Prague Jazz

The View From The Front Row - August 2011

2011-08-03T15:02:00.004+02:00

Welcome to the August edition of Prague Jazz! We hope you enjoyed our extra “summer supplement” - the full-length English version of Emil Viklický's recent interview with Jazz Podium. Many thanks once again to Emil for sending us the transcript. We were lucky enough to catch Emil twice in July, once with his regular band (František Uhlíř, Laco Tropp) and once with talented young bassist Jan Tengler sitting for the absent Franta. He's a talented young guy and Emil worked him hard by pulling out a lot of different tunes, including some of his originals that deserve to be heard more often.

Another band that was sounding fresh was the Robert Balzar Trio. It had been over a year since we last saw them live and their set has changed a lot. It included a lot of new music, both originals and interpretations, and some twists on old favourites. There is a lot of energy in that band at the moment – they're definitely worth seeing and hopefully we can get Robert to do an interview for us soon.

The most memorable concert was a family affair - Karel Růžička jr. flew in from NYC in the afternoon and barely had time for a fried cheese and a beer before he was performing with his father's Trio at UMG. As if that wasn't enough to keep him on his toes, his dad presented him with some new songs to play that night! It was one of those special gigs, where great music combines with atmosphere and emotion.

At the beginning in the month I was asked to write a guide to Prague's jazz scene by airline easyJet for their holiday blog. I gave them a Top 10 things for any jazz fan to experience, which can be found at: http://holidayblog.easyjet.com/op-10-jazz-experiences-in-prague. Hopefully this marks the dawn of a whole new era of budget airline jazz tourism bringing music connoisseurs from all over Britain. Or something like that.

This month's live review is from Reduta, where young guitarist Libor Šmoldas put his Quartet through its paces. Younger artists are also represented in our album reviews by Projekt Z, an unconventional album from guitarist Petr Zelenka and associates. We also review a new album from a not-so-new guy on the scene: František Uhlíř's 60th birthday concert recorded as part of the Jazz na Hradě series. As usual we end with our GigTips – a selection of the best jazz concerts in Prague this month. Enjoy the stuff, and of course, enjoy the music...

CD Review: Projekt Z

2011-08-03T15:02:00.000+02:00

Projekt Z
Animal Music, ANI 027-2, 2011

Projekt Z is a new collaboration featuring three young musicians who have already made a noticeable impact on the Czech scene. At the moment it is hard to pick up a new album that doesn't feature Marcel Bárta on saxophones and bass clarinet. Daniel Šoltis is a familiar name on drums, and Petr Zelenka has an impressive recording history including two albums under his own name. He also broadened his horizons with a stint living and working in Paris before returning to the Czech scene. They are joined by Spanish flautist Rodrigo Parejo, who is less well known here but comes with vast international experience. Zelenka is the main composer on the album, with some contributions from the others.

The press release that accompanies Projekt Z speaks of “a free space for musical and non-musical communication”. Presumably that is meant to excuse the opening track, "Výkřiky" (R. Parejo, M. Bárta, P. Zelenka), a minute of random honking, parping and squeaking. It sounds like the after-effects of a particularly hot curry. Similarly track 4, "Kulička" (R. Parejo, M. Bárta, P. Zelenka), sounds like a drunk choir rolling dice in a cup while trying to spit out a wasp. And if you've ever wondered what it would sound like if you tried to shoot an an angry pig with a flute then I respectfully refer you to track 7, "Motůrek" (P. Zelenka, R. Parejo).

The remaining 11 pieces thankfully fall into the category of “musical communication”, although maybe not the sort of music that you would expect. This is an album of dark, experimental compositions. The inherent sense of melody that often infuses Czech jazz is hardly noticeable at all, and the result is a harsh ride that often sounds more like King Crimson than Miles Davis. Zelenka's stark, fully electrified sound strides around menacingly while flute and horn wail. The jazz convention of one musician improvising over the patterns of the rest is maintained, but the patterns are edgy textures rather than more conventional riffs.

When this record works it really, really works. "Police" (P. Zelenka) begins with a steady drum pattern (of which there are few, Šoltis spending much of his time in a hyperactive flutter), woodwind sets up the structure, Zelenka fires up the infinite sustain and plays with the precision of a hypodermic needle. Tempos continually shift and change. Beats are dropped and found. There are gorgeous contrasts of hard and soft sounds. Bárta cooks up a top-notch solo as the band cranks it up to furious climax before dropping down into a sparse coda. Live, with the volume pedals kicked down to the floor, this could be an absolute killer.

