ČOMPE 30 YEARS + KATALENA

This year’s International Festival Nights in Old Ljubljana Town will open with a diptych from the top of Slovenian world music scene. The double concert will feature the unique Čompe, celebrating 30 years this year, and the timelessly iconic Katalena.

ČOMPE
Janez Škof, diatonic accordion, vocals
Neža Zinaić, violin, vocal
Jure Boršič, alto saxophone, clarinet
Žiga Saksida, alto and baritone saxophone, vocal
Silvo Zupančič, guitar
Marjan Stanič, drums, percussion

Čompe, a six-member band from Ljubljana, formed in 1994, is one of the more unconventional Slovenian ethno bands, weaving their offbeat original music around the lyrics of Dane Zajc, Milan Jesih, Edvard Kocbek and Andrej Rozman-Roza. They need no special introduction to the Slovenian audience, you can expect a great ethno cabaret, a renowned tunefulness, a relaxed and entertaining concert that is at the same time much much more than that. The band does not acknowledge trendiness, but in the flood of genres seeks a unique musical expression, and through a variety of musical tissues brings the words of Slovenian poets to the listeners. The diatonic accordion and the varied vocal interpretation of Janez Škof, which shows a successful fusion of poetry and music, take a central place in this. The ensemble continues to impress time and again with its unique and original circus cabaret music, committed to acoustic sound, its unique repertoire, its raucous elan and its proclaimed harmony.

KATALENA
Vesna Zornik, vocal
Polona Janežič, keyboards, psaltery, backing vocals
Boštjan Gombač, clarinet, saxophones, grand piano, theremin, ukulele, tin whistles, fujara, trombone, backing vocals
Tibor Mihelič Syed, bass guitar, gimbri, ukulele, Roland HPD 20, guitar, backing vocals
Boštjan Narat, guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Robert Rebolj, drums, percussion

Katalena has performed in virtually every club, concert hall and festival stage in the country, and has also travelled extensively, with appearances in the USA, Israel and much of Europe. The band, which has been performing in its original line-up for over 22 years, hasn’t stopped, releasing its ninth album, Kužne pesmi, in 2021, and it is said that a tenth album is on the way. Katalena draws inspiration from the legacy of Slovenian folk songs, which she adapts and performs according to her own aesthetics and preferences. The fundamental premise of its work is the belief in the timelessness of traditional music, which, according to its members, is still alive in the younger generations today – not as some long-lost object, but as a vital tradition. Katalena seeks to revitalise this musical heritage with its own fresh energy, while discarding its ideological connotations and allowing its playfulness and infectious rhythms to prevail.