Album lore

Inside Story, issued by Igloo in 2008, collects the work of Sabin Todorov’s trio with Sal La Rocca on double bass and Lionel Beuvens on drums. The project began in 2003 at the Flemish Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where Todorov sought to explore Bulgarian melodies and rhythms within a jazz trio format. Early sessions focused on irregular Balkan meters—7/8, 9/8, 11/8—before shifting toward a freer jazz idiom grounded in melody and the spirit of Bulgarian folk tradition.Recorded after La Rocca’s 2006 arrival, the album balances composed pieces with spontaneous arrangements, half penned mere days before entering the studio. The trio’s interplay eschews a typical pianist-led setup, instead embracing collective improvisation and rhythmic subtlety. Tracks such as “The Field” reveal a liveliness and humor borne from the musicians’ close rapport, capturing a snapshot of contemporary European jazz informed by Balkan pulse and a restless sense of possibility.

Album lore

Inside Story, issued by Igloo in 2008, collects the work of Sabin Todorov’s trio with Sal La Rocca on double bass and Lionel Beuvens on drums. The project began in 2003 at the Flemish Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where Todorov sought to explore Bulgarian melodies and rhythms within a jazz trio format. Early sessions focused on irregular Balkan meters—7/8, 9/8, 11/8—before shifting toward a freer jazz idiom grounded in melody and the spirit of Bulgarian folk tradition.Recorded after La Rocca’s 2006 arrival, the album balances composed pieces with spontaneous arrangements, half penned mere days before entering the studio. The trio’s interplay eschews a typical pianist-led setup, instead embracing collective improvisation and rhythmic subtlety. Tracks such as “The Field” reveal a liveliness and humor borne from the musicians’ close rapport, capturing a snapshot of contemporary European jazz informed by Balkan pulse and a restless sense of possibility.