Niki & Stanislav
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Instrumental Demo Serves Notice
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Opening with a five-minute, guitar-only, rock instrumental track "Scenes From Bulgaria", guitarist Stanislav Hvartchilkov (along with his engineer Niki Georgiev) serve notice on their CD-R, Fragments, that shredders are alive and well in Bulgaria. Hvartchilkov (his nickname in London is Flying because is family name translated means "someone who flies) lets his fingers, knuckles and hands fly up and down the fretboard on his opening statement, while the second track ("Future Hill (Part I): A Tale") starts out on a slow soulful note, before letting loose with some shredder freak out (again, no percussion). They do manage to add a drum machine to the sound in songs such as the more traditional slow rocker "Future Hill (Part II): Two Souls, One Cross" before morphing into solo electric guitar once again towards the end. The playing technique is stellar throughout the demo; the arrangements of his material probably need more attention (getting beyond the improvised guitar solos) in order to really broaden the audience beyond curiosity seekers.
Stanislav has been studying the classical guitar since the age of 5, but over the past four years has also devoted himself to electric guitar. He gave his first recital at age13, and has won numerous prizes in international competitions from 1993 through 2004. Stanislav has also made recordings for National Bulgarian Radio and Television. He first began playing music on the electric guitar in the neo-classical style similar to Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker, but felt the style tends to steer the player towards a showcase of technical ability and takes away from the deepness of the music. Stanislav decided to make music which incorporates Bulgarian folk elements, but with the power of the rock guitar. He has given recitals in countries across Europe, including England, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece, Germany and Bulgaria.
At the moment, Hvartchilkov is studying classical guitar at the Royal Academy of Music in London on full scholarship.
Contact Information
Stanislav Hvartchilkov
Sofia 1172, Dianadad
BI. 29, vh.G,app. 84
Bulgaria
E-mail:
Niki & Stanislav
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Matthew Von Doran
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Pursuing His First Love
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A music industry veteran, guitarist Matthew Von Doran has done just about everything to make a living. But now, with the release of his CD, In This Present Moment, he has taken some giant steps towards spending the bulk of his time as a performing and recording jazz artist. With a lifetime of guitar playing under his belt, you might imagine his playing to be tight, his chops fluent, and his solo explorations motivic, ambitious and soulful - and you'd be right on all three counts. In This Present Moment features ten instrumental tracks in the jazz and jazz/fusion vein, and showcase the work of additional musicians such as bassist Jimmy Haslip (who also produced the CD), keyboardist Larry Goldings and drummer Peter Erskine, among others. This is a well-recorded, excellently performed CD that is highly recommended to fans of jazz and smooth jazz alike.
Born in Germany in 1960, Matthew grew up in Washington D.C., and Canada before the family finally settled in the Manhattan Beach area of Los Angeles County. He began playing guitar at age 15 and by the time he got to college, in 1978, he started checking out jazz. Matthew eventually enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in 1980 and remained there for a year. Through the '80s, he made a living playing guitar in strictly non-jazz settings while still maintaining his love of jazz. In 1986, Matthew joined the Don Miller big band, which offered him an outlet for playing jazz while also providing him with a steady source of income for the next 16 years.
A few years ago, Von Doran began playing in a fusion cover band called New Trio of Doom (a sly insider reference to the Jaco Pastorius-John McLaughlin-Tony Williams Trio of Doom from the late '70s). He changed the name of the group to the Matthew Von Doran Trio a year ago and has been pursuing a career as a jazz artist ever since.
Contact Information
Michael Bloom Media Relations
P.O. Box 41380
Los Angeles, CA 90041-0380
United States
E-mail:
Matthew Von Doran
Web site:
www.matthewvondoran.com
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