GigTips: March 2010

For the first time in over six weeks Prague is not covered by a layer of ice. The skies seem bluer, the air feels warmer, and slowly but surely the greenery will come back to life. Spring may not yet have sprung but it is certainly coiled in anticipation! Now it is possible to walk down the street without risking breaking a bone or three it is time to go to some gigs. These are our tips for March...

There are two special blues gigs at the Palác Akropolis this month. Prague's very own Chicago Blues guitarist, Rene Trossman, will be joined by acclaimed Chicago Blues singer Deitra Farr on 18/3. On 4/3 there will be a benefit concert for Steve White featuring such Prague Jazz favourites as Radim Hladík, Vladimír Mišík, and Luboš Andršt. For those of you not familiar with Steve White, he is a US-based guitarist and singer currently undergoing treatment for cancer. The purpose of the concert is to raise money towards his treatment, so as well as being a great night of music it will also be for a very good cause.

If you want to see Luboš Andršt in action with his own band then AghaRTA Jazz Centrum is the place to go. He will be there on 9/3 and 10/3 with his jazzier outfit, the Luboš Andršt Group. His keyboard player, Ondřej Kabrna, will also be there on 31/3 fronting his Powerplay Trio.

The newest club on the scene, Jazz Time, is not good at getting the details of their gigs out: the sooner they get their website working fully the better it will be for all of us. They do seem to be attracting some of the big names in Czech jazz though. According to pianist Emil Viklický's website he will be playing there on 9/3 and 19/3 with his Trio. We can't give you any guarantees about the quality of the club at this stage, but we can give you a guarantee about the quality of the music if Emil is involved.

At U Malého Glena this month you can see many of the rising stars of the local scene. Guitarist Libor Šmoldas will be playing material from his new album, In New York On Time, every Tuesday night in March. The Infinite Quintet will be there on 6/3 and guitarist Petr Zelenka's new “Project Z” will be there on 11/3.

As ever this is just a small selection of the gigs that will be played in March here in Prague. Do remember to book ahead if you want to be sure of a good table. And please tell the venue that you saw the gig listed here. If you have any feedback or comments about the gigs that you have seen please feel free to contact us at Prague Jazz with your thoughts.