The View From The Front Row - June 2011

Greetings, and welcome to the June edition of the new monthly Prague Jazz. We have been overwhelmed by your positive feedback to the restoration of the site: it is great to know that it is read and appreciated around the world. There’s a big pile of overdue emails staring at me and I will be answering them soon. Your comments and your own stories of the Czech jazz scene are always welcome.

Czech jazz not only reaches out internationally to music fans but also to musicians, and we were surprised and delighted to get a message from US pianist, composer and writer Jack Reilly. A leading expert on the work of Bill Evans he’s also familiar with Emil Viklický’s playing and hopes to include the Czech Republic in his European tour next year. Do take a look at his website - http://www.jackreillyjazz.com/ - it links to a lot of free music.

Jazz can be a visual art as well, and if you have any doubt about that please take a little time to appreciate the work of photographer Patrick Marek. There are extensive collections of his work on his website - http://www.jazzrock.cz/ - and until 12/6 you can see some of his best photographs exhibited in Café Lucerna. The opening of his exhibition was a veritable Who’s Who of the Prague Jazz world, with many top talents coming to celebrate the event.

The saddest news in May was the confirmed death of the Old Lady. For reasons that are not entirely clear U Staré Paní (USP) Jazz Lounge is no more. She will be missed by music fans and performers alike.

In June’s edition we go heavy on saxophone jazz, featuring an interview with Karel Růžička jr. in which we learn what it was like growing up under the guidance of Karel sr., and also a review of the recent album by the Ondřej Štveráček Quartet. We also have a very special gig review, direct from the hallowed halls of Prague Castle, and of course our regular recommendations for the month ahead.

Enjoy this site, enjoy the music, and we will be back in a month with the July edition. If you can’t wait that long then please join our Facebook page, or follow @tonyemmerson on Twitter.