Lili Maljic, Beyond Interpretation

Lili Maljic takes her debut album on the road this autumn, and she is already working on a second one built from original material rather than standards. The Serbian-born, Vienna-based vocalist, pianist, and arranger names Betty Carter as her reference point for the new project.

Maljic was born in Paraćin, Serbia, on 18 May 1995. She started on piano, classically trained from childhood, before her studies carried her into jazz and vocal work in Vienna. Singing came after the piano, not instead of it, and she still works as a pianist and arranger alongside the vocal work. That’s part of how she ended up in the rooms she did: active in the Vienna jazz scene, on projects with Jim Rotondi, Oliver Kent, Mario Gonzi, and Joris Dudli.

Rotondi was more than a name on that list. The American trumpeter became her mentor, and when the two of them went into the studio with Oliver Kent on piano, Miloš Čolović on bass, and Mario Gonzi on drums, the result was Maljic’s debut, The Nearness of You. Rotondi died of a heart attack in Le Crest, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, on 8 July 2024, at 61, and the album was released after his death with the title gaining the appendix “In Loving Memory of Jim Rotondi.” The dedication isn’t a formality. “Jim was not only my mentor, but also a dear friend whose generosity, musicianship, and guidance had a profound influence on me and on this album,” Maljic told me. “This recording will always hold a special place in my heart because it captures both the beginning of my artistic journey and the memory of someone who inspired me so deeply.”

That record goes on tour this autumn, with two different lineups behind it. The presentation opens on 19 September at Jazzland Vienna, where Maljic sings alongside Johannes Probst on trumpet, Márton Papp on alto saxophone, Gerhard Schramke on piano, Uli Langthaler on bass, and Dušan Novakov on drums. The 13 November date at Salzhof Freistadt is billed separately as the Lili Maljic Quartet, with Dena DeRose on piano and Hrvoje Kralj on bass. Drummer Chris Smith joins the line-up for the Salzhof Freistadt date.

Maljic is already looking past the tour, though. Recording on her second album is scheduled for release in February 2027, and she talks about it as a different kind of record entirely. “The music will be inspired by the spirit and freedom of Betty Carter’s style — innovative, adventurous, while steel deeply rooted in jazz tradition — but presented through my own original arrangements,” she said. “I also plan to include some of my own compositions that also reflect this artistic vision.”

She doesn’t describe it as a shift in direction: “My focus for the future is definitely moving more toward more original music,” she said. “The upcoming album is, in many ways, a crossover project for me — it allows me to continue interpreting the jazz repertoire while gradually introducing my own musical language.” Alongside Carter, she names Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald as the singers she measures her own work against. “The next important step for me is to continue growing as both an interpreter and a composer while staying true to the jazz tradition,” she said. “My goal is to develop a recognizable artistic voice that respects tradition while bringing fresh ideas and new perspectives to today’s jazz scene.”

So far, Maljic has built a career on interpreting the tradition and done it with flair. The new sessions mark her first step into writing her own material, with Betty Carter as a stated touchstone. It’s a new direction for her, and one I’ll be glad to hear more about once the tour behind this record wraps up.

More Information can be found at her website.

Jazz Vocals Spotify Playlist

A curated selection of vocal jazz that pushes beyond the expected, chosen by the Jazz In Europe team. Nothing standard here — just inventive voices, bold ideas, and music that helps move the genre forward. Follow the playlist to keep up with the kind of records we believe deserve attention and to stay ahead of the curve.