Jani Moder Solo and Mind Tree

19:00 Jani Moder Solo – Traces and Places
Jani Moder: guitar, effects
World-class guitarist Jani Moder enjoys international renown and has long been considered one of Slovenia’s foremost music artists. He has contributed his musical ideas to more than 60 international releases of jazz, pop, and rock projects. The current solo project is his seventh album as a bandleader and composer of most of the songs. He recorded his debut songwriting album, Momentum, in 2008, followed five years later by Sky High Low Down and Jani Moder's Brain Blender: Abacus, both of which are inspired by mathematical patterns in music. He has released two albums with his regular band, Ecliptic, which regularly plays local and international stages, as well as another one with Ground Rituals. His latest release of original compositions, however, is a solo outing, Traces and Places, to be launched at the CD Club. It is an album of unique sonic postcards, an exploration of nylon-string solo guitar, underpinned by a meticulously selected palette of electronic effects. It combines traditional guitar skills with innovative sonic approaches and techniques.

Moder thus comments on his first solo album: "Playing solo guitar is always a challenge. You have to attend to the melody, harmony, rhythm, and hundreds of other factors. This album reflects my musical influences, from classical music, which was my first love at the age of seven, to jazz and experimental music. All the music and soundscapes were created in real time, with no overdubs, no loops, and no synthesizers, just straightforward guitar playing."

Jani Moder graduated with distinction from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston and completed his master’s degree at the Academy of Music in Graz, Austria. He now teaches jazz guitar at the Academy of Music and the Conservatoire of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana. He has thus shared his thoughts on sincerity in music, which is most strongly expressed in solo performances: "When playing, you always have to be deeply involved and completely honest. No matter how you feel, you have to be ready to give everything you’ve got at a given moment. There are many factors that can make things go wrong. Before I go on stage, I tend to ask myself two simple questions: what the music means to me and how I want to deliver it to the audience. Then it all goes smoothly."

www.janimoder.com
Running time: The performance lasts approximately 45 minutes
 

20:00 Mind Tree
Matic Štemberger, piano; Peter Smrdel, bass; Žiga Smrdel, drums
When the young pianist Matic Štemberger had to form a trio for his graduation concert at the Conservatoire of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana, he opted for a rhythm section, which was the logical choice. He solicited the help of his bass professor, Peter Smrdel, and his brother, the renowned drummer Žiga Smrdel, both members of various bands (WCKD Nation, Vazz, Okustični, Smrdel Brothers Collective, etc.). All of them based in Ilirska Bistrica, the three musicians suddenly clicked on a musical, emotional and spiritual level and followed up their collaboration with a debut album, Catharsis (2023). The title track earned Štemberger the Jazzon Jury Prize for best Slovenian jazz composition, presented by the Jazzinty Festival. In their musical interplay, the artists seek to underline the power of community, assigning it priority over individualism, and their jazz compositions draw on the structures of classical music, reflecting the influence of genres close to their heart, from hip-hop and rock to metal. 

At the CD Club, Mind Tree will play their latest original material, which is to be released on a new album. Just a few days after the premiere of their new songs at the CD Club, the album will be recorded in concert at Vienna’s celebrated Porgy & Bess. 

Running time: The performance lasts approximately 50 minutes