep.006 City Dreams with sax-Jesica Lurie, painter Danijel Zezelj & Lolita, ZAGREB Croatia28.sep.006 Jessica Lurie + Lolita, concert, SaxPub, Ljubljana, slovenia 21.3023.Jun.007 Lolita - Festival Krakovtrn 2, Sax pub, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Awards for
performance The Bear - A.P. Chehov, Z. A. Sokolovic, Lolita:
·
1st
prize - Festival na monodramata Bitola, Macedonia, 11.Jul.003
·
Award
for innovative approach - International festival of monoperformances
"Vidlunnja", Kiev, Ukraine, 21-25.Apr.2004
·
Best
male role and best directing award: Zijah A. Sololovic & Special music
award: Lolita - IV international festival FestPo*04, Novi Becej, SCG,
03.Jul.004
·
Award
to Zijah Sokolovic for the original realization of performace Medved - 25.
international festival, Mostar, 31.aug,2004, BiH
·
Grand
Prix for Best Male Actor - II International One Man Show Festival ARMMONO,
Yerevan, Armenia, 18.Sep.004
·
Grand
prix for best directing - 6. Moscow International One Man Show Festival , 2004
Moscov
·
Media
Award - Zijah A. Sokolovic for his innovative performance in THE BEAR - 4th
international monodrama festival THESPIS, 12-19 November 2004 KIEL (Germany)
·
Award
'classic as avantgard' Nizhnevartovsk theatre festival, (Khanti-Mansi, Siberia)
Russia, oct. 2005
·
1. prize on festival PatoSofiranje (forever young festival) 21-25. jun 2006. Centar za kulturu Smederevo, Serbia
Other projects:
1988 - live music in performance "George Dandin" by Ana
Monro Theatre
1991 - live music in dance performance "Vso sreco ti
zelim" by Iztok Kovac and PTL
1993 - music for performance "Sluga dveh gospodov" by
C.Goldoni/Andrej Rozman/Franci Krizaj (LG Celje)
1994 - T-shirt collection "Spring '95" from authors:
Afrodita Hebar, Anton Vidmar, Blaz Grm, Dolores Gerbec, Gregor Kokalj, Maja
Gspan, Miha Skerlep, Petra Varl Simoncic, Sinisa Lopojda, Strip Core, Tadej
Pogacar, Vesna Vidmar, Zora Stancic, Ziga Koritnik, Zoambo Kolumbo
1997 - performance Medved (The Bear) - Cehov/Sokolovic, performed
by Zijah Sokolovic & Lolita
1998 - Hotel Intercontinental, music for film by Oliver Marceta
2001 - Reinkarnacija - video Neven Korda, music Nikoli - Lolita
2002 -
P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Museum of Contemporary Art /party music - Tivolski grad, 21h
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Lolita
members projects:
1983 - MC
Cao picke/Via ofenziva (I. Vidmar - member of Cao Picke)
1984 - LP SRP - Srp (P. Simoncic as member of Srp)
1984 - LP '84 - compilation (I. Vidmar as member of Cao Picke)
1993 - CD Pieces of cake - P. Simoncic (solo project)
1995 - performance Jantar Jupiter by Mojca Dimec (music by I. Vidmar )
1995 - CD La Dolce Vita - Data Direct (gost P. Simoncic)
1995 - CD Pro Choice - Borghesia (gosta P. Simoncic, M. Sabic)
1997 - dance performance Quintet of Suzana Koncut (sax&act: P. Simoncic)
1996..99 - Dertum Band, 2 CD’s –
(Marjan Stanic’s band)
2001
– theatre performance Lenny (Julian Barry, Jasna Merc) by Z. A. Sokolovic (sax&act:
P. Simoncic)
2002 -
Marjan is dancing in OBcutno OBcasno/ATsense ATtime - Choreography & dance:
Matej Kejzar, Gregor Lustek, drums: Marjan Stanic. music: Aldo Ivancic
2002 - CD
release of band Srp, Zadnja Vecerja (Primoz's band from previous century)
Former
members & guests:
drumers:
Blaz Grm (..1990), Mirsad Sabic (..1997)
singers: Mojca Dimec (1988), Alenka Vidrih (1989), Alenka Marsenic (guest on LP
Lolita)
guitarists: Samo Ljubesic (..1992), Igor Bezget(1998..99)
violinists: Jelena Zdrale(1997..99), Matjaz Sekne (1999)
from press:
... Overall though, the band does a fine
job in filling the two generously packed discs with music of continously varied
color and mood.
