Nice conversation with Damir Prica Kafka

We may remember him most as a member of the legendary band Haustor, but in recent years Capri has also stood out as the initiator of Impronedjeljak - a festival and concert series dedicated to improvised music. This year, the festival celebrates its fifth edition, which was more than enough reason for a pleasant coffee chat.

What I find interesting is this: I've only come across two interviews with you online so far, one is for Portal Novosti and the other for Dom omladine Beograda.
There's another interview I did with Vid Jeraj for VoxFeminae, and one with Antonio Pošćić for Kulturpunkt, who primarily writes for The Wire and teaches at the Music Academy.

But there's not much out there, you know? And yet, you have a festival with truly strong names and equally fascinating concert series throughout the year. Often, you organise up to three concerts in the same month.
For example, in October, there will be four concerts. But, you know, it all depends on how things line up. Musicians are usually on tour in April and October, so it depends on whether the timing works out, if there's enough money to cover the expenses, and if the venue is available, then I can organize their performance. Let's talk a bit about the Impronedjeljak festival, this year marks the fifth edition. Did you ever expect to get to the fifth season?
Somehow, it passed in the blink of an eye. The first festival was organized with very modest funds (around 670€ by today's standards) that I received through a Ministry of Culture grant. If I had turned that down, they probably would never have supported the festival again. The Austrian Cultural Fund supported the performance of Elisabeth Harnik and Annette Giesriegl, while the Sploh Institute from Slovenia covered the expenses for the Slovenian musicians. So, I somehow managed to organize a three-day international festival, which was crucial for the festival's and the series' future.

This year, you have some truly big names lined up.
Yes, we do. Among the most notable is pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, one of the greatest European pianists and improvisers, a pioneer of European free jazz. Then there's Elisabeth Harnik, Steve Swell, Harri Sjöström, Veli Kujala, Giancarlo Sciaffini...
There will also be performances and workshops (already fully booked!) from Elliot Sharp. Some of these musicians have performed in previous years at the series or festival.

How many people do you expect at the festival? Personally, I've been disappointed with the audience turnout so far.
For example, when Barry Altschul and the 3 DOM factor performed, I expected some jazz drummers to come and hear this great drummer who inspired later generations of musicians, but I didn't notice anyone I knew in the crowd. Similarly, I didn't see any saxophonists come to hear the incredible Jon Irabagon. I can't explain that. It would be great if there was more curiosity.
Also, the attendance partly depends on the venue. The concept of the program and the venue, Močvara, isn't appealing to certain groups of people, and as an organizer, I'm not highly exposed in the media, which could also be a reason. The fact is that very few musicians and audience members follow the free impro scene. It's the same everywhere in the world, not just in Zagreb. Berlin may be an exception.
I hope the festival will attract at least 60 people per night, but the number of people attending impro concerts is impossible to predict. Any interesting stories related to the festival?
Kenneth Waxman, a music critic from Toronto who writes for the online jazz magazine Jazzword.com, contacted me saying he'd come to the Impronedjeljak festival at his own expense and write a report, while his wife would photograph the event. It was a very pleasant surprise to have someone from abroad willing to come to Zagreb and write something about the festival. Here, there are very few journalists, music critics, or musicologists who follow the contemporary scene of free improvised music. In some countries, the situation is a bit better, but overall, the impro scene is very neglected by the media.

I know a lot of musicians come to the concerts as friends. Did you specifically ask anyone to perform at this year's Impronedjeljak festival?
Yes, I specifically reached out to Schlippenbach and Steve Swell, and with Elliot Sharp, I arranged a music workshop that filled up very quickly.

Are there any musicians you'd love to see at one of the future festivals?
Marilyn Crispell is a big wish of mine. I really love her approach to music and her piano playing.
There's also Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, Roscoe Mitchell, and Anthony Braxton. However, the fees they ask for are far beyond the budget of the non-profit art organization Cargo, which I manage. But I'll try to bring one of them in.