There is no bass instrument on Projekt Z other than the low, thick sound of the bass clarinet. Its distinctive tones are all over the album and used to good effect on tracks like “Music Box” (P. Zelenka), its warm tones ever-present in the background. The drums beat a march and the flute takes the role of the army band pipe. An effervescent flute solo steals the show, but all the time that bass sound is there, growing and evolving.

“Prozaik” (P. Zelenka) sounds like something from the “prunk” movement – that seemingly-contradictory fusion of punk and progressive rock: blaring sax and skiddy flute over a fast riff and thrashed drums, held together by periodically melodic passages in unison. There's some shouting too. “Raketa” (P. Zelenka) also has that rocky edge, and with that jagged guitar sitting alongside flute and sax it really does sound like a lost King Crimson track, albeit with technically better improvisational including some great work by Bárta.

The dissonant strands of "Marš ven" (P. Zelenka) never resolve themselves into anything satisfying, but the last two tracks are satisfying indeed. “Last Call Blues” (P. Zelenka) is delivered with melancholy slow motion and shows that there is something special here. This band can play a simple tune and it does not sound ordinary. There is still room for the creativity, the improvisation, and even a touch of the chaos. Their almost pathological avoidance of melody is unnecessary. “From One Dream To Another” (P. Zelenka) is even more understated, and even more powerful for it.

A strange one indeed this album. They took risks and that has to be applauded: there's no excuse for young artists who spend all their time painting by numbers. And there are many moments where it is different, exciting, stimulating, frightening even, and it will be interesting to hear how they adapt to live performance. But what are these moments of “non-musical communication” meant to be? A joke? An artistic statement? Speaking of jokes, using the initials of the band members to make a rude word for one of the song titles is tiresome. The music of Projekt Z has the potential to endure. I suggest they stick to playing it.

Tracklist:

1. Výkřiky (Rodrigo Parejo, Marcel Bárta, Petr Zelenka)
2. Podruhé (Marcel Bárta)
3. Marš ven (Petr Zelenka)
4. Kulička (Rodrigo Parejo, Marcel Bárta, Petr Zelenka)
5. Rubato Boom Is Over (Petr Zelenka)
6. Police (Petr Zelenka)
7. Motůrek (Petr Zelenka, Rodrigo Parejo)
8. Z.M.R.D. (Petr Zelenka)
9. Raketa (Petr Zelenka)
10. Music Box (Petr Zelenka)
11. Prozaik (Petr Zelenka)
12. Šrums (Rodrigo Parejo, Marcel Bárta, Petr Zelenka)
13. Last Call Blues (Petr Zelenka)
14. From One Dream To Another (Petr Zelenka)

Samples are available at http://www.animalmusic.cz/katalog/projekt-z

Review: Libor Šmoldas Quartet

2011-08-03T15:01:00.002+02:00

Reduta
18th July 2011

One of the most interesting parts of following a local jazz scene is seeing the younger musicians grow and develop into interesting and respected artists. Libor Šmoldas first appeared on the PJ radar as a member of Organic Quartet: a good outfit but not the easiest place for the guitarist to make his own voice heard. Libor is now an established player in his own right, with his Quartet that performs regularly in the Czech Republic and also undertook a three-week tour of America.

In his band he has fellow Organic Quarteter Tomáš Hobzek (drums), pianist Petr Beneš and bassist Josef Fečo. Fečo is currently one of the hottest bassists in the country, working with the likes of Karel Růžička, Zuzana Lapčíková and Emil Viklický. He was a decent player when we first saw him five years ago, but now he is electrifying.

Playing at Reduta can be a strange one. Sometimes there's only a handful of people in the audience, sometimes it can be packed. This was an unpromising Monday night but even so the tourist groups filled out the benches, recently transformed from their traditional green to a plush and slightly disreputable red. There were a few locals too, and a few guys from the annual Czech Jazz Workshop where Libor was teaching. The band started unusually: on time and with a joke.

Not many jazz musicians chat with the audience during concerts. A lot smile and nod, most introduce some of the songs, and a couple communicate solely through the language of music. Libor was chatty throughout the show, asking which languages the audience spoke, introducing the songs with stories and dedications, and generally inviting the audience into his musical world. A nice touch, immediately making the Quartet a band that you want to like and want to see fly.

