One of Bulgaria’s most talented jazz guitarists Ludmil Krumov studied music in the Netherlands. There, he rediscovered his Bulgarian roots, worked and lived. Ludmil says that the most precious lesson he learnt at the Prince Claus Conservatorium in Groningen is to be real when he expresses himself through music. He plays contemporary jazz. He also plays his authors music and participates in different music projects-concerts for children, pieces for choir and symphony orchestra with a solo guitar.

Ludmil Krumov was born in the town of Svishtov. His father, who passed away young, used to play on the saxophone and trumpet. His grandfather was a talented dancer and his great grandfather was a very skilled piper. Ludmil started to study music at the age of six. He was fourteen when he first played on the guitar. After graduating from the high-school of commerce Ludmil joined that Academy of Economics in his home town, but soon he realized that this was not for him and decided to follow his talent. I have serious experience as a pub musician, Ludmil says. I went through all music styles-from pop and rock to evergreens and oriental music. I fell in love with the Bulgarian folklore when I studied at a folk dance school. In 2001 he was accepted at the Berklee College of Music winning the B.E.S.T award for original composition, but he did not have enough money to study at the USA.

Then, I went to the Netherlands which was a wonderful opportunity, because the Prince Claus Conservatorium in Groningen worked under a US programme with lecturers (acting jazz musicians) from the USA, Ludmil told Radio Bulgaria. This is exactly what I wanted- to study jazz. Our lecturers in Groningen made us think who we were and where our roots were. They taught us to be straightforward and real. I peered at my personal story. Although I studied jazz hard and in details, my roots were different. Then I used my experience from the dancing school and leaned on my interest in our irregular music rhythms and improvisation. Later, I obtained a Master of Music degree from CODARTS-Rotterdam. The theme was related to the mixing of jazz and folk music. In the Netherlands you study the whole tradition-from the very beginning of jazz to its most modern manifestations. I decided to use the same approach to the performers of our folk music and study the development of each Bulgarian folk music instrument separately.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov