The Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra on stage in hats and braces, in front of a riverboat backdrop

The Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra

The only traditional jazz Orchestra in the Balkans, since 2001.

About us

About the Orchestra

The Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra was founded in 2001 as we entered into a new millennium. Just when everybody thought that this wonderful type of jazz had forever died out in our country, some strong force kindled eight brave people to save from oblivion and keep this wonderful and winsome music from the turn of the last century alive for the public.

From this faint, lonely and shimmering light of hope, The Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra quickly grew into an important cultural institution in Serbia’s capital, becoming the unique representative of this musical form in the country. As the only Orchestra of its type in the country, it is directly responsible for the Dixieland’s triumphant revival from the foundations built for decades by jazzmen from the Balkans.

And how did it all begin? As some of the first local performers of Dixieland claim, Dixieland came to the parts of the former Yugoslavia and shyly sneaked into the ears of listeners way back in 1953. Looking at the calendar a half of century has passed since that wonderful moment! Under the influence of the legendary film “Bathing Beauty” many Dixieland orchestras popped up like mushrooms around the country. We were rapidly overcome by an unbelievable atmosphere of delight, optimism and a completely new sound, which no one had ever felt before…

The Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra on stage

The Orchestra

  • Aleksandra Bijelić
  • Miloš Milosavljević
  • Ivan Maksimović
  • Aleksandar Miletić
  • Sava Matić
  • Nemanja Zlatarev
  • Veljko Klenkovski
  • Vladimir Racković

Discography

Six albums recorded between 2004 and 2015. Marked tracks can be previewed.

  • ALL THAT JASS album cover

    2015

    ALL THAT JASS

    Tracks (12)
    1. Dixieland Jass Band One-Step
    2. Bill Bailey
    3. Mamie’s Blues
    4. Indiana
    5. I Found a New Baby
    6. Everybody Loves my Baby
    7. Nobody Knows You when You’re Down’n’Out
    8. Cake Walking Babies
    9. Black Bottom
    10. The Charleston
    11. Flee as a Bird to Your Mountain
    12. Didn’t He Ramble
    Recording credits

    All arrangements by Sava Matić, Ivan Švager and Vladimir Racković

    Special guest: Nemanja Zlatarev, trombone on tracks 4 and 8.

    Recorded at „Odiseja“ recording studio, Belgrade, 2014.

    Producer and sound engineer: Vladimir Racković

    Digital mastering: Oliver Jovanović

  • NATIONAL TREASURE album cover

    2012

    NATIONAL TREASURE

    Tracks (12)
    Recording credits

    “National Treasure” is the BDO project realized by all musicians since the band’s been fouded (January 2001):

    Arrangements: Ivan Švager, Ljubomir Matijaca, Sava Matić and Vladimir Racković

    Recorded at Studio VI, Radio Beograd, and ”Odiseja” recording studio, Belgrade

    Producer: Vladimir Racković

    Recording engineers: Zoran Marić, Vladimir Racković

    Assistant engineer: Zsolt Virag

    Digital Mastering: Oliver Jovanović

    Art design: Jelena Labus

  • What a Dixie We Have in Gospel album cover

    2010

    What a Dixie We Have in Gospel

    Tracks (12)
    Recording credits

    All arrangements by Ivan Švager,

    exept 12 by Vladimir Racković

    Recorded at Studio VI, Radio Beograd, 2007.

    Producer: Vladimir Racković

    Recording engineers: Zoran Marić

    Digital Mastering: Oliver Jovanović

    Executive producer: Darco B.

    Special guests:

    Jelena Bračika

    – lead vocals on tracks 1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11

    Golgota Gospel Choir

    – tracks 5, 9 and 11

    Miša Dostanić

    – back vocals on track 6

  • JAZZ MUSEUM album cover

    2008

    JAZZ MUSEUM

    Tracks (12)
    Recording credits

    All arrangements by Ivan Švager, exept 12 by Vladimir Racković

    Recorded at Studio VI, Radio Beograd, 2007.

    Producer: Vladimir Racković

    Recording engineers: Zoran Marić

    Digital Mastering: Oliver Jovanović

    Special guests:

    Tamas Ittzes, stroh violin solo on »Sweet Georgia Brown«

    Golgota Gospel Choir on »Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen«

    Bodin Draškoci, trombone on tracks 1, 5, 7, 11 and 12

    Bobana Đorđević, lead vocals on tracks 7, 9

    Jelena Bračika, lead vocal on »Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen«

  • MOON OVER BOURBON STREET album cover

    2006

    MOON OVER BOURBON STREET

    Tracks (12)
    Recording credits

    All arrangements by Ivan Švager, exept 1, 11 by Vladimir Racković and 2 by S. Matić

    Recorded at Studio VI, Radio Beograd, February – March 2006.

    Producer: Vladimir Racković

    Recording engineers: Zoran Marić i Mirko Ramović

    Digital Mastering: Oliver Jovanović

    Special guests:

    Bobana Đorđević, lead vocals on tracks 6, 7 and 12

    Ivan Ilić, trombone solo on »St. Louis Blues«

  • The BELGRADE DIXIELAND ORCHESTRA album cover

    2004

    The BELGRADE DIXIELAND ORCHESTRA

    Tracks (15)
    1. Bonus track: St. James Infirmary live – Sava Center, 12. december 2003.
    Recording credits

    All arrangements by Lj. Matijaca , exept 1, 8, 11 by Vladimir Racković and 2, 10 by Ivan Švager

    Recorded at Studio VI, Radio Beograd, autumn 2003.

    Producer: Vladimir Racković

    Recording engineer: Zoran Marić

    “St. James Infirmary live” recorded by Bora Radojević

    Guests: Srđan Đorđevic – upright bass (5, 6)

    Dejan Stojadinović – upright bass (7, 12, 13)

    Special thanks to Vladana Marković for assistance in producing Jelena’s vocals

Gallery

Photographs from the Orchestra on stage.

Rider

Technical requirements for promoters.

Stage plots