The setlist was primarily original compositions, most of which were penned by Šmoldas himself. “Blues in the Shower” (L. Šmoldas) was an uncompromising way to start: fast, syncopated, alternating broken patterns that rested uneasy on the ear with extended solo passages. Šmoldas's style is smooth and sweet, bebop-style jazz guitar rather than rougher, blusier playing, and he can produce an astonishing number of notes from seemingly no physical motion.

The Quartet moved through a balanced sequence of different styles. “On The Playground” (L. Šmoldas) was a funky groove ridden into submission. “Lenka”, written by the bassist and named after his wife, was a romantic and tuneful piece introduced by a well-crafted bass solo. Fečo is capable of working melody out of his instrument as well as well as rhythm, occasionally taking the lead as others fell in behind.

Hobzek has matured into an explosive drummer, his solos fired out with a rockier edge and his sound clear during ensemble playing. Beneš on the other hand was a bit lost in the mix, although he did produce some enjoyable passages and his own composition, “Waiting for Art”, was a pleasing dose of rippling piano occasionally rising into turbulent crescendo. The song title was given with full explanation: Art was the name of a dog. Despite the sophistication of their music this outfit is as unpretentious as it is friendly. It is also fun.

There were lots of moments that raised a smile from the keen observer. Fečo's total commitment: he seemed to be bodily absorbed into his distinctive cut-off travel bass. Tricksy endings that were beyond prediction. The competition to get the last note. Mischievous collusion in the rhythm section during the piano and guitar solos. Good stuff. Live music.

The quality of the writing was also commendable “Lyndian Blues” (L. Šmoldas) is as sweet a melody as anything I've heard in a long time, and “One For Kenny Burrell” (L. Šmoldas) is a sparky guitarist’s workout. There were very few songs during the night that didn't contain one of those "special moments" either in the playing or in the tune itself.

The Libor Šmoldas Quartet are a band worth seeing, and definitely a band to keep an eye on in the future. Their Live At Jazz Dock album, free to download from Libor's site,was recorded in 2010. They sound good on there, but they sounded even better at Reduta.

CD Review: František Uhlíř 60 (Jazz na Hradě)

2011-08-03T15:01:00.001+02:00

Multisonic 31 0822-2
2011

It was only fitting that František Uhlíř, a Czech musician of the very highest calibre, should have his “60” concert Prague Castle. There he would bring together eight friends from around the world to join him for his landmark birthday, making this Jazz na Hradě event a joyful and celebratory occasion.

The core of František's band consisted of Adam Tvrdý, (his regular guitarist in the František Uhlíř Team), drummer Wolfgang Haffner and pianist Mark Aanderud. They were joined by Wolfgang Lackerschmid on vibraphone, recalling past times when František regularly played alongside the legendary Czech vibe-master Karel Velebný. Brass and horns were provided by Eddie Severn on trumpet, Michal Wrobelewski on alto sax, Pius Baumgartner on tenor sax and Přemek Tomišíček on trombone. Despite the large number of musicians making noise there is always room for the distinctive elastic sound of the man they call the Paganini of the Bass. Whether pizzicato or arco, whether taking the lead or walking in the background, his performance sparkles. You really could listen to the whole album just focusing on his bass parts and still be held in fascination.

The album's songs can be roughly divided into two categories: those played by the full (or almost full) ensemble and those played by a smaller selection of its members. The larger ensemble pieces are often reminiscent of the Jazz Messengers, although led from the bass rather than from the kit. Agile, responsive and nimble, there is much room for improvisation within the arragments. The other tracks call upon different styles of jazz, including the vibes-led “Sahras Bende” (W. Lackerschmid) that moves away from brassy bop and into late night mellowness. Brushes on the kit while vibes, guitar and bass trade lines. These are musicians who are obviously listening to each other, seemingly on a telepathic level, and the way they interact and feed off each other is inspirational.

There's more stripped-down coolness in the lilting opening of “Castles in the Air” (E. Severn), Severn taking the lead in his own composition and playing with a warm and clear tone. Tvrdý also excels here: one of the best things about the sparser arrangements is that there's more of a chance to listen to this guy. He's another of the younger generation of Czech musicians who is maturning into an exceptional talent. But then, you don't get a place in Franta's band without being pretty damn good!

