Mladen Bobi Guteša, arranger, composer and trombonist, but primarily conductor, is poorly known to the general public of the Balkan even though he is among most important personas of ex-yu jazz scene and an inevitable name on German music over the past 40 years.
Among seven albums of the Re:solutions edition, recently released by ECM is Keith Jarrett’s Arbour Zena, a chamber jazz album for piano and string quartet, conducted by Guteša at the recording session in 1975. Guteša collaborated with this record label during the 1970s as conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, that also recorded albums during that same time with Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek and famous American pianist Keith Jarrett.
The Re:solutions edition consists of historically significant releases for music of the 20th century, recorded in the first two decades of ECM among which are Abdullah Ibrahim’s African Piano, Sam Rivers’ Contrasts, Gary Burton’s Seven Songs For Quartet And Chamber Orchestra and Five Years Later by John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner.
Mladen Guteša was born in Sarajevo in 1923. He went to Belgrade in 1941 to pursue his studies at the conservatory where he founded Zabavni orkestar Radija Beograd in 1948. After leaving the conservatory in 1950 and moving to Germany three years later, where he became arranger at the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1955 and has collaborated with for many years to follow.
Guteša made music for film, radio, television and albums in of arranger or conductor. His opus covers genres from jazz to symphony music. Critics used to refer to him as Quincy Jones of Yugoslavian jazz. Among international artists he collaborated with were Benny Goodman, Lee Konitz, Modern Jazz Quartet, Miles Davis, Benny Bailey, Stephane Grappelli, Egberto Gismonti, Chick Corea and many more.
Mladen Guteša is also known as Bobby Gutesha, Gert Bauer, Sonny Steffen and Chris Halmon. He withdrew from active music making in 1988.
Enjoy Mirrors released on Keith Jarrett’s Arbour Zena.