The Andreas Kapslais & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo
Musically captivating…virtuosic…these two experienced guitarists knock down the walls of genre and style to create music that is unique and meaningful.All about Jazz
Biography
Andreas Kapsalis
Andreas Kapsalis, born to first-generation Greek parents, grew up in a musical family in the suburbs of Chicago. His mother had countless Greek records that influenced Andreas from his earliest memories. His father, a violinist, taught him classical music which instilled fundamentals and discipline to lead him along his musical journey. Extended family enriched Andreas’s youth with poetry, painting, and sculpture, as well as respect and love for all artistic mediums.
At the age of eighteen Kapsalis severed a tendon in his left fingering-hand while carving. His hand was surgically repaired and confined to a cast for an indefinite amount of time. He feared he may never play guitar again, but refused to give up. He experimented with a rare technique, eight-finger tapping, which does not require the use of a plectrum, only the ability to push down the strings accurately and forcefully on the fret board to produce sounds. Kapsalis learned to play with only his right hand, relearning all the scales and chords. After several months of practice, his right hand was able to do the work of two hands. When his left hand was freed from the cast, Kapsalis endured strenuous physical therapy and eventually regained full motion. His two hands incited a joyful reunion that is ever-present in his unique and clever approach to the guitar.
Grammy award-winning producer, Jim Tullio, caught wind of Andreas Kapsalis and his breath-taking talents and pressed him to record. Under the supervision of Tullio, Kapsalis recorded a handful of original compositions, in addition to a version of Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” which won Kapsalis acclaim from Brubeck, who wrote: “I am very impressed that Andreas could cover on guitar what I had written for piano. It is quite amazing to hear my own music performed by great instrumentalists.”
Goran Ivanovic
Goran Ivanovic is a native of Croatia–a Balkan country torn by the civil strife–that engulfed the former Yugoslavia. The musical son of a Serbian father and a Bosnian Croat mother, he has crossed many boundaries in his life and in his music. While he was studying at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with masters such as Elliot Fisk and Joaquin Clerch, his parents were expelled from Croatia and granted political asylum in the United States. Since his residence in this country, Goran’s broad grounding in classical music has been enriched by influences of jazz, Balkan, and the world music.
Goran frequently performs at festivals and concert halls in the United States, as well as television and radio performances. He has been featured on Chicago Tonight, WTTW, Dame Myra Hess Concert’s, and 848 on Chicago Public Radio. As a leader he has released six albums: 1999 Guitar Solo, 2001 Macedonian Blues (with Fareed Haque), 2005 Seven Boats (with Fareed Haque), 2006 Goran Ivanovic Group, 2007 Folk Tales (Eastern Blok), 2009 Goran Ivanovic and Andreas Kapsalis Guitar Duo.
Goran’s music has been published by Lemoine publications in Paris under the direction of Grammy-winning artist Sergio Assad. Goran has taught as a guest artist at Carnegie Mellon University, Princeton University, Cornell University, University of Michigan, Depaul University,Truman University and has appeared at prestigious events such as Chicago World Music Festival, New York Guitar Festival, New York Jazz Festival, and Wall To Wall Guitar Festival, as well as legendary jazz clubs, The Blues Alley, Firefly Club, Joe’s Pub, and Chris Jazz Cafe. His current projects are: Eastern Blok, Grazyna Auguschik Orchestar, Goran with Fareed Haque, and Goran with Andreas Kapsalis.
Discography
The Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo (2009)
Performance Highlights
The Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo are Chicago’s finest acoustic instrumental guitarists. Steel string, ten-finger-tapping guitar prodigy Andreas Kapsalis, and nylon string classical guitarist Goran Ivanovic have fused their musical roots with modern, classical, world, jazz, and beyond in this experimental duo.
Including among their influences are: Paco de Lucia, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Dave Brubeck, Eastern Blok, The Andreas Kapsalis Trio, Dave Douglas, Assad Duo, Aster Piazzola, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Matt Ulery. The duo not only celebrates the tradition of guitar performance of the old and the current rapport but, as composers, they are part of a movement in the United States to build a new repertoire for the next generation of guitar players.
As they continue to create “buzz” throughout global music circles, these masterful musicians are creating genres and musical styles that have yet to be named.