Eastern Blok Kicks off 2007 Eastern European Series

Saturday, September 29 @ 8PM

Admission: $10 or free with your 2007 Passport subscription

Crossing Borders LIVE Radio Concert Series on WVBR launches an Eastern European Series LIVE from Crossing Borders' new home, Upstairs at Pancho Villa, 602 W. State Street at 8 pm, Saturday, September 29th. The series is co-sponsored by the Institute for Eastern European Studies at Cornell and kicks off with Eastern Blok, formerly known as the Goran Ivanovic Group. Returning for a third appearance on the show with a new name and a fresh Cd, the group brings an additional feature - special guest artist, acclaimed Polish jazz fusion singer Grazyna Auguscik. (For more info on Auguscik, keep reading) Admission is only $10; Crossing Borders 2007 Passport subscription holders are admitted free. The performance airs simultaneously on Crossing Borders, 93.5 fm, WVBR, and can be accessed online at www.wvbr.com. or www.crossingborderslive.org.

The group's fan base in the Ithaca area has increased with each local appearance. As the Goran Ivanovic Group, the Chicago based band performed over 300 concerts and sold 3,000 copies of their 2005 self-titled debut release, packing venues throughout the country and headlining the World Music Festival. "Blacksmith's Dance" was selected as one of three finalists in the 2005 John Lennon Songwriting Competition, and an appearance on NPR's 'Chicago Undercover' has fueled new acclaim and the group has been selected to appear in upcoming major motion picture "Wanted", starring Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie.

The new release, Folk Tales, featured compositions that juxtapose a somber and serious sound with a lively and elusive beat. The group, renamed Eastern Blok, features classical guitar virtuoso Goran Ivanovic with Doug Rosenberg on saxophone and flute, Matthew Ulery on bass, and five-time Detroit Music Award and Downbeat Magazine Award winner Michael Caskey on drums. Preview the new compositions on the group's site: www.easternblok.net.

The Los Angeles Times calls Eastern Blok's music "relentlessly innovative work" and Downbeat Magazine states "the ensemble playing is often breakneck and consistently challenging". According to Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Eastern Blok "plays with blazing virtuosity and sheer beauty." Minor Magazine describes the group's sound in more detail: (Eastern Blok's) "extraordinary pan-cultural ensemble effortlessly blends classical and jazz music with the rich traditions of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The resulting music is as alluring as it is complex. Exotic Middle Eastern motifs merge gracefully with the evocative sounds of Eastern European Klezmer music. Beautifully conceived folk passages are followed by perfectly executed Mahavishnu-inspired pyrotechnics. The passion and urgency at which this group plays is heard in every note on this remarkable musical offering."

The group's visit is expanded this time, offering outreach in the Trumansburg school system during the week leading up to the performance. Also, Saturday's performance will be followed by a reception at Moonlighter Dance Studio on Taughannock Blvd., for which the audience is invited to mingle with the artists. For those who have not heard them before, the opportunity here is tempting. For those who are already fans, Saturday's concert is more than an Eastern Blok fix: it includes a rare opportunity to hear the very unique Grazyna Auguscik.

Singer, composer, arranger, and producer Grazyna Auguscik has won the praise and admiration of music critics, jazz enthusiasts and even non-jazz audiences with a singular voice that speaks a universal language. She is one of the most intriguing contemporary vocalists on today's World jazz scene. Her elusive style challenges traditional definitions of jazz. Her unorthodox approach to rewriting classic works is at once a tribute to its authors as well as an adventure into uncharted territory. Her originals give a fresh taste of uncanny flavor.

Her professional music career She began in Europe, completed her studies in 1992 at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, and has since become a prolific collaborator shearing the stage with such jazz notables as Jim Hall, Michael and Randy Brecker, Bobby Enriquez, John Medeski, Paul Wertico, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Robert Irving III, Michael Urbaniak,Terry Callier, Patricia Barber, John McLean, Andrzej Jagodzinski, Jarek Bester and many others. Since 1994, Grazyna has made Chicago her home where she performs at the legendary Green Mill, and a most memorable appearances at the 1998 and 2002 Chicago Jazz Festival among Nancy Wilson, McCoy Tyner, Brandford Marsalis, Randy Weston, Von Freeman, Roy Hargrove, to name only few.

Amidst her active schedule of World wild performances, Grazyna has managed to record, produce and distribute twelve albums, nine under her own record label, GMA Records, and appearing on as many projects as a guest. Her album "Pastels" was one of the best in 1998, chosen by National Public Radio listeners. "Fragile", in collaboration with top Brazilian singer and guitarist Paulinho Garcia, was named TOP 20 JAZZ ALBUMS of the year 2000 on WBEZ CHICAGO 91.5 FM National Public Radio. Her 2002 "River" release placed her as one of the hottest young jazz talents in the country.

Grazyna was nominated by the 22nd Annual Chicago Music Awards for Best Female Vocalist of 2002 and was awarded Best Jazz Vocal of 2002, 2003 and 2004 by the prestigious European Jazz Forum Magazine. Three for Brazil, recorded for Pony Canyon Records, was on TOP 20 JAZZ ALBUMS in Asia. Her label website, www.gmasounds.com, contains a wealth of information about, and reviews of, the highly respected vocalist. Find out why the LA Times says "Grazyna Auguscik is doing important work in advancing the potential for imaginative jazz singing. She is a singer to be watched." "Auguscik has assembled a dream band . taking charge of the band she has created, she could make a difference in jazz today. Auguscik may be on the brink of innovation, as does her new CD "The Light "says Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune music critic. Her recent album, Live Sounds Live, is out now and the second release of 2007 with Paulinho Garcia is just around the corner, with a release tour scheduled across Europe, following the current tour that carries her through Ithaca.