A few words about me.

 

I was born in Tirana, Albania and come from a family of musicians, my parents are both pianists. I learned the piano from my parents and had my first official piano lesson at the age of 6. At a young age, I played numerous performances on the radio and, among other things, numerous piano solo concerts at the Tirana Opera House with the National Symphony Orchestra. At a young age, I won first prizes at national and international competitions.

At the age of 16, I began studying classical piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Prof. Günther Ludwig and Prof. Dr.h.c. Arbo Valdma. In 2000, I completed my piano studies with the highest grade ‘with distinction’. During my studies and in the ensuing period, I had the privilege of participating in a number of masterclasses with esteemed musicians including Pierre Laurent Aimard, Jasper van't Hof, Dan Tepfer and Bojan Zulfikarpasić.

From the very beginning of my studies, I felt a special connection to jazz, Afro-American, Afro-Cuban and Balkan music.

My origins, the musical and cultural diversity of the Balkans and their historical complexity have accompanied and characterised my work, my compositions, arrangements and my playing to this day. The various influences from classical music, jazz, blues, Cuban music, music of the Balkan countries and the oriental region led me, in the first years after my studies, through a musical self-discovery phase and reorientation and also to the founding of the project ‘Mezartha’ which consisted of the musicians Epaminondas Ladas (Git. Bouzouki), Ahmed Eid (Bass), Sebastian Winne (Drums), Habib el Berr (Vocs. Perc.).

With this formation I was a finalist in the ‘Future Sounds 2008 Competition’ at the 28th Leverkusen Jazz Days.

https://www.futuresoundsjazz.de/finalisten/finalisten-2008/

In 2010 I was in the final of the FutureSounds' 10 Jazz Prize with the band around the Lithuanian jazz singer Taurinta Rigertaite, for whom I produced the album “Susitikimai” in the same year (label “Allá”).

https://www.futuresoundsjazz.de/finalisten/finalisten-2010/

 

 Productions

In addition to my work as a pianist and keyboardist for various bands/projects, musicians and singers, my work as a producer has grown steadily in recent years and is now an important and significant part of my work.

One of the highlights of recent years is certainly the album ‘Toka Incognita’ with its high-calibre line-up of internationally renowned musicians.

This production, which was released under the name of the Albanian jazz singer Eda Zari, who lives in Germany, featured personalities such as Dominic Miller (Guit) and Rhani Krija (Perc.), both permanent members of the artist Sting, as well as Sebastian Studnitzky (Tr), Martin Gjakonowski (Bass) and Wladiswar Nadishana (multinst.).

I acted as pianist, composer and co-producer for this production.

 

Another recent project worth mentioning is the production of the album ‘Break Free’ by the German-Nigerian artist Abiodun Odukoya in 2018, as well as the remix of the single from the same album, ‘The way you do me’ (V.ö) Dec.-2018.

 

Bands Piano/Keys in bands & for artists

-2022 - `23 Production of my debut album ‘AMANET’. Released on 21.06.`24 on Royal Street Records (see Music/Videos)  

 

 -2019 as pianist and keyboarder with singer Semino Rossi on the tour ‘Semino Rossi's Latin Adventure 2019’.

Pianist and keyboardist on the studio recordings of ‘Algo Contigo’ and ‘Y cuedate Conmigo’. Both tracks appeared on Semino Rossi's 2019 album ‘So ist das Leben’.

 

 -Member of the band ‘Royal Street Orchestra’ since 2017, whose new album ‘metamorphose’ was released in December 2024 on Royal Street Records

 

The musicians‘ collective “Royal Street Orchestra” is the winner of the Ruth Prize 2016 (Rudolstadt World Music Festival) and winner of the “Creole” Prize for World Music 2013 & 2015’ www.royalstreetorchestra.com

 

 

-Since 2016, member of the band ‘Little Planet’. Performances at various jazz festivals in DE like: Jazzrally Düsseldorf 2017, Hildener Jazztage 2016, Dürener Jazztage 2019, Dottendorfer Jazznacht 2019 etc. https://littleplanetband.com/

 

 -Keyboardist with Melane Nkounkolo 2020-2022 (Tony Allen, Patrice, Three Fall). https://www.melanemusic.com/

 

 -In 2021 collaboration with the photographer and videographer Mirko Polo, with whom the music video for the single ‘Revolucion’, by Mirta Junco Wambrug (member of the Local Ambassadors) was produced. Release - audio/video, 2021.

 

 The band "the local Ambassadors" has performed at various festivals in recent years such as the ‘Over the Border Festival’ - Bonn, the ‘Horizonte Festival’ - 2020 in Koblenz and was selected by Cosmo Radio (WDR) for the ‘Cosmo Odyssee 2017’.

 

 

Performances, concerts and studio work with, a.o.:

 

 Rhani Krija (Sting, Peter Gabriel, Sarah Connor), Dominic Miller (Sting),  Nenad Gajin, (ZaZ, Ibrahim Malouf), Miron Rafajlovic (Cirque de Soleil), Armin Alic (Royal Street Orchestra), Semino Rossi, Soleil Niklasson, Martin Gjakonovski, Roland Peil (Fanta 4), Eda Zari, Sebastian Studnitzky (XJazz) , Juan Camillo Villa, Kristian Kappe, Ahmed Eid (Bukahara).

 

Appearances for WDR, Funkhaus Europa and Cosmo Radio (WDR) and concerts at home and abroad.