Bogdan Benigar is the musical director of the Ljubljana Jazz Festival. He gave me the opportunity to perform with the great musician Evan Parker on the occasion of the 50th Jubilee Festival. I met Evan the day before the concert and there was an instant connection between us. I told him a story about being in Spain and playing with the amazing Mike Osborne in Valencia and Madrid. It was in 1978 in a small club called TRES TRISTES TIGRES in Valencia. It was an absolutely thrilling experience, despite the fact Ozzie was very ill at this time (acute schizophrenia). I remember a concert in Madrid with a sold-out theatre (over 1000 people) where we didn’t have any PA system, and the sound of Mike’s alto was so strong, so powerful, hit so directly into the heart of people that the public was just stunned. After that, I didn’t have any news of him. I was told that he went into a mental hospital to cure himself. He stopped playing after 1982 and went back to Hereford, his home. He passed away on September 19, 2007. So Evan and I decided to dedicate this record Round About One O’clock to the memory of Mike Osborne – Ozzie. — Zlatko Kaucic Continue reading →