PostBalkanTon, Bulgaria
Zariya Kantardzhieva – vocal
Aleks Nushev – music producer, bass
Svetoslav Milanov – piano, arrangements
Ivan Yordanov – saxophone
Ivan Tsenov – drums
Swing appears to be the magic formula which conjured the foundation of PostBalkanTon. Compelled by two passions, one – for the swing culture and another – for the Bulgarian pop and rock music, these performers conceived fresh renditions of favored tunes taken from various periods throughout Bulgarian music olden days. The arrangements (made by Svetoslav Milanov) are uplifting, lively (with a hint of nostalgia and blues at times) and will make their audience dance.
Dedicated to giving new life to some emblematic songs, the musicians will take you to a journey which includes the song Shokolad by the extremely popular, at present, alternative rock band Ostava; moreover, chants from the 1960’s like Ostani – once interpreted by Pasha Hristova – are also in the band’s setlist, along with some numbers from the 1990’s like selected songs of Irina Florin and Kiora band and, last but not least, the rock rebels’ anthem Chernata ovtsa by the rock band Ahat.
In 2022, PostBalkanTon released their self-titled debut album. It got highly positive reviews and was very warmly accepted when presented live – often accompanied by the attractive dancers from Lindy Hop who contribute for additional amusement. PostBalkanTon have quickly found plenty of admirers who attend their gigs .
The starting point of the story of PostBalkanTon is in 2019 when Aleks Nushev (bassist in many projects, arranger and composer) connects with Zariya Kantardzhieva – a singer and vocal coach. Impressed and inspired by the revival of the swing culture – with a growing number of (dancing) people in Bulgaria who are eager to embrace it – Aleks visualized a combination of swing and Bulgarian pop music. And it worked! PostBalkanTon’s success is not only because of the renewed interest in swing and the Lindy Hop dance crew but it could also be explained with: the accomplished arrangements of Svetoslav Milanov (classically trained pianist who discovered the world of jazz while studying at the Academy for Music and Dance in Plovdiv), the elegant vocal interpretation of Zarya and the whole combination of dedicated musicians. Every song is telling a story and is flirting – with the past, with the listener and with the countless opportunities that are hidden in every beautiful song.