Derek Taylor, cd Nero e Bianco, The Cadence magazine Sep. 2004 (p121)
... Lolita is one of the rare musical
ensembles from around, whose decision to improvise isn't just a fling or a
detached step away- but it is literally a cultural political gesture, an
implication of their own history, a sharp self portrait pointing to the always
fading memory that music should never be caught by anybody. Lolita, as the name
of the band suggests, is not to be tamed and she has her own wayward ways.
cd Nero e Bianco preface - Miha
Zadnikar, 2004
... An other discovery of the festival was Chekhov’s
“Bear” presented by Slovenian actor Zijah Sokolovic under the accompaniment of
jazz quartet, in jazz rhythms, with some unexpected inner feelings of the
character, the mode of scenic existence unbelievable for a drama performance,
very fresh, with dramatic discoveries so well motivated, with turns of the plot
so naturally developed in such paradoxical unrealistic circumstances.
from ITI One Man
Show Forum board meeting report, 2004
(http://www.iti-worldwide.org/pages/onemanshowforum.htm)
We have nothing about technology here ,nothing
digitally performed Here , But Still Lolita the Band from Slovenia contribute
great innovations in creating quality music with Their sexy sax Leading this
trio of brilliant musicians ! Now there you have it , Innovative does not
always means you have to include technology in music or Music about the future
, It is simply one word for an Artistic mind "Be Free"!
Innovative
International Radio, mp3.com, x.x.2000
iziDoesntLikeIt... a certain haunting quality from the
low hum... I love the laid back groove for the first 3 minutes... great
preparation for when it kicks up just a bit... that great bass line taking over
after 5 min.... the guitar riding over the horn stabs... a different, almost
otherworldly melody... intense... definitely the kind of fresh tasting music
there should be more of. peace ;-)
buddha
man December 10, 2000, www.soundclick.com
Music for a 1950s hot-rod movie. Catchy horn lines
riff over a stop-and-start rhythm that turns into a driving Surf backbeat. The
wild, screeching sax solo makes you wanna drive fast and get in trouble.
Noah E. listen.com
review, x.x.1999
The smoothly flowing soundtrack, in total opposition
with local film and music tradition. Also: an extension beyond Lolita's narrow
circle of fans, a step into "the easy-listening marshes", without
dirtying one's own galoshes.
Jasa Kacin, The best CDs of the year, Mladina 53, 28th
December 1996.
...The soundtrack music is lolipopesque - in other
words: their own. It cannot be classified to any of the modern music fields
because it steals from everybody (free, Coltrain, funk..). Somebody labelled
them as hardboppop... The music is pleasant, very energetic at moments (Sabic
cuts loose from chains), stomping its feet from joy and then Vidmar's bass
barges in which is lyric after all and the scene is cooled off. Simoncic's sax,
after all these recordings and his own CD Pieces of Cake clearly recognisable,
makes an artistic intermezzo that may be followed by either everything or
nothing at all...
Lolita Lolipop, Rok Juric, Muska, October 1996.
...But of course Lolita isn't listening to the same
radio stations and records and isn't attending the same concerts as an
Slovenian everyman. But she thoroughly examines the motives from Radio Student
announcements, Yutel's commercials (supposedly for Sipad) and opera's arias,
shocking in Zorn-like manner with abrupt invasions of noise, sucking up with
the Pink Panther theme, fiddling in accompaniment to the
"railway-station" poetry of Zijah Sokolovic and at the end kissing
goodbye Kraftwerk in front of wheezing Transeurope express. Everything, without
stepping with both legs onto the slippery but profitable area of covers, and
simultaneously in a true film sequence of melted songs, rather short than
prolonged, ment to be whistled during one's bath...
Lolita: Lolipop, Jasa Kacin, Mladina 25, 18th June,
1996.
...Already the fact of the society's global disinclination
throughout all these years hasn't succeeded to block the extremely special
efforts of such a sensitive aggregate, which a jazz trio is, should be counted
among cultural phenomena deserving all the attention. And it is also simply
overwhelming when such a long aspiration concludes in a richly fragmented
artistic standpoint that Lolita has firmly set up in our cultural space over
the past few weeks, simultaneously in both, for musical activity,
representative ways: with an album and a concert at Druga godba Festival. In
both cases she demonstrated a surprising professionalism in making her own
ideas true, together with loaded roundness, perfectedness and creative maturity
of her characteristic musical expression..
Lolita: Lolipop, Zoran Pistotnik, Dnevnik, 9th July
1996.
Contacts:
Marjan
Stanic, tel.: +386 31 339453; eMail: marjan.stanic@mail.com
Primož
Simončič, tel.: +386 40 418756; eMail: primoz.simoncic@gozdis.si
Iztok Vidmar, tel.: +386 31 236274; eMail: iztokx@siol.net
Snail
mail address.: Iztok Vidmar, V loki 14, SI-1351 Dragomer, Slovenia, Europe
LolitaBio.doc
31/07/2007
Lolita Libre project
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Jessica Lurie - alt sax, flute, toys (www.jessicalurie.com, www.livingdaylights.com) |
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The band is used to playing well rehearsed tunes but when it
suddenly decides to improvise, to create a new instant composition and to take
a risky leap of faith on stage, it is done so for two reasons, which are no
real reasons, because they are too playful and have been their guide ever since
the beginning of the band. Lolita is one of the rare musical ensembles from
around, whose decision to improvise isn't just a fling or a detached step away-
but it is literally a cultural political gesture, an implication of their own
history, a sharp self portrait pointing to the always fading memory that music
should never be caught by anybody. Lolita, as the name of the band suggests, is
not to be tamed and she has her own wayward ways. We note the part Lolita plays
in cultural politics on purpose, in order to stress her great courage to rock
the boat in a time, which is becoming clingy, stingy, stifling, sluggishly
bureaucratic and impossible. It forces one to resist, to make a documentation,
to create a new species, to take over the venues, and the joints and to create
music squats. If Lolita chose to play her music in one of the urban centres of
music, she would beyond doubt find a lot of supporters there, but her problems
wouldn't be any smaller. Then her steps would be well covered by critics, she
would become notorious but still only on a small scale. In reality things are
quite different - the fewer people support such kind of free improvised music,
the more important such local detonations are. They have a great impact on the
problems of author's rights, the rigid politics of other bands, the
overcomplicated forms for co- financing projects, and the international
network, which is hopefully lending a more sympathetic ear to such bands.
Lolita, the improviser, brings sheer joy to those caretakers who clear their
stage every month or two, so that some world- famous masters of free music can
perform to a crowd of 60-70 passionate fans. Up until now, these people felt
frustrated at the fact that there were no such bands playing free music in
their neighbourhood. Now, finally things are changing - and not only in
Lolita's body. The fewer supporters such liberated music finds, the more
seriously and passionately it will be played. Coming back to the two reasons
mentioned at the beginning, suffice it to say that Lolita's strength lies in
how amazingly they connect on scene and their unpretentious search for each
other without any big words.
Miha Zadnikar 
A.P. Chehov, Z. A. Sokolovic, Lolita – The Bear project
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home I thespis 2004 I thespis 2003 I thespis 2001I thespis 1999 I 12. bis 19. November 2004, Kiel / German about festival 2004 I schedule I veranstaltungsorte I veranstalter
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...
An other discovery of the festival was Chekhov’s “Bear” presented by Slovenian
actor Zijah Sokolovic under the accompaniment of jazz quartet, in jazz rhythms,
with some unexpected inner feelings of the character, the mode of scenic
existence unbelievable for a drama performance, very fresh, with dramatic
discoveries so well motivated, with turns of the plot so naturally developed in
such paradoxical unrealistic circumstances.
(from ITI One
Man Show Forum board meeting report)