“Song for Jane” (F. Uhlíř) is a blast from the past; this Uhlíř original appeared on his 1984 album, Basssaga. A trio for drums, piano and bass, František picks up his bow and recalls this haunting melody from his instrument. In the liner notes pianist Aanderud is described as “the discovery of the concert” and here he plays with charm and sensitivity. He also shines during a tip of the hat to the “other” Czech bassist, the elegantly constructed “Song for George Mraz” (F. Uhlíř).

The big sound of the full ensemble is typified on the familiar “Father's Blues” (F. Uhlíř), painting with broad, firm strokes. It is in these tunes that we hear both saxophones warble and swagger, and Tomišíček creates some interesting trombone solos on “Father's Blues” and “Wabash” (J. “Cannonball” Adderly).

Through the first seven songs Haffner is kept contained, never stepping out on his own. His playing is an integral feature of the band's sound, an intelligent drummer who is constantly working away, but just when it is looking like he is too shy to solo he throws two into the mix. The first is on “Lets Go On” (F. Uhlíř), with the band in full good-time Jazz Messengers mode, and the second is during the oddly named “Softly As In The Morning Sunrise” (S. Romberg). There's not much softness to be found here, but a carnival grand finale. There are hints of Latin in this one, satisfyingly picked up on and toyed with by the pianist.

This album is 75 minutes of sophisticated jazz to make you smile. There is exuberence, excitement and a clear bond of musical friendship. It isn't an album that will frighten the neighbours, but the subtlety and complexity of the playing constantly rewards close listening. At the heart of this band, and at the heart of the music too, is the man himself. František Uhlíř, gentleman genius and Paganini of the Bass, we at PJ salute you!

Tracklist:

1. Introduction by President of the Republic Václav Klaus
2. Expectation (František Uhlíř)
3. Father’s Blues (František Uhlíř)
4. Castles in the Air (Eddie Severn)
5. Wabash (Julian “Cannonball” Adderley)
6. Sarahs Bande (Wolfgang Lackerschmid)
7. Nenazvaná (František Uhlíř)
8. Song for G. Mraz (František Uhlíř)
9. Let’s go on (František Uhlíř)
10. Song for Jane (František Uhlíř)
11. Softly as in the Morning Sunrise (Sigmund Romberg)

GigTips: August 2011

2011-08-03T15:00:00.000+02:00

There are so many jazz gigs in Prague that it would be impossible to list all the good ones, even with careful selection to weed out the routine and the mundane. Instead we offer you a handful of gigs each month that we feel could be of special interest.

August's best gig is likely to be at Jazz Dock on 5/8: Karel Růžička jr. will once again be joining his father's Trio for a very special night of music. According to the Czech Jazz Society's website this gig will be recorded, so expect excellence and an electric atmosphere. Růžička jr. is one of those players who has to be seen (and heard!) to be believed – a master of the saxophone. Be there if you can.

Also at Jazz Dock you can see Latin singer Marta Töpferová (11/8), visiting from NYC and playing with her regular Czech associates David Dorůžka and Tomáš Liška. Robert Balzar plays there with his Trio on 19/8, and after hearing them play in July we can confirm that they are on top form at the moment, brimming with new ideas and new music.

If the weather blesses the weekend of 6-7/8 then there's a great chance to see some of Prague's best bands for free in Old Town Square. AghaRTA are holding their annual Jazz Week, including the now traditional two day outdoor festival. Full details are available on their website but for us the essential acts to see are the Luboš Andršt Group (6/8 at 16:30) and the extremely energetic Rhythm Desperados (7/8 at 16:30).

If our Libor Šmoldas review has got you curious then Libor is in action at U Malého Glena on 4/8. Glen's is a very small club so reservation is essential if you want to be anywhere near the front and not stuck outside in the bar. Libor will also be playing guitar in his wife's Latin outfit, Zeurítia, at Reduta on 22/8. Finally for this month, the always excellent Emil Viklický will be at Reduta on 12/8. If you want to learn a little more about Emil before you see him then please do check out his extensive interview here.

Club programmes are subject to change so it is best to check with the venue, and don't forget to make a reservation to be sure of a good seat. If you go to any of the gigs listed here please let us know what you thought, and please do tell the venue that you saw the gig tipped on Prague Jazz.

Interview: Emil Viklický

2011-07-20T11:11:00.000+02:00

In March 2011 pianist Emil Viklický was interviewed by Detlaf A. Ott. The interview was translated into German and abridged slightly for publication in German magazine Jazz Podium. Emil very kindly sent us the original English transcript of the interview for publication on Prague Jazz.

