Ivan Kovacevic

In his native Serbia Ivan felt no attraction to the Chicago blues that dominated the local scene, but he did to rock’n’roll and jazz, and it was these that in 2001 drove him to pack his bags and move to Barcelona with his partner, the saxophonist Duska Miscevic. One of the first visits he made was to La Boîte, where he discovered Tandoori Lenoir and was caught up in the style and the energy of their rhythm&blues. “From then on my life changed for ever. For better or for worse, time will tell”. For the moment, time has told that he has travelled a long road since his first street gigs, and that Kovacevic is one of the main points of reference for African-American music in Barcelona and in the rest of the country. He has consolidated line-ups of different styles, from jazz to Balkan music, passing through swing, blues and rock’n’roll, always displaying a devastating energy and an immense musical talent. In 2010 he created the Barcelona Big Blues Band, his finest legacy to the city and to a genre that seduces him for its direct relationship with the soul and that has also given him freedom and a path to follow: “A style that has survived so many transformations is a lesson for ever”.