This year’s trio of American – European – Slovenian cream at the SAXGO24 Festival is made up of saxophonists who promise so much that, in the words of Patrick Bartley, they could be called future legends.

aka Kopač is the most prominent and productive Slovenian jazz alto saxophonist, pedagogue, leader of his quartet and guest soloist with the RTV Big Band.

In the light of cross-border cooperation and the forthcoming ECOC, the European segment of the festival will be represented by the Apulian saxophonist Pasquale Calò, who will present with his quartet compositions inspired by the folk motifs of the Mediterranean.

American Tivon Pennicott, who will open the festival with his first performance in Slovenia, is one of the most sought-after tenor saxophonists of the new generation, combining jazz with Afrofuturism in his unique style.

BOŠTJAN SIMON – artistic director for JAZZ & IMPROVISATION

Boštjan Simon returned to Slovenia after completing his studies at the Conservatory in Amsterdam and has co-created a number of ensembles with an international reach. With the ensembles Trus!, Velkro and Litošt, he introduced the language of improvisation to stages that were not used to it. He currently leads the group There Be Monsters, with which he performs throughout Slovenia and the surrounding area, and is occasionally active in the following ensembles: the TEJO – Trieste Early Jazz Orchestra, the RTV Slovenia Big Band, the Milan Stanisavlević Quintet, the Robert Jukič Quartet, the Boštjan Simon Quintet, the Quartzite Quartet and the Nova Big Band. He focuses on saxophone improvisation combined with live electronics and polyrhythmic approaches to composition, as seen in Boštjan’s latest audio-visual project Etceteral with Marek Fakuč and Lina Rica.