Bojan Zulfikarpašić

Bojan Zulfikarpašić (Бојан Зулфикарпашић, also known by the stage name Bojan Z.) was born February 2, 1968 in Belgrade) is a Serbian jazz pianist. He started playing piano at the age of 5, and as a teenager, he started playing in bands on Belgrade jazz scene, where he received an award as the Best Young Jazz Musician of Yugoslavia award in 1989.

In 1986 studied with Clare Fischer at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. He was influenced by the traditional Balkan music playing in an army orchestra during his military service in former Yugoslavia, which would influence all his subsequent work. He moved to Paris in 1988, playing with Noël Akchoté, Julien Lourau, Magic Malik, Marc Buronfosse, Henri Texier and other renowned French musicians.

In 1993, he recorded the debut album with his Bojan Z Quartet with Label Bleu, followed by Yopla!. In 1999, he was engaged in multi-ethnical project Koreni (Roots) with musicians such as Karim Ziad from Algeria, Kudsi Erguner from Turkey, and Vlatko Stefanovski from Macedonia.

His solo piano album "Solobsession" (2001) brought him wider worldwide recognition. On "Transpacifik" (2003) he started collaborating with American jazz musicians Scott Colley and Nasheet Waits, and continued on "Xenophonia" (2006) with Ben Perowsky and Ari Hoenig, as well as Frenchman Remi Vignolo.

He often uses the combination of acoustic piano with Fender Rhodes electric piano, often playing them simultaneously, and recently is claimed to be the inventor of "Xenophone", a hybrid instrument, based on the customized Fender Rhodes electric piano. It can be heard on "Xenophonia".

In 2002 Bojan Zulfikarpašić was granted the title of Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and received the Prix Django Reinhardt for Musician of the Year from the French Académie du Jazz, and in 2005 he was granted the European Jazz Prize as the Best European Jazz Musician.

Discography
Albums as band leader / solo:
 * Bojan Z Quartet (1993)
 * Yopla! (1995)
 * Koreni (1999)
 * Solobsession (2001)
 * Transpacifik (2003)
 * Xenophonia (2006)
 * Humus (2010)
 * Soul Shelter (2012)

Albums as sideman:
 * Jacques Bolognesi Big Band, Caravanserail (OMD 1988)
 * Vincent Courtois, Turkish Blend (Al Sur 1992)
 * Sylvain Beuf quartet, Impro Primo (Big Blue Records 1993)
 * Henri Texier Azur quartet, An Indian's Week (Label Bleu 1993)
 * Sarajevo suite, Deux Z / L'empreinte digitale (1994)
 * Henri Texier Sonjal septet, Mad Nomad(s) (Label Bleu 1995)
 * Michel Portal, Dockings (Label Bleu 1997)
 * Simon Spang-Hanssen, Instant Blue (Storyville 1997)
 * Nguyên Lê, Maghreb Friends (ACT 1997)
 * Henri Texier Azur quintet, Mosaïc Man (Label Bleu 1998)
 * Karim Ziad, Ifrikyia (ACT 2000)
 * Julien Lourau, The Rise (Label Bleu 2001)
 * Henri Texier Azur quintet, String Spirit (Label Bleu 2002)
 * Nguyên Lê, Purple-celebrating Jimi Hendrix (ACT 2002)
 * Marimanga Trio (Gramofon 2004)
 * Julien Lourau, Fire and Forget (Label Bleu 2005)
 * Julien Lourau, Karim Ziad, BoZilo LIVE (JMS 2009)