Good news for fans of Caruselul Vesel (The Happy Carousel), a jazz project dedicated to children. The band has released new songs especially for the winter season. Ctlin Milea, the initiator of the Caruselul Vesel project, tells us more about them. First of all, what can you tell us about the new tracks released online with Caruselul Vesel (The Happy Carousel)? There are three, from what Ive seen.

We have just released online three tracks that will also be on our next album. We released a composition called Scrisoare pentru Mo Crciun (Letter for Santa Claus), Johnny Rducanus composition Iarn Iarn (Winter Winter), with lyrics by Nina Cassian, and we are about to release Sniua fuge (The Little Sleigh Runs Away) in a jazzy version. These pieces will also be included on the Caruselul Vesel (The Happy Carousel) album, which will contain other tracks that I wouldnt like to reveal now, because they are musical surprises, and which will be released this year by June.

Who did you collaborate with for the recordings? From what Ive seen, you have a core that you use live, with Gabriela Costa and Alex Man, but there are other musicians as well, right?

Yes, the Caruselul Vesel (The Happy Carousel) project started as a collaboration with several musicians, because I wanted us to create music for children that is not made with electronic instruments, artificial intelligence, or things that somehow contribute to the sound culture children receive from a very young age, and we chose to make an album with real instruments: double bass, trumpet, piano, percussion instruments, banjo, flute, saxophone, clarinet, cello. An album made in collaboration with many musicians, I think the best we have. The voices were Irina Srbu, Ana Maria Rou, Gabriela Costa.

In any case, you involved a large part of the Romanian jazz scene in this project.
Thats true, we made it with love, with soul, and I think what came out is music for children, somehow simple, not very complicated, accessible, and the texts, the lyrics, are playful verses.

From what youve told me before, the concerts are always sold out. Do you intend to take Caruselul Vesel (The Happy Carousel) more around the country in the future? It would be an idea, because Im sure there is an audience all over Romania for something like this.

I intend to take it, to make the carousel spin around the world, thats also the name of our show this year. I also intend to release printed material; we are still in discussions with an important publishing house here, to see if we can publish a childrens book that will include the lyrics of our music or other stories as well. So it will be, I believe, a complete experience. Along with the album release, we will also do this book launch.

And outside Caruselul Vesel (The Happy Carousel), can you reveal other projects for 2026, what are you planning next?

In 2026, 100 years are celebrated since the birth of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, so this year we are working on it and we will hold many concerts with the project called Coltrane at 100 Miles. This concert will have two parts: the first part will be the music of Miles Davis and Coltrane, and the second part will be John Coltranes suite A Love Supreme, and the lineup with which we will perform these concerts will be Sorin Zlar on piano, Adrian Flautistu on double bass, and Iulian Nicolau on drums.