PMGJAZZ 2024-2026: A THIRD ACT IN REVIEW

1. On January 13th 2024, on a cold Saturday morning in Skopje, in an empty old cinema, the first sound was recorded on what by the end of that afternoon will become “Macedonian Free Society” – the group, and the 46th PMGJazz release. Fast forward two years (give or take a month), Vladan again pressed record – and here we are 15 releases later with Skrit’s “Sunday Connection”. So what happened in between? Well, life and loss. The world was not the better place promised after a devastating few years. Divisive politics, needless wars and economic hardship threatened to break our spirit. The post-lockdown feeling of freedom may have been enough to numb us into letting that happen. We persevered.

2. Closer to home, in March 2024 we lost Mirko – one of our founders and a driving force. The man that to most was the defining symbol of this label and of this community. It was an even harder blow than the general sense of unease we already had. This hit us hard. This hit >>us<<. This time it was not a question of whether we persevere. We didn’t really. At least not at first. We almost gave in. But then another thing happened – life. Again. The lives of around 40 musicians recorded on those 15 releases, the flow of water, the rotation of the Earth. Love, marriages, children. Friends, family, community. Beautiful art was created and immortalized right here. The memory and legacy continue. New memories are created and will be eternal. The spirit lives on.

3. So, what do we have for you here? We have whittled down everything into a portable, chronological, nine track album, featuring 21 musicians, from five countries. A year ago, on the occasion of the publication of “Urgent” from our Budapest-based friends Christopher Cox, Péter Ajtai and Attila Gyárfás, we wrote:
“The train has left the station! The trans-Balkan free-jazz railroad is in operation.” It signaled our desire for a more expansive artistic effort and collaboration. A manifest of what’s to come in our next chapter. A more open and diverse community, geographically and otherwise.

This compilation is a diverse report card of our work in the past two rotations around the sun. All our feelings – better expressed through art. Our pride. Our love.
Everyone who is gone is already here. Act four in three, two, one… 

1) Macedonian Free Society – “Domestique Stew”
(from “Macedonian Free Society”, PMGJazz 046 / April 2024)

composed by Macedonian Free Society
Ninoslav Spirovski [clarinet / tenor saxophone]
Blagojče Tomevski [bass clarinet]
Vasko Bojadžiski [alto and tenor saxophone]
Vladan Drobicki [trombone]
Gligor Kondovski [violin]
Filip Bukršliev [guitar]
Deni Omeragić [contrabass]
Dragan Teodosiev [drums]

2) Roman Stolyar, Yordan Kostov, Nick DeCarlo, Dragan Teodosiev – “To Amur”
(from “Adventure of Doshnica’s Eel”, PMGJazz 048 / May 2024)

composed by Nick De Carlo, Yordan Kostov, Roman Stolyar & Dragan Teodosiev
Roman Stolyar [piano]
Yordan Кostov [accordion]
Nick DeCarlo [tuba, alto horn]
Dragan Teodosiev [drums]

3) Svetlost – “R+J (for Miliana Lenak)”
(from “Everything Was as It Had Been a Minute Ago”, PMGJazz 050 / June 2024)

composed by Kristijan Novkovski, Deni Omeragić & Ninoslav Spirovski
Ninoslav Spirovski [clarinet / tenor saxophone]
Deni Omeragić [baritone guitar / bass guitar / electronics]
Kristijan Novkovski [drums]

4) AUM – “Grey Heron”
(from “Grey Heron”, PMGJazz 053 / December 2024)

composed by Konstantin Hadži Kocev
Blagojče Tomevski [bass clarinet]
Konstantin Hadži Kocev [piano]
Dragan Teodosiev [drums]

5) Blagojče Tomevski, Filip Bukršliev, Dorian Jovanović, Dragan Teodosiev – “Rudnik”
(from “Sveti Nikole Session vol.2”, PMGJazz 055 / January 2025)

composed by Filip Bukršliev, Dorian Jovanović, Dragan Teodosiev & Blagojče Tomevski
Blagojče Tomevski [bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, flutes, voice
]
Dorian Jovanović [Chapman Stick, electronics] 

Filip Bukršliev [guitar] 

Dragan Teodosiev [drums]

6) Christopher Robin Cox, Péter Ajtai, Attila Gyárfás – “Dragon Flies from a Dead Sky”
(from “Urgent”, PMGJazz 057 / January 2025)

composed by Peter Ajtai, Christopher Cox & Attila Gyárfás
Christopher Robin Cox [trombone and prepared trombone]
Péter Ajtai [contrabass]
Attila Gyárfás [drums and percussion] 



7) Gligor Kondovski, Vladan Drobicki – “Dream TV”
(from “Inward”, PMGJazz 059 / November 2025)

composed by Gligor Kondovski
Gligor Kondovski [violin, glockenspiel & electronics]
Vladan Drobicki [trombone]

8) Aspirin Moon – “Artificial Things”
(from “Entropy”, PMGJazz 060 / December 2025)

composed by Filip Bukršliev & Marija Grubor
Marija Grubor (lyrics and voice)
Filip Bukršliev (music, arrangements, electric guitar)

9) Skrit – “Birds”
(from “Sunday Connection”, PMGJazz 061 / December 2025)

composed by Skrit
Gligor Kondovski [violin]
Filip Metodiev [guitar]
Andrea Mirčeska [double bass]
Dario Cievski [drums]

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Compilation curated and mastered by Vladan Drobicki
Cover photo by Vladan Drobicki
Liner notes and graphic preparation by Deni Omeragić