After every Impronedjeljak concert, there's a jam session with some of the musicians. How is it for you to play with them? Is there any stage fright?
It's a really valuable experience to play with great musicians. Free improvised music can't be learned in the sense that you can say: "I know how to improvise," just as you can't say: "I know how to live." It's always a new situation, completely unpredictable, and you never know what will happen. Impro music is a process, a very complex and demanding one, and its product is precisely that process, not a composition which is a byproduct of that process.
And you know, Jura, it doesn't always work out. Sometimes musicians can't establish communication, interaction, or free up their creativity. There's always that risk, which is actually part of impro music.

How exhausting is it for you to organize a festival like this?
It's pretty exhausting because it's a year-round job. Besides the festival, I also organize a series of concerts throughout the year. I organize around 30-35 concerts annually, with more than 80 musicians involved. It can sometimes be very stressful, and it's a huge responsibility. At the end of the year, I also have to submit a report on the program to the institutions that financially supported Impronedjeljci, and in the fall, I apply for funding for the next year.

How did you get into impro and jazz music?
It was spontaneous. I hung out with people who listened to all kinds of good music. In the late '70s, I played in the Kugla Theatre, which was already quite avant-garde. Then there was Zoran Šilović and his band Deep Throat, which was the first impro group in the former Yugoslavia. He introduced me to Cecil Taylor. A friend gave me an album that was unbearable for him to listen to. It was Nuits de la Fondation Maeght by Sun Ra, my first encounter with Sun Ra and his music. That album opened up a completely new world for me and was extremely important for my musical development and playing, just like Coltrane's Live in Japan and Live in Seattle.
Little by little, I discovered the world of free jazz, avant-garde, and freely improvised music. There wasn't the internet back then, so it wasn't easy to follow what was happening on the free jazz scene, but there were a few enthusiasts and collectors who would get albums to share or copy them onto tapes or cassettes, and people would meet at someone's house to listen to records.

Do you have any formal music education?
I don't have formal education. My friend, violinist Goran Reljić - Relja, who passed away too young, taught me the piano, and I took private lessons for sax and music theory. But I wish I had practiced more. Technique and disciplined practice are essential, and I should have worked more on that. When you're in a situation where you're playing with someone, especially in free improvisation, you never know where it's going to lead. Sometimes it's best to forget everything you know, as Derek Bailey says. Zen.

What's the most recent musical project you've been active in?
About a month and a half ago, we recorded around two and a half hours of improvised music in various combinations in Sven Pavlović's studio in Sveta Nedelja. The musicians were American pianist Constance Cooper, Franjo Glušac on guitar, Boris Janje on double bass, Ivan Mršić on objects and electronics, and me on sax and piano. We'll release a significant portion of this material on Bandcamp and probably also on CD.

How much time do you spend listening to music?
I listen to music every day. I have a laptop and headphones that cost seven euros, and that's my hi-fi setup. Also, almost all day, I listen to AccuRadio, an American online station that has a large number of channels, including one dedicated to early jazz and avant-garde/free jazz. On YouTube, I mainly listen to improv, free jazz, and contemporary composed music. Finally, we should return to the beginning. We must mention Pajo. Impronedjeljci started with him as the organizer, and after a few years of hiatus, it resumed under your leadership.
The Impronedjeljci, founded and led by Dragan Pajić - Pajo, were initially conceived as impro workshops focused on musical research and experimentation. These workshops, which were also concerts, were not open to the public, but people could come and listen if they were interested. They were the first workshops of their kind in Zagreb and Croatia, as far as I know. If Pajo hadn't started Impronedjeljci, today's Impronedjeljci wouldn't exist. His spirit is always present in what I do.

How did the idea come to you to continue Impronedjeljci?
It wasn't a sudden realization. In 2018, Davorka Begović suggested that I restart Impronedjeljci.

Were you scared at first?
Of course I was. I had never organized concerts, written applications, or done any kind of organizing before. I'm not that type. But I told myself: "Let's give it a try!" I found the motivation and energy in myself to revive Impronedjeljci and contribute to the Zagreb impro and music scene. And that's how it all started.
Given the large number of musicians applying, I'd say that the series and festival Impronedjeljci have become very visible and respected on the international scene of contemporary free improvised and creative music.

jura // 22/09/2025