When an artiste passes away, he is seen off with applause and honoured with some event in the sphere of art he worked in and loved. And in which he invested both time and effort, so as to offer the public his best. Tonight's concert in memory of Vasil Parmakov comes just one week after the talented jazz musician left us. The event at Sofia Live Club tonight is organized by colleagues and friends who will perform some of Vasil Parmakov's most famous pieces.

Stoyan Yankoulov, “Stoundji” (percussion), Vesselin Vesselinov, “Eco” (double bass), Ivan Lechev (guitar), Vladimir Karparov (saxophone), will take the audience down memory lane to the best years of Zone C, the jazz formation Vasil Parmakov is co-founder of. Vasil Spasov will have the difficult task of replacing Vasil Parmakov at the piano. We shall see one more “Vasil” on stage - Vasko “Krupkata” (the Patch), (blues and rock guitarist and vocals), as well as jazz pianists Antoni Donchev and Zhivko Petrov, bass players Dimitar Shanov and Dimitar Karamfilov, trumpet players Ventsi Blagoev and Dimitar Semov, jazz singer Marina Gospodinova, the actors from “Kasiel's Angels” Itsko Fintsi, Dobrin Dosev (who staged a monodrama based on texts by Parmakov).

An outstanding instrumentalist and improviser, Vasil Parmakov was highly unorthodox, with an untiring, at times caustic sense of humour. His ability to generate ideas, to respond to and build upon the creative invention of his partners is legendary. He was very popular with his posts on Facebook - funny stories with an ironic twist, the last of them - seeped in bitterness and disappointment. After years of work abroad where he had attained a high standard of living, in the 1990s Vasil Parmakov decided to return to Bulgaria with the idea that the political changes would, sooner or later, make art and the people who make art a priority for society. He chose to be a club musician. “He never resigned himself to doing hackwork, that is why he always had financial problems,” a friend of his says. The fact that a musician of his standing worked for a fee of 20 Leva (10 euro), and not every day at that, that he was unable to cater for his own basic needs has unleashed a lot of anger - it is there to be seen in practically every publication and interview that has come out after his death.

“Still, the most important thing he has left us is his music, that is what is bringing us together now,” say his colleagues. Saxophone player Vladimir Karparov, one of the Zone C musicians who have successfully been performing across Europe for years says:

“For me the band is something of a cult. I never tire of saying it is the best education I have ever had. I was 18 when I joined Zone C. Just imagine what it was like for me to be playing with musicians like Vasil Parmakov, Stoundji, Ivan Lechev. It has always been a delight to be on stage with them. A lot has been said and written after Vasil passed away but I prefer to look on the bright side - we have his music. We now have an enormous responsibility - it is up to us to preserve it and to draw our own inspiration from it,” says Vladimir Karparov and adds that for two of the pieces Zone C will be joined by Parmakov Jr. (bass).

Shelter in the Rain is one of the most famous songs Vasil Parmakov has written. It is included in Vassil Petrov's first album, to become one of the jazz singer's biggest hits.

“We met by chance just two months before he died. Together with Eco they were playing at a club and had just finished. We decided to do a jam session together, just like in the good old days. We sang just about everything we could think of until morning. I am grateful for the memory,” says Vassil Petrov and goes on:

“He was so distinct, so talented - as a pianist and as a composer and music producer. Whatever he touched, he made into art. In his last years he released a book - “Me and Major Blucher” - of stories, verses, reminiscences… I think he was preparing a second book. There is an enormous difference between Vasil Parmakov and his colleagues - his talent was enormous. He was wildly eccentric - just like any genius. Really unorthodox.”

English version: Milena Daynova