"Smooth Antonis"
Music by Mihail Yossifov

Original composition by the first eponymous album of the Bulgarian-Greek jazz quintet Balkan Surprise

Balkan Surprise is a jazz quintet founded by five prominent and charming musicians from Bulgaria and Greece, who share not only their love for jazz and their diverse experience in this music of free expression, but also do share profound respect and appreciation of the authentic and rich music of the Balkans - this colourful and vibrant part of Europe where all the band members are from. 
Balkan Surprise is a meeting between colleagues, neighbours, friends and its music reflects it. It is warm and honest, it is beautiful and vivid, it is calm and dynamic. 
Balkan Surprise creates and performs jazz - contemporary and modern, harmonious and rhythmic, yet sincere and without any pretense, music that with ease touches the senses. And while talking at the language of jazz, Balkan Surprise in a subtle way pays tribute to the wealth and the variety of the sounds of the Balkans.

Balkan Surprise members are:

Mihail Yossifov – trumpet
Antonis Andreou - trombone
Vasil Spassov – piano
Kimon Karoutzos – double bass
Alexandros - Drakos Ktistakis – drums

Composers of the original music in the album are Mihail Yossifov and Vasil Spassov

2 SMOOTH ANTONIS

Mihail Yossifov is one of the most successful young Bulgarian jazz trumpeters to have emerged in recent years.  His talent as a musician and as an exciting on-stage presence is now spreading well beyond his mother country’s borders.

Mihail creates music in his sextet accompanied by the some of the most excitingly talented Bulgarian jazz musicians and, together, set the modern jazz musical agenda in Bulgaria.

Mihail Yossifov sextet members are: Mihail Yossifov (trumpet), Atanas Hadzhiev (tenor sax), Velislav Stoyanov (trombone), Vasil Spassov (piano), Dimitar Shanov (bass) & Hristo Yotzov (drums).

