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Milcho was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, December 19, 1937. He received
musical training from the earliest days of childhood, primarily
from his aunt, a professional pianist, and her husband, a choir
conductor. Later, his formal education in music was attained from
the Bulgarian State Music Academy (in Sofia) where he graduated
in 1960 with a Masters Degree in Composition. In the early 60s he
was musical director for the state drama theater and the Bulgarian
radio and television big band.
His early international acclaim as a jazz performer came from leading
the Jazz Focus quartet from 1965 through 1969. That group was a
prize winner at the first Montreux festival in 1967. In addition
to piano performance, Milcho remained active as a composer, experimenting
with music that was performed by both classical and jazz ensembles.
Among his early compositions was Music for Big Band and Symphony
Orchestra (1966).
While in West Germany in 1970, Milcho defected from communist Bulgaria.
He worked briefly with Albert Mangelsdorff, and then in 1971 moved
to Los Angeles where he ultimately became a US citizen (1977). During
this period, Milcho was a key member of the highly regarded Don
Ellis Orchestra. His piano virtuosity and ability to play effortlessly
in odd meters -- a skill that arose from familiarity with Bulgarian
folk music -- were major contributions to the fruitful association
with Ellis. In addition to playing piano in the Ellis Orchestra,
Milcho composed and arranged, finding considerable rapport with
Ellis’s imaginative use of complex time signatures and incorporation
of ethnic musical concepts. He contributed two chapters to Don Ellis’s
The New Rhythm Book.
Milcho also worked with Willie Bobo (1973-4), John Klemmer (1975-9),
and recorded an album with I. Subramaniam (1979), three albums with
Billy Cobham (1974-5), and worked with Airto Moreira and Roy Haynes.
In 1980, he recorded in London as the leader of a bop quartet that
included Art Pepper. Together they made the very impressive albums:
Blues For The Fisherman and True Blues. This famous quartet regularly
recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London. Milcho ably
mixed the odd-metered tunes of his Bulgarian background with an
excellent post-bop piano technique.
In the early ‘80s, Milcho worked with diverse groups: Manhattan
Transfer (for whom he arranged Parker’s “Confirmation”),
wrote arrangements for and recorded with Al Jarreau, and founded
the famous jazz quartet Free Flight. That group featured a fusion
of jazz, rock, and classical music. During the Free Flight period,
Milcho also performed and recorded as a member of Gerald Wilson’s
big band.
One of Milcho Leviev’s most impressive associations was formed
with Charlie Haden. This duo recorded the memorable album The Oracle
– Live at Suntory Hall in Japan. He continues to work frequently
with many all-star jazz musicians in Los Angeles and elsewhere,
playing with Ray Pizzi, Ray Brown, Buddy Collette, Oscar Brashear,
and Mundell Lowe. In the early ‘90s, Milcho did numerous solo
European tours, and in 1995 received an honorary doctorate and award
on merit from the Paris Academie Internationale des Arts. Presently,
Milcho Leviev is a lecturer on jazz composition and improvisation
at the University of Southern California and frequently performs
with The American Jazz Institute ensembles.
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