Whether it comes to composing or arranging, distinguished Bulgarian jazz pianist Zhivko Petrov has long since created his own style. His solo albums, his joint appearances with other artists, as well as his trio JP3 always show great musical mastery. His original plays touch listeners with their sincerity. The fourth album of Jivko Petrov and JP3, entitled Change the Way, again features a perfect symbiosis between concept and execution.

The trio is the result of many years of joint work of Jivko Petrov with Dimitar Semov (drums) and Vesselin Vesselinov-Eco (double bass). They gathered in this line-up in 2006. A year later, JP3 released their first DVD - Understandable, and the three jazz musicians shared a stage with the world-famous Chick Corea and Bela Fleck. Five years later, their first studio album, It's a Dream, was released. In the play that gave the album its name, a special guest is the world-renowned violinist Vasko Vassilev. The album became the best-selling digital jazz album for Eastern Europe and the trio was invited to participate in the London Jazz Fest in 2012. JP3's third recording project is called Between the worlds (2015) and features Arena Quartet.

The premiere of Change the Way was at the Apollonia Arts Festival in Sozopol in September. There is a change in the trio line-up - Dimitar Karamfilov is on the double bass, which is part of the "changes" that Zhivko Petrov makes both in the trio and in his own compositions. JP3 is currently touring the country, presenting the album in various cities. Among them are Burgas, Varna, Sofia, Shumen, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, Stara Zagora. "I am still influenced by our performance in Bulgaria’s sea capital," said Zhivko Petrov after the concert at the Varna Opera and before the Sofia gig:

"We were met with a full hall and a lot of love from the people of Varna, and we, as always, gave our best to turn this concert into a celebration of music. Change the Way is connected with our sea capital, as we recorded it in Radio Varna. The album came out at a time when we realize the meaning of life stronger than before. To respect, protect and appreciate everything we have and what has been given to us. It is very important for us, musicians, to be able to share with our audience what we do. I like to say that through music, we heal people's souls.”

The Sofia premiere of Change the Way in the capital is on October 22.

Photos: fccvarna.bg