BIO - ENG
Igor Gerzina is award-winning sax player, composer and the Croatian Radiotelevision Jazz Orchestra producer. He won several Porin Awards (Croatian most prestigious discography award), as well as several Status awards for the best instrumentalist of the year, awarded by the Croatian Musicians Union.
He took part in more than a hundred discography editions, composed for film, pop artists and opening songs for TV and radio. He has graduated in saxophone from Zagreb Academy of Music, and has studied at Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA).
From classical music, popular music, jazz, soul, funk, playing in various ensembles from small groups to orchestras, from club music (even playing on the street) to concert and sport halls, in fifteen years of his career, Igor Gerzina has worked with almost all important people on the Croatian music scene. Some of them are known outside Croatia such as: jazz vibraphonist Bosko Petrovic, composer Miljenko Prohaska, guitarist Elvis Stanic, arranger Silvije Glojnaric, etc.
He has participated more than a hundred discography releases, around thirty video spots as a sideman, the whole line of television shows and programs, appearances as a guest player in radio shows. He has won many awards, among which are eight Porin awards, six Status awards, Crni Macak award and many nominations. He has also got several awards on State competitions.
His musical beginnings go back to when he was seven years old. His first contact was with the violin with which he won the fourth prize on the state competition. After the second year in music high school, he switched to saxophone and he graduated in classical music in the class of professor Dragan Sremec at the Music Academy in Zagreb.
During that period he participated in several courses by the famous classical saxophonist professor Claude Delangle (CNSM, Paris). Being an accomplished student, he was given the opportunity to perform as a soloist accompanied by the Zagreb Philharmonic in the Concert for Saxophone and Orchestra by Pavle Despalj. The performance was conducted at the Croatian Music Institute by the maestro Despalj himself.
After his graduation, he won the scholarship by the Berklee College Of Music and he specialized under Bill Pierce (Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers) and Frank Tiberi (Woody Herman Big Band). In the USA he met the croatian jazz guitarist Elvis Stanic, who he later worked with on two discography projects.
Since he returned to his homeland he has worked with the whole string of ensembles, especially with the singers of popular music. He has also worked as a studio musician and composed.
Occasionally, he has also worked with the musicians outside Croatia, as for example, the former lead singer of the group Tower Of Power, Hubert Tubbs.
He writes compositions for the vocal singers, music for the Croatian movie “Five minutes of tenderness”. He also started his own band. They published two albums, around ten video numbers and they were nominated for the Porin award.
He was the leader of the bands in TV shows on National television and some other local TV networks. He has made many jingles and for TV and radio shows.
Since 2003, as a permanent member of the Croatian Radiotelevision Jazz Orchestra, he has worked with many names on the jazz scene, he has taken part in studio recordings, concerts, TV shows and since 2009 he has been composing and making arrangements for the orchestra. The composition Bionicle for the Croatian Radiotelevision Big Band was performed on the concert “Selected compositions by Croatian composers” which was transmitted alive by the European Broadcast Union (EBU).
Igor Gerzina released four solo albums, one of which 'Sax Album' was nominated for the Porin award in two categories, and one composition was used as a musical theme for TV series.
His third album 'Metropolis' found smooth jazz audience all around the globe: US, Canada, Europe, Australia... Three months after release it's played on many smooth-jazz radios in Europe, United States and Australia: SmoothJazz.com Global Radio (US), Sky FM (UK), Coffee Talk Jazz Radio (US), Jazz Radio (US), Hot FM Smooth Grooves (UK), Groove FM (GER), Swiss Groove (CH), Smoothjazztampabay.com (US), Radio Trece (ESP), SmoothJazz905 (AUS), etc.
Fourth solo album 'One Click World' is 'Album Of The Month' on Smooth Jazz Appreciation Society. Composition 'Can't Stop The Train' is in 'Top Twenty' choice and 'Counting Stars' cover is in 'Top Ten' choice for 2013 on Smooth Jazz Therapy.
Album 'One Click World' won two Porin awards in 2104: Best Instrumental Album and Best Instrumental Performance.
Album 'Bucket List' won Porin award in 2016: Best Instrumental Album.
BIO - HR
Saksofonist i kompozitor Igor Geržina, producent Jazz orkestra Hrvatske radiotelevizije, višestruki je dobitnik diskografske nagrade Porin te nagrade Status za najboljeg instrumentalista godine.
Sudjelovao je na više od 100 diskografskih izdanja, komponirao glazbu za film, glazbu za izvođače popularne glazbe te špice za televiziju i radio postaje. Diplomirao je saksofon na Muzičkoj akademiji u Zagrebu te studirao na Berklee College Of Music (Boston, USA).
Od klasične glazbe, popularne glazbe, jazza, soula i funka, svirajući u raznim ansamblima od malih sastava do orkestara, od klupske svirke (pa čak i sviranja na ulici) do koncertnih i sportskih dvorana, u petnaestak godina svoje karijere, Igor Geržina surađivao je s gotovo svim važnijim sudionicima hrvatske glazbene pozornice. Neki od njih: Parni Valjak, Massimo, Gibonni, Dino Dvornik & Songkillers, Josipa Lisac, Tony Cetinsky, Nina Badrić, Jacques Houdek, Boško Petrović, Miljenko Prohaska, Elvis Stanić, Silvije Glojnarić...
Ostvario je suradnju na više od 100 diskografskih izdanja, tridesetak video spotova, cijeli niz televizijskih nastupa i emisija, gostovanja u radio emisijama te osvojio mnoge nagrade među kojima su osam Porina, šest nagrada Status, Crni mačak i mnoge nominacije te nekoliko studentskih odličja s republičkih natjecanja.
Glazbeni početak Igora Geržine u njegovoj sedmoj godini života vezan je uz violinu, instrument s kojim je doživio svoja prva iskustva na pozornici i osvojio 4. nagradu na republičkom natjecanju. Nakon završenog drugog razreda srednje muzičke škole, prelazi na saksofon i diplomira klasičnu glazbu u klasi prof. Dragana Sremca na Muzičkoj Akademiji u Zagrebu. Za to vrijeme u više navrata sudjeluje na seminarima istaknutog klasičnog saksofonista prof. Claude Delangle-a (CNSM-Paris) . Kao istaknuti student dobiva priliku da uz pratnju Zagrebačke filharmonije nastupi kao solist u izvedbi Koncerta za saksofon i orkestar Pavle Dešpalja. Izvedbom u Hrvatskom glazbenom zavodu 1993.g. dirigira sam maestro Dešpalj.
Nakon diplome, kao dobitnik stipendije Berklee College Of Music iz Bostona usavršava se kod Bill Piercea (Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers) i Frank Tiberija (Woody Herman Big Band). U SAD upoznaje jazz gitaristu Elvisa Stanića s kojim kasnije surađuje na dva diskografska projekta.
Pri povratku u domovinu surađuje s cijelim nizom ansambala, posebno s pjevačima popularne glazbe, učestalo radi kao studijski glazbenik te ostvaruje i svoje autorske uratke. Povremeno surađuje i s glazbenicima izvan Hrvatske kao npr. s pjevačem sastava Tower Of Power Hubertom Tubbsom.
Piše kompozicije za vokaliste, glazbu za film 'Pet minuta nježnosti' te osniva vlastiti pop sastav s kojim ostvaruje dva diskografska izdanja, desetak video brojeva i nominaciju za Porin. Vodi sastave u TV emisijama na HRT-u (Večeras s J.Lokasom) i Novoj TV (5 minuta slave s B.Đurićem – Đurom) te izrađuje špice i jingleove za TV i radio postaje.
Od 2003.g. kao producent Jazz orkestra HRT-a surađuje s mnogim imenima jazz scene, sudjeluje u studijskim snimanjima, koncertima, TV emisijama, a također komponira i aranžira za orkestar. Skladba Bionicle za Big Band HRT-a izvedena je na koncertu 'Odabrane skladbe hrvatskih autora' koji je izravno prenosila Evropska unija radio postaja (EBU).
Igor Geržina izdao je dva solistička albuma od kojeg je autorski 'Sax Album' nominiran za nagradu Porin u dvije kategorije, a skladba 'Funky Business' korištena je kao najavna tema u HTV-ovom serijalu 'Idemo na put s Goranom Milićem' te je (po HUZIP-ovoj listi) uvrštena u prvih 40 najizvođenijih kompozicija u 2008-oj godini.
Drugi album 'Dalmatian Sax' (Aquarius Records 2008) sadrži obrade nekih od najljepših dalmatinskih pjesama.
Treći samostalni album 'Metropolis' (Status produkcija 2012) u stilu smooth-jazza, emitira se na više od stotinu radio stanica u Europi, Sjedinjenim državama, Kanadi i Australiji. Emitiranje je popraćeno i recenzijama na američkim portalima te gostovanjima na američkim radio postajama.
Četvrti samostalni album 'One Click World' nastavlja stopama prethodnika. Odmah nakon izlaska, album je izabran za 'Album mjeseca' prema britanskom Smooth Jazz Appreciation Society, a na portalu Smooth Jazz Therapy dvije kompozicije s albuma ušle su u 'Top Ten' i 'Top Twenty' za 2013.g.
Album 'One Click World' 2014 osvaja dvije nagrade Porin za najbolji instrumentalni album i najbolju instrumentalnu izvedbu.
Album 'Bucket List' 2016 osvaja nagradu Porin za najbolji instrumentalni album.