Alexandra Ivanova
Born to Bulgarian parents in Austria, Alexandra Ivanova grew up curious to meet and understand the ‘Other’ — in herself, in society or in culture. In her compositions, Alexandra creates conversations between jazz, Maqam-based and Afro-Cuban music and odd polyrhythms.
With her album “Beauty in Chaos”, ALEXANDRA IVANOVA opens doors
One year after the release of her debut album “BEAUTY IN CHAOS”, pianist and composer, Alexandra Ivanova has toured Europe and North Africa with her trio, playing in cities such as Berlin, Vienna, and Cairo
Her concerts – always featuring compositions from “Beauty in Chaos” – are often sold out. Her work is firmly anchored in the present, taking a genuine stance on personal and geopolitical issues of our time.
Her showcase at the world’s largest jazz fair, Jazzahead in Bremen, received frenetic applause. Shortly, she played a charity concert in Berlin for the SOS Children’s Villages. Alexandra Ivanova is at ease on any stage, no matter whether a big jazz fair or a small festival.
In many ways, her album “BEAUTY IN CHAOS” is a snapshot of a versatile and well-travelled composer and pianist, Alexandra Ivanova. It documents her decision to follow her personal calling to devote her life to music. It is also a kind of sanctuary, offering for people.
In her own compositions, Alexandra Ivanova combines sounds from Maqam traditions, Afro-Cuban claves, Bulgarian rhythms and influences from both classical music and jazz. The title track features the unique voice of the Syrian-French vocalist, Lynn Adib.
The pieces on “Beauty in Chaos” invite the listener to leave the European canon and look at the world from different points of view. They search for easternness in a Western context. “Enta Omri”, for example, is a contemporary tribute to the legendary singer of Arabic classical music, Umm Kulthum. “Ay Isiginda” by Azerbaijani composer, Gambar Huseynli, is a piece which Ivanova initially heard at a concert by the Azerbaijan State Orchestra of Folk Instruments. The Icelandic traditional “Krummavisur” features striking parallels to the music of the Middle East.
“With bassist, Niklas Lukassen, and drummer, Nathan Ott — both of whom she met in Berlin — she forms a top-class piano triosensitivity and authenticity. well-crafted album has opened up a new path for Alexandra Ivanova — she has created a home for herself in her music, while also reflecting the wealth of her life experiences.”
About Alexandra Ivanova
The composer and pianist, Alexandra Ivanova grew up in Austria and is considered an exceptional artist. In an interview with JAZZTHING, she shared: “I stem from a Bulgarian tree, which was planted in Austrian soil, watered in South-West Asia and the Gulf region, and partly also in France. Besides, its aerial roots may stretch all the way to the Caribbean.”
Alexandra Ivanova is considered an out of the ordinary, versatile artist anchored in the present. She took classical piano lessons from a young age and discovered improvisation and jazz as a teenager, when she founded her first jazz trio. She studied both Social Sciences and jazz in Dijon, Paris and the UK. Wherever she lived, she founded her jazz trios and performed internationally. She learned Arabic in Lebanon and then worked in Jordan and the Emirates, where she met her mentor, Lebanese-American pianist Tarek Yamani. After an artist residency in Iceland, she devoted herself to composing her debut album “BEAUTY IN CHAOS”, which was released in 2023 with Niklas Lukassen (double bass) and Nathan Ott (drums). The RELEASE TOUR took her through Europe and North Africa.
Alexandra Ivanova has been awarded several scholarships. She lives and works in Berlin.