The vocal-instrumental piece called Cummon - the first solo project by trombone player Velislav Stoyanov - is one of eight composed by him and included in the album Blow Your Brainzz Out. It reflects very closely the spirit and character of the Brazz ViliDJ band and has become something of a calling card for the formation demonstrating what the instrumentalists love to do and do best – play and give enjoyment.

The Blow Your Brainzz Out project features 15 tracks. Besides trombone player Velislav Stoyanov who is the formation’s leader, the album includes compositions by Mihail Yossifov, trumpet, Dimitar Lyolev, saxophone, Angel Zaberski, piano and Antony Rikev, guitar and bass; he is also producer of the album. The album was recorded by Nikolay Danev, known also as DJ Brown Sugar.

Velislav or Villy Stoyanov is the grandson of the much respected 20^th century composer Yossif Tsankov, one of the founders of the Bulgarian National Radio back in 1936. Proud of his lineage, Villy developed the musical traditions of his family in a new and modern way.

Here is what he told Radio Bulgaria’s Sibilla Lilova about the Brazz Association and the Blow Your Brainzz Out project:

“It is my project within our Brazz Association that we set up together with my friends Mihail Yossifov, Kiril Zaphirov, Todor Bakurdjiev, Bobby Vassilev, Dimitar Stoev – all of them trombone and trumpet players. On the whole, we never restrict ourselves to just one style in our compositions. Some of us prefer jazz, others, like myself – funk and punk or folklore elements. The idea of this Brazz Association is to bring together all of our projects, and we have quite a few – the Brazz Association Big Band with conductor Angel Zaberski Junior, Mihail Yossifoc Sextet, RomaNeno Project, Brazz ViliDJ and several others by young musicians. As to my own Blow Your Brainzz Out, the title suggests that listeners let themselves go and think of nothing else. The album has no single guiding idea or any given style but that was not a specific aim I had in mind. On the contrary, what I wanted was to revive the idea of a brass band. I have made it a point to study the music of my grandfather, as well as the age in which he lived and worked. I myself took my first steps with the Alen Mak – Red Poppy – brass band. I remember well the euphoria we used to play with and the atmosphere we conveyed to the listeners. Now I want to be able to convey this same sense of urban brass music. That is why in this album I have used styles that are popular at the moment – for different people with different tastes. The pieces reveal my attitude to hip-hop, funk and punk music. Dimitar Lyolev also wrote compositions for Blow Your Brainzz Out, which have an openly folkloric lean.

Villy Stoyanov’s debut album features several guest-musicians. Besides Radoslav Slavchev, bass, they include also Angel Zaberski Junior, piano, Irina Stoyanova, violion, Bozhidar Vassilev, trombone, Svetoslav Nedelchev, bass, and DJ Jijo. Dessy Andonova sings in Going Out and Michael Fleming in We Come In.

At the forthcoming third edition of the festival Brazzobrazzie at the beginning of March, Brazz ViliDJ will perform several of the pieces included in the project; the band members plan to make videos to the pieces Heroic and Cummon, as well as concerts in Rousse and Varna.

English version: Milena Daynova 

The audio contains the following recordings:

-  Cummon;

-  Heroic, composed by Mihail Yossifov and featuring Radoslav Slavchev, bass;

-  Tender Seven;

-  Going Out, featuring Dessy Andonova.