Balgarianovinite.com Jazz singer Vicky Almazidou thinks of jazz as an open musical form which can absorb influences from anyone and anything. She was speaking to journalists in Bansko in connection with her project, The Greek Trace in Jazz, which she presented August 6 at the Bansko Jazz Festival.
Vicky Almazidou is delighted that she is able to show what jazz is and how it has evolved. She says that jazz is not about what is played but how it is played.
Speaking about music as an inseparable part of her life, she said that she knows of no other genre with such an extraordinary evolution. She described the combination of jazz with ethnic elements and asymmetrical rhythms as “a truly bold step.”
According to Almazidou, jazz is a genre in which it can be particularly challenging to incorporate irregular time signatures. Swing is usually associated with 4/4 time, yet pieces in 3/8, 5/8, or 7/8 can also emerge. Almazidou also pays tribute to Bulgarian jazz musician Milcho Leviev, who famously managed to create swing in 33/16. She says that in jazz, anything is possible and there are no barriers other than a certain aesthetic – one shaped by each performer’s personal emotions and individual vision of music. It is precisely this freedom that makes jazz so interesting and distinctive, she said.
Almazidou discovered jazz relatively late. She admits to not knowing it dated back so far but nonetheless she finds it to exist beyond time. When it comes to the Greek influence in music, Almazidou adds that Greece has a wide variety of musical styles, which are partly influenced by local musical traditions while maintaining a contemporary sound and remarkable lyrics.
Describing the inspiration behind her project, Almazidou said she immersed herself in the period between the two World Wars, when France attracted many of the world’s leading artists. She explains that Paris was a preferred destination for the musicians, especially for the Greek ones, some of whom even finished their education there. After that, influenced by their experience, they would return to Greece and incorporate these styles into all the Greek music genres.
She thinks of her performance at the Bansko jazz festival as a fusion of the French chanson and the swing style that was rapidly spreading across Europe at the time. Almazidou had also prepared booklets with the Bulgarian translation of the lyrics of the songs, which she describes as deeply romantic. The arrangements were done by Antoni Donchev and are only slightly modernized.
Almazidou performed The Greek Trace in Jazz on the festival’s main stage together with Antoni Donchev (piano), Vasil Hadjigrudev (double bass), Dimitar Lyolev (saxophone), and Dimitar Semov (drums).
The Bansko Jazz Festival is organized by the Bulgarian Festival Association and the Municipality of Bansko. Bulgarian News Agency is the official media partner.
Vasiliki (“Vicky”) Dimo Almazidou was born on April 4, 1956, in Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria, to a Greek father and a Bulgarian mother. She graduated from the State Academy of Music in Sofia (now the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”), Veliko Tarnovo University “St. Cyril and St. Methodius,” and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts “Prof. Asen Diamandiev” in Plovdiv.
Alongside a long and distinguished concert career, Almazidou has established herself as a dedicated educator and a leading figure in the development of jazz singing and music education in both Bulgaria and Greece. An important part of her artistic journey was her partnership with her husband, Milcho Leviev (1937–2019), one of Bulgaria’s most internationally acclaimed jazz musicians. Singer Almazidou Explores Greek Trace in Jazz at Bansko Jazz Festival 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-07 14:01:03 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law