Emil had previously recorded a concert in Leipzig, where this interview was done. It begins with Ott asking him about the recording if that album. Enjoy...

JP: One year ago you played an amazing concert with the English sax player Julian Nicholas. How does it sound to you today? Are you satisfied with the result?

EV: If you listen to the material immediately, let’s say in a week, you are too emotional to listen to the failure. After one month, or let’s say three months, listen to the material and if you still agree [that it is good] then it is probably good. If you hate it still after three months then it is bad. In this case – the concert in Leipzig - Julian and me, we chose about 65 minutes of good playing from the two hour concert for the CD.

JP: Can you tell me something about your collaboration with Julian Nicholas? When did it start? How did you get to know him? What do you think about him as a sax player?

EV: I know Julian for nearly twenty years. Back 1992-3 I was invited by the English Jazz Federation to be one of the tutors of the Welsh Jazz Society. I met Julian there. Then in 1994, when I was President of the Czech Jazz Society, I invited Julian Nicholas and drummer Dave Wickins to teach in the Czech Republic at a jazz workshop in Frýdlant . During our teaching we played together a lot and got the idea to record. The resulting CD is named after William Shakespeare, Food Of Love. It is interesting that this CD was already issued three times. The Melantrich company was bankrupt soon after they published the CD. They paid us peanuts. But I had the tapes and went with them to the Lotus company. That was the second printing. Julian had a friend in England at SYMBOL records. And so it was published there, too. Three different labels. I wonder which one will be the next…

Next month, on April 15, 2011 Julian and I will play at the Polička Jazz Festival, the city where Bohuslav Martinů was born, plus a few gigs in Prague and Olomouc. Julian is my kind of musician. He very much listens and can react very fast. There are so many great musicians around us who we don’t know. There is a bunch of incredible players in England and they are very little known. A classic example is the tenor saxophone player Bobby Wellins who was actually Julian´s teacher. He is now 75 years old. Practically nobody knows about him. Bobby is originally from Scotland. In the fifties he used to practise in London with Sonny Rollins, and after Rollins said “This is the best European saxophone player ever.” Sometimes the media will push the young musicians whether they are good or not and forget the old masters.

JP: I recognised that you played an Abdullah Ibrahim song in your concert. What is the tie to his music?

EV: Julian brought that song called “Wedding” in the afternoon before the concert in Leipzig. I met Abdullah once in Spain, at the Cadaques Jazz festival. Charismatic person. There is certain melodic sense in this South African music which is similar to old Moravian melodies. I talked to Moravian folklorist Zuzana Lapčíková - we did a few CDs together. She told me the “folkloristic” border cuts Europe in half and it goes down south. There are certain similarities between Hungarian and Turkish folk music, and this can go down as far as South Africa.

JP: What role will this new CD with Nicholas play in your immense discography?

EV: Of course doing such a CD here in Leipzig is something special. It is the town where Bach lived, Wagner was born, and Mendelssohn and Schumann worked.

JP: You’ve said Bach was a mathematician. What does Bach mean to you and what are your main influences in music beside folk music?

EV: Yes, that’s what I’m saying. J.S. Bach! When I’m listening to Bach I’m always amazed how incredible his compositions are. If he wasn't a musician he would have been somebody like G.W. Leibniz, a mathematician. Bach music is so well constructed. I listened to the Goldberg Variations this morning and wondered, “Why do we try to write something? The best things are already written.”

I guess in his time it was natural to improvise. We know the story when Kaiser Wilhelm invited him to play a newly constructed pianoforte in Potsdam. J.S. Bach improvised a fugue not only with three voices but with six voices on the theme given him by Emperor. In a way he must have had the ability that most jazz musicians are trying to have today, to improvise out of the moment. I think he could do that pretty well.

JP: Julian Nicholas wrote in the liner notes to your CD Food Of Love in 2001, “We share a common European experience of jazz music.” What does that mean?

EV: What that means is hard to say. Europeans usually have more interest in harmony and form, having on our shoulders that great tradition of classical music: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Messiaen, Bartók, Janáček etc. American jazz players share a mainly rhythmical approach.

JP: What's the difference for you between playing in a trio or quartet with a rhythm section, and playing in a duo as you did with the Belgian sax player Steve Houben in 2009 or with Julian Nicholas. Is the work with only one partner more intensive?

EV: There is a big difference playing with a trio or quartet or in a duo. Playing in a duo you have to find a partner who can listen and respond. There are a lot of things that you can do only in a duo by closely following each other. Experience plays an important role in doing such things: to guess or intuitively expect what your partner will play.

To play with a rhythm section you have a completely different situation. You can’t expect that all of the four players will react similarly to some of the changes. Material used in trio or quartet must be more precisely structured.

JP: You’ve studied mathematics, left the science because of political reasons and became a jazz musician with SHQ. You then studied composition at Berklee in the 1970s. Why didn’t you decide to follow musicians like Jirí Mraz or Jan Hammer Jr. who left Czechoslovakia for the USA after 1968, or Jan Jankeje and Rudolf Dašek who played in West Germany?

EV: You asked me about my mathematical studies. Not long ago I joked and said, “I should be grateful to this communist rector of Mathematical Faculty.” When I finished in 1971 I wanted to play jazz. My thesis on “Symmetrical Polynomials” wasn’t bad at all, so I was recommended to do a doctorate in mathematics. And I said: “OK, I'll try.” After I finished my 5 years mathematical studies at Palacký University in Olomouc in 1971, I went with my thesis to visit the communist co-rector. He looked at me and shouted:” Viklický, I don’t care about your thesis. You want to have a doctorate, so you have to study Marxism-Leninism.” I didn’t say one word, took my papers, turned around and left the building. I haven’t been there since 1971.

In 1977-1978 I lived in the USA. In May 1978 I decided to stay there. Living in NYC, playing with Joe Newman, Ted Dunbar, Todd Capp and others was great. Mel Lewis told me: “Look Emil, if you stay here I can take you from September '78 as a member of my Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band.” I said: “OK. I probably could do that.” In August 1978 I went back to see my family. After that, no more States. When Roland Hanna saw me playing in the club with Mel Lewis he came to me and said, “Hey, Emil. I thought you were a bass player.” I said, “Why?” “Because you always hang around with George Mraz.” He thought, he is Czech and so he must be a bass player. Sir Roland was surprised that I play piano. We sat down and chatted and I told him the difficulties about my decision. He said: “What’s the problem? Fuck the Communists. Stay here. I'll keep you busy. Don’t worry.” He liked my playing. Maybe I lost my career in the States, who knows?

JP: In his book Northern Sun | Southern Moon Mike Heffley called the Czech jazz musicians freelancing expatriates and not representatives of the official Czech scene. Where do you stand? Would you say that you represent your country and your roots, or does this mean nothing for a wide open mind like you?

EV: I was always trying to find my own way and expression - my own space. I realised that if I’m from Moravia why shouldn’t I find more influences from my heritage? I’m not a folk musician, but was trying to find what were sources of inspiration for Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), a Moravian composer that I admire. Janáček collected folk songs and used the “pattern of speech” method in his composition. When I recorded in New York with George Mraz and Billy Hart for the first time, in 2000, [the Morava album (Milestone/Fantasy MCD 9303)] the famous producer Todd Barkan suddenly said, “Now I know where George got that melodic sense from.” There is something of the Moravian melody in me, and of course also in George.

JP: You did an very interesting album, The Folk-Inspired Piano, on the Supraphon label.

EV: Yes, that’s my old one, before my stay in Berklee. When I was in the studio in 1977 to record the album somebody from the Ministry called and told that I was not allowed to go to the States. Antony Matzner - the producer - was so clever he didn’t tell me. He let me record and after he said to me, “Hey, Emil, on Monday I should have told you aren't allowed to go to USA.” But later on somehow they gave me the “stempel”.

JP: Years later you went back to the States. Recently you played a sold out concert at Dizzy’s with Mraz and Bittová and Moravian Gems. Why do you think your music so popular in the States? Does the Moravian inspiration make it exotic there?

EV: Probably. It was a sold out concert, twice. Both shows sold out, 19:30 and 21:30, 300 seats - simply incredible. And we were booked for a Monday date, January 3rd, 2011. Monday night is the worst one you can get. Of course on Friday, Saturday you can expect that it will be sold out at Dizzy´s. But not on Mondays. People came from everywhere: upstate New York, Connecticut, even from Boston, which is 300 miles away. They came to see the show. George Mraz had the 'flu, he couldn’t talk. So I was introducing the tunes we played. Dizzy’s is a wonderful place. From the concert grand Steinway you can look through those big windows down at Central Park and Columbus Circle. Very inspiring.

After that I played a duo with multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson at the