A concert is taking place at 8 PM on June 10 at Bulgaria Hall downtown Sofia, to mark several significant events. Two of them are connected with renowned Bulgarian jazz musician Milcho Leviev, who is celebrating 60 years on stage. This will be the last time he performs in concert . He selected the Acoustic Version trio as his partner for the event – Anthony Donchev, piano, Hristo Yotsov, drums and Georgi Donchev, double bass.

Producer of the concert Hristo Yotsov says:

“It really will be an event to remember. Milcho Leviev says he wants to dedicate more of his time to composing from now on and that he will not participate in “shows with a substantial keyboard presence”. We have performed together many times over the years. This is my first time as a producer – an activity that is not typical of me, but it is interesting to get an idea what things look like “from the other side”. I want to underline that Milcho is without doubt the "flagship" of this genre of music in Bulgaria. He has contributed so much to the popularization of the original work of Bulgaria's jazzmen. We opted for the Bulgaria Hall, as it is emblematic Milcho Leviev's career back in the days when he was a member of the legendary Focus’65 formation. Their first concert was there 50 years ago and featured some great musicians – flute player Simeon Shterev, drummer Pepy Slavov and Theodosy Stoikov, double bass. The musicians won the critics’ award at the Montreux competition in 1965. This is their "certificate of value". These are the people who set down criteria and created fans and Anthony and I are living proof. The processes that set the ball rolling back in the 1960s are actually the reason why jazz is at a pretty good level in Bulgaria nowadays.

Milcho Leviev is also marking his 60^th anniversary onstage and we are celebrating the 30^th anniversary of Acoustic Version. I decided to take this opportunity to present the latest album of our formation. It was recorded on May 1 – 2 and we are currently putting the finishing touches."

Acoustic Version's previous album was released back in 1998. The new one will be presented on June 10. How is it going to fit into the formation’s artistic biography?

“The ’98 album and the new project show what how Acoustic Version has changed  through the years.  What I find most satisfying is that the spirit for music-making hasn’t changed since the band was created in 1984. We are wiser today, we have enriched our skills. If anyone were to compare the 4 albums by Acoustic Version it would be evident at a glance that these are the same musicians. The fact that we haven't split up with Anthony over the years is another big achievement, even though we have had different solo projects and have taken different directions. We are still as Yin and Yang onstage, Acoustic Version is still our designated territory.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

Edited in English Milena Daynova