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Martin Simon is a composer and guitarist born in Roznava, Slovakia in 1975. He has lived and worked in New York and in Warsaw.

Raised in Bratislava, Slovakia, Simon began playing the guitar at 10. He started to gain recognition after winning the "New Faces of Slovak Jazz" young talent jazz competition with his group Jazzva in 1996. He moved to New York in 1998. After receiving a travel/study grant he attended the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music where he received his master degree. He was trained in composition by Tania Leon, performance and interactive media arts by John J.A. Jannone and Miroslaw Rogala.^[1] His guitar mentors included Matus Jakabcic, Stanislav Pocaji, Fernando Correa, Daniela Kukumbergova. From 2003 to 2006 Simon taught at Pratt Institute in New York teaching electronic music composition for film and animation. His avant-garde musical concepts were showed in Europe and USA, including the ISIM International festival and conference on Improvised Music, and published by the University Press of America.^[2]

Simon has combined in his music the classical and electric guitar sound with modern jazz, rock, acoustic and classical music, free improvisation and a rich palette of world elements. He has used avant-garde concepts in some of his experimental works, electronic music and multimedia interactive art projects. His body of work has been compared to the work of acoustic guitar virtuoso Don Ross or the experimentation of multi-instrumentalist George Koller.^[3]

This alliance of different music aesthetics is heard both in his early compositions (1995-1998)—jazz fusion works in which jazz fundaments are treated with synthesizer sounds and electric instruments creating juxtapositions of intense jazz-rock sonic materials with harmonically rich, sometimes almost esoteric material —and in later pieces (2000-2006), in which the integration of opposites, inherent performance complexities and game-like attitude create opportunity for free interaction, fusion of singled sounds or even whole ensembles. These compositions are examples of "conversational music," a term he uses to describe a musical language constructed from processes governing a verbal conversation, that are handled in a musical way.^[4] Simon's most recent compositions draw inspiration from Central European folkloric traditions placed in context with jazz, classical music and contemporary influences.

Simon's guitar duet with Spanish/Honduran guitarist Astor Escoto resulted in an album Escoto & Simon “Collage” described in reviews as "one of the best contemporary world guitar albums of the decade".^[5] A recent composition “Vision of Seven Keystones” reached a semi-finalist position in the instrumental category of the 2011 International Songwriting Competition ISC after receiving a record number of over 16,000 entries. ^[6]

Simon has performed with a wide mix of musicians from Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand such as David Watson (John Zorn), Paul Steven Ray (Vernon Reid), Salim Washington (Kenny Garret, Anthony Braxton), Chris Bacas (Buddy Rich), Jorge Amorim (Baden Powell, Al Foster), Arturo Martinez (Jose Greco), Alfonso Cid (Pilar Rioja), Carlos Hayre, Michal Urbaniak, Wojciech Karolak among others. He was member of the New York Mandolin Orchestra and BC Electro-acoustic Music Ensemble. He has collaborated with award winning film and media artists like Miroslaw Rogala, John J.A. Jannone, Ronaldo Kiel, Anat Inbar, SangHee Ann. He is a founding member of groups Escoto & Simon, Jazzva, Areito, BTY Orchestra, Astro Project, Slavicada. He has participaded in improvised music events along with masters of free improvisation including Oliver Lake, Art Lande, Mazen Kerbaj, Stephen Nachmanovitch, Pauline Oliveros, Michael Zerang, Anto Pett, Mark Dresser, Jane Ira Bloom, AACM and others.^[7]

http://www.jazzcorner.com/news/display.php?news=2080

http://www.stormthecastle.com/classical_guitar/collage-by-escoto-and-simon.htm

http://news.allaboutjazz.com/news.php?id=87719

MARTINÁKOVÁ, Z.: Mladá slovenská skladateľská generácia – štýlové a názorové orientácie. In: Slovenská hudba 36, 2010/1, s. 27–62

SIMON, M. - CRESHEVSKY, N.: Music Through Conversation. In: ArtCircles: C Collaborative, New York 2005/7-8

HOUP, S.: A Beaver and an Eagel meet in the Bar. In: Globe and Mail, Toronto 2004, 29. 5.

IOAN, R.: Computer Music din Europa si S.U.A. In: Observator Cultural, Bukurešť 1, 2004

POKOJNÁ, K.: Soozvuk. In: Hudobný život, Bratislava 2004/7-8, s. 15

IOAN, R.: Nova Musica Consonante 2003/Computer Music. In: Actualitatea Muzicala, Bukurešť 2004/1

VACHOVÁ, Z.: Jazzové Vianoce. In: Infojazz 1998/1, s. 6

SITA: Súťažná prehliadka Jazzové Vianoce 97. In: Mesto.Sk, Nitra 1997, 8. 12.

KAJANOVÁ, Y.: Jazzové vianoce 1996. In: Hudobný život, Bratislava 1997/1

OKRUCKÝ, S.: Vydarená prehliadka džezových talentov. In: Pravda, Bratislava 1996Small text^[8]