Inside Story

Sabin Todorov Trio →

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jazzbulgariafreepurp1etodorovcontemporary jazz

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about this album

"Inside Story " started as a project in 2003, while I was still studying at the Flemish Royal Conservatory in Brussels. The idea was to find possibilities for working on and arranging Bulgarian melodies and rhythms as a jazz trio (piano, double bass and drums). At first, the trio's music involved exercises on rhythms in 7/8, 9/8, 11/8… We gradually moved away from this genre towards a jazz based more on melody and influenced by Bulgarian music. I discovered a world of incredible richness – with lots of work ahead of us. We worked several years with Lionel Beuvens on drums and Mathieu Verkaeren on double bass, replaced by Sal La Rocca in 2006. The project has been presented several times already at festivals in Belgium, such as: Aldjazz, Jazz à Mons, the Jazz Marathon in Brussels and the jazz tour organised by Lundis d'Hortense. We have also played at numerous jazz clubs and other venues around Belgium. The CD contains both tracks that draw on the tradition of Balkan composed measures and modern jazz compositions. Half the tracks were composed the week before the recording. The existing arrangements were completely re-done and the result was all the more surprising for me: music that was far more lively, full of humour, with surprises that come from the idea of real complicity between the musicians, and not merely a pianist accompanied by a rhythm section. I let Sal and Lionel play the music they feel best. The arrangements allow us to make changes as we play and to deli

why this is interesting

# Inside Story This album represents a genuinely curious musical investigation rather than a predetermined fusion formula. Todorov's trio undertakes the patient work of discovering how Bulgarian folk melodies and asymmetrical rhythms might inhabit jazz idioms organically, moving beyond rhythmic exercises toward something more integrated and melodically grounded. The project's longevity—beginning as student exploration and developing over years of collaboration—suggests a willingness to let ideas mature rather than rush toward commercial appeal. The result offers listeners something increasingly rare: an authentic cultural conversation where neither tradition absorbs the other, but both remain audible and distinct within the trio's democratic instrumental framework.