ZONA C

The recording of the album “Quantum Integrity” started in 2000. Twenty-five long years later, it is a fact! It contains twelve pieces, three of which were written by Vasko Parmakov, and on five of them, he plays keyboards and synthesizers. It was produced by Stoyan Yankulov-Stunji and Veselin Veselinov-Eko, and co-producers are Vasil Spasov and Miro Ivanov. The album cover has symbolism and hidden messages.

“Zone C” was founded in 1992, when the extremely talented pianist and composer Vasil Parmakov recorded his first solo album called “Lombroso”. His musical partners are his close friends Stungi and Eko. During the recording of the album, the three musicians became the core of the band.

The 1990s were the most active decade for the band. The main and most important part of their repertoire are the magnificent compositions of Vasil Parmakov. For different periods some remarkable Bulgarian and foreign musicians passed through “Zone C”: Mikhail Grozdanov (saxophone), Ivan Lechev (guitar), Vladimir Karparov (saxophone), Ateshkhan Yuseinov (guitar), Yamar Thiam (percussion) – Senegal, Michael Scheefl (vocals) – Germany. Along with continuous performances in jazz clubs and festivals, they managed to record and release their first studio album – “Human Factor”. The album was received with applause by the audience and critics. It was presented in the full Hall 2 of the National Palace of Culture on February 22, 1997. More performances followed at prestigious festivals at home and abroad – Apollonia; Bansko Jazz Fest; Nish; Guinness Cork Jazz Festival – Ireland; Regensburg – Germany; Ohrid Jazz Festival – Macedonia, Ankara Jazz Festival and Izmir European Jazz Festival – Turkey and others. In this period, the band also released two live albums – “Live in Bansko” (1999) and “Live in Bankya” (2001), believing that their live performances gave the truest picture of their musical essence. During this period, they also often partnered with the gorgeous singer Yildiz Ibrahimova – participating in the recording of her album “Balkanatolia” and in a number of concerts at home and abroad.

Unfortunately, after 2002, for a variety of rational and emotional reasons, the band ended its active concert activity. It wasn’t until 2011, when, at the initiative of Stunji, happily accepted by Vasko and Eko, they reunited, this time as a trio. Performances at Spirit of Burgas, Apollonia and others followed. On stage, the three experiment with “spontaneous” music in which nothing is pre-specified, agreed or written, but is driven by mutual musical intuition. This is also how they recorded an album in Stungi’s studio in 2014, “The Last session with Vasco”. Its release was delayed for various reasons.

In May 2016, the most difficult moment in their history came – Vasil Parmakov’s health problems got worse, and he passed away… Stoyan and Eko are devastated, but decide to perform a series of concerts in memory of their dear friend, performing his beautiful music. They invite the pianist Vasil Spasov and the guitarist Miroslav Ivanov, who are also close friends of Vasko, and they respond immediately. The four made several tours around Bulgaria.

Years after that, in 2023, Eko accidentally found a hard drive, thought to have been lost over the years, which contained some of the pieces partially recorded in 2000. All of them feature Vasil Parmakov, and most were composed by him. With the crucial help of Stungi, these recordings have been decoded and restored and became the basis of Zone C’s new album, “Quantum Integrity”. Eight other compositions from more recent times have also been recorded. The album features guest performances by Ivan Lechev – violin, Vladimir Karparov – saxophone, Ateshkhan Yuseinov – guitar and Yamar Thiam (Senegal) – percussion and vocals.

The current structure of Zone C is:
Stoyan Yankulov-Stunji – drums, percussion
Veselin Veselinov-Eko – bass
Vasil Spasov – piano, synthesizers
Miroslav Ivanov – guitars