Biography

Name and Last name: Drago Jakovčević

Born: 28.05.1955 Split, Republic of Croatia

Business profile:Tenured professor (Prof.dr.sc.) University of Economics, finance field

Music career:
​At the age of twelve he plays the trumpet in a local orchestra „Olinta“ on the island of Šolta.  At the age of fifteen, he continues to play, now focusing on the saxophone, and enrolls into music school „Josip Hatze“ in Split, where he was the first attendee of the saxophone class of professor Josip Biskupović.

In 1976 he moves to Zagreb to acquire a professional education in economics, at the same time intensifying his interest in music, more specifically jazz. He attends intensive jazz seminars locally and abroad, lead by the famous Jazz player, writer, pianist, trumpeteer and conducter, Dieter Glawischnig.

Towards the end of the seventies, he joins jazz group „Toranj 77“, founded and lead by a famous saxophone player, and subsequently member of the Jazz orchestra of the Croatian National Television, Željko Kovačević. Many famous croatian musicians, such as, Marcel Lino Dević, Salih Sadiković, Davor Črnigoj, Krešimir Klemenčić , Ivo Bebek, amongst others, played in „Toranj 77“.

In 1980 he founds a jazz quarter „Jazz Friends“, regularly attending numerous Jazz Fair festivals in Zagreb. Alognside him, members of the band were Ivo Ivić, Radan Bosner, Ivo Bebek, Marcel Lino Dević, and Mladen Baraković.

In 1985, a famous percussionist, vibrafonist, composer and professor at the Music Academy in Zagreb, Igor Lešnik founds quartet „Jazzbina“, of which members were world renown jazz musicians Mario Mavrin, Salih Sadiković and Drago Jakovčević. In 1987 the Jazzbina quartet, issues LP vinyl „First toy“, produced by Jugoton. The song list mostly included those authored by Igor Lešnik, but also included a song „Petra“, written by Drago Jakovčević.

Later in 1987 „Jazzbina“ records their second vinyl (published by Jugoton) called „The temple of blue dwarfs“, where famous jazz musicians Dejan Pečenko and Živojin Glišić played alongaside the members of the quartet.

At the invitation of famous trumpeter and Unversity Professor Stanko Selak, Drago Jakovčević becomes the first tenor saxophone player in Selak's „ Big Bend“.

In 2018 Drago Jakovčević founds his own quartet „DJ jazz kvartet“. He is accompanied by Salih Sadiković, Saša Borovec and Marko Bertić , and in the past couple years „DJ Jazz quartet“ held several successful concerts in Zagreb and throughout Croatia.

Drago Jakovčević played with numerous famous and renouned jazz musicians, such as, Boško Petrović, Damir Dičić, Miroslav Sedak Benčić, Mario Mavrin, Ladislav Fidri, Salih Sadiković, Mario Igrec, Nenad Vrandečić, Miro Kadoić, Bruno Mičetić amongst others.

In addition to jazz music, Drago Jakovčević also did studio recordings for various producers for their performers, of which Mato Došen, Hrvoje Hegedušić and Miroslav Rus are the most widely known. In recent years, he participates in studio recordings and public appearances with the group „Cadillac“.

In 2013, he publishes a studio album „Najbolji DJ (Drago Jakovčević)u Hrvatskoj“ („Best DJ (Drago Jakovčević) in Croatia“) (published by Croatia Records) where he covered eleven popular songs of croatian and foreign authors.