Mihailo Živanović

In 1975 he was appointed head of the Light Ensemble of RTB, and since 1978 permanent conductor of the Light Orchestra of RTB until his death in Belgrade.

In 1960 he became a member of Serbian Composers Association.

Since 1958 almost to the last days of his life, he had been employed by the Music Production branch of Radio Television of Serbia. That same year he became a permanent member of the Light String Orchestra led by Ilija Genić and later a conductor of the Jazz Orchestra i Revue Orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade.

In 1955 Zivanovic founded Mihailo Zivanovic's Octet in which he played the baritone saxophone. Alongside him, Predrag Ivanović played the trumpet, Nikola Dajzinger the alt saxophone, Eduard Sađil the tenor saxophone, Predrag Stefanović the trombone, Vojkan Đonovićić the guitar, Robert Hauber the piano and Rade Milivojević the drums.

Before the end of the study in 1954, persuaded by professors from the Academy, he left Radio Belgrade Revue Orchestra and got a job in the National Theatre Orchestra (Belgrade Opera) where he worked four years (until 1958).

As a student at the Academy he achieved a remarkable success in the Yugoslav competition of young artists, clarinetist of classical music, in Skopje in 1954. There he won the second prize (the first was not awarded to anyone).

In the Revue Orchestra Mihailo first played the baritone saxophone, and then the instrument which he had been studying – the clarinet. Radio Belgrade Revue Orchestra had many successful tours and concerts. One in Zagreb in 1953, which proved that Belgrade was the center of Yugoslav jazz.

Mihailo Mika Živanović began composing in 1950. His creative work is enormous:

Significant, almost crucial meeting with Boro Roković (a trumpeter, composer, arranger, pianist and accordionist) occurred while playing at a dance party in 1949. Bora heard him and was impressed by his talent. He wanted to help Mihajlo, introduce him more and better into the world of jazz and direct him to the true value. He offered him to join his orchestra. Živanović played there until the end of 1953. Soon he was invited by Aleksandar Nećak and played in all three orchestras at the same time.

Well-known trombonist Mladen Guteša founded Radio Belgrade Light Revue Orchestra on 18 January 1948. By the end of 1949. he invited Mihailo Živanović to become its member. Mihajlo was then a student of the Music Academy in the class of renowned professor Bruno Brun. For such a work and permanent employment, he had to get permission from his professor. Professor Bruno gave him consent.

Orchestra Fis-dur achieved success after success: performances, tours, great delight and standing ovations of the satisfied audience. In the year 1947, there was a large change in the orchestra with the new top musicians: Predrag Ivanović (trumpet), dr Aleksandar Pejić (accordion), Milovan Vukajlović-Genije (piano and accordion), Predrag Stefanović-Grof (-Count)(trombone) and Branko Pejaković (bass). Only Sodermajer and Živanović remained of the old members.

The biggest turning point in his life happened in 1946 when he saw and bought his first clarinet in a consignment shop. Since he had possessed a good knowledge of music, he began to practice day and night, this time – clarinet.

Jazz was very appealing to Mihailo Živanović. Accomplishing himself in this field, in 1946 he formed a jazz orchestra Fis-dur which he named after his clarinet Fis-dur. The orchestra was led by Michael himself. Due to the quality, the orchestra had very soon become one of the most famous in Belgrade. The first members of the orchestra were: Milo Dimitrijević (guitar), Duško Radić (piano), Stanislav Sodermajer (drums) and Mihailo Živanović (clarinet).

Anxious to learn and progress further in music in 1946. he continued to study clarinet at the Allmusic Academy where he met Eduard Sađil, also a student of clarinet.

After the war, in 1945, Mihailo continued to learn the piano in Secondary Music School "Stanković".

His first contact with music, dating back to the 1936, was when the father of an eight-year-old Mika enrolled him in primary music school Stanković where he was first taught to play the piano. The year 1942 was crucial in his life because, upon hearing the sound of the clarinet through Radio London, he realized that this was what he wanted. And since then, fascinated by the beauty of jazz, he had regularly visited Concert Hall in Belgrade and listened to jazz concerts of then our masters (Elija Genić, Mladen Guteša, Vojin Popović and others), as well as of the foreign performers (Kari Burnett, German singer).

Mihailo Živanović (17 February 1928 – 18 July 1989), known as Mika-Žuti (Yellow), was a prominent and one of the most inventive and best Serbian and Yugoslav clarinetist, saxophonist, a very prolific composer, conductor of RTB Light Music Orchestras and arranger.

Mihailo Mika Živanović - Žuti (Yellow) was born in Prota Mateja street in Belgrade in 1928.