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Dusko Goykovich's eventful life is like a mirror of 50 years of jazz history. This trumpet player caused stylistic developments, set technical standards, played with all the greats of the genre (Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan a. m. o.) and finally became one of them. A formative influence on the German jazz scene since 1955, Goykovich is also a big name in Japan and highly admired in the U. S. since he came to prominence there as a member of Maynard Ferguson's and Woody Herman's big bands in the sixties. After his return from the States Goykovich became a pioneer in the Balkan/jazz movement, joined the Clarke-Boland Big Band and started his own big band projects in Munich. In 1993 Goykovich had a big international comeback with his prize-winning CD "Soul Connection" and he has been a strong presence on the scene ever since.
Best known for his unmistakably melodic phrasing and his high-class ballad renditions on the trumpet, muted trumpet, and fluegelhorn, Goykovich shines brightly on this new quartet recording. Dedicated mostly to soft ballad moods, "In My Dreams" combines Goykovich's warm and melancholy playing with the somewhat modernistic and angular approach of legendary American pianist Bob Degen known for his work with Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Paul Motian, Albert Mangelsdorff, Buddy DeFranco and Heinz Sauer. This thrillingly unusual team is completed by Isla Eckinger, one of Europe's most prolific bass players, and young American drummer Jarrod Cagwin who can make even complex rhythms sound simple and natural as he proves in Rabih Abou-Khalil's band. Presenting a bunch of Goykovich originals along with Degen's famous "Sequoia Song" and two standards by the great Hoagy Carmichael, "In My Dreams" is an intense and intimate highlight of Goykovich's career – great art, mellow moods, refined stylings. Turning 70 in October 2001, he couldn't give himself a better birthday present.
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Some other recordings by
Dusko Goykovich:
(Full list)
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