Boštjan Simon
Instrumentalist, improviser, electro-acoustic artist, educator, and producer Boštjan Simon (1982) belongs to a special category of musicians who can seamlessly move between different roles. In Anglo-Saxon terms, he could be described as a shapeshifter—someone able to adapt his sound and artistic identity to a wide range of contexts. Simon is best known as a master saxophonist, holding a degree from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. After completing his studies, he returned to Slovenia and co-created numerous ensembles with an international reach. The list of musicians and groups he has collaborated with is impressive. Among others, he has been a member of Litošt, Trans Trio/Quartet, TRUS!, Vanilla Riot, and Iori Trio. He is currently active in ensembles such as Velkro, Quadro Dialogorum, and Etceteral.
While in some projects he approaches jazz expression in a more traditional manner, with the audiovisual trio Etceteral (featuring Marek Fakuč on drums and Lina Rica on visuals), he explores a more futuristic, electronically infused jazz. Their second album Rhizome (2022), released by the renowned label Glitterbeat, is marked by modular synthesizer textures and hypnotic polyrhythms. With the same label, he also released his third album Kimatika.
Another important project is his acoustic jazz quintet There Be Monsters, with which he released three albums on the Klopotec label, most recently Rubikon (2022), an evocative free-jazz work distinguished by the expressive individuality of its instrumentalists and a mysterious atmosphere. In recent years, Simon has increasingly focused on experimental electronic production, particularly in connection with live electronics and saxophone improvisation.
He crowned these explorations in 2024 with his debut solo album Fermented Reality (2024), which playfully challenges our perception of time and reality through intricate arrangements. On the album, he skillfully blends elements of contemporary electrified jazz and ambient music rooted in musique concrète and improvisation, creating a truly distinctive expression that rivals the most innovative outputs of Western metropolitan scenes.
In addition to his more adventurous projects, Simon is also active in various other ensembles. Since 2014, he has collaborated as a substitute tenor saxophonist with the RTV Slovenia Big Band. He is a founding member of the international ensemble Orkester brez meja led by Zlatko Kaučič, conducts the Nova Gorica Big Band Nova, and performs as a soloist on alto and soprano saxophone with the Trieste Early Jazz Orchestra, with whom he recorded the album One Night at the Cotton Club (2018). He also performs with groups such as the Milan Stanisavljević Quintet, Robert Jukič Quartet, Boštjan Simon Quintet, Quartzite Quartet, the SOS Saxophone Orchestra, and the European Saxophone Orchestra. Simon is also a music educator, and his students have achieved success at national, regional, and international competitions. Since 2017, he has been the co-artistic director of the International Saxophone Meeting SAXGO in Nova Gorica, where he is responsible for jazz and improvisation. In 2023, he founded the TINITUS Institute, dedicated to hearing protection for musicians and other professionals in the music sector, also organizing lectures and educational programmes.
Avtor: Jaša Bužinel
Vir:
etceteral.bandcamp.com/album/kimatika
therebemonsters.bandcamp.com/album/fermented-reality
etceteral.bandcamp.com/album/rhizome
kaparecords.bandcamp.com/album/ama-gi-2
litoxt.bandcamp.com/album/time-fabric-silkworms
trus-trus.bandcamp.com/album/first-step
therebemonsters.bandcamp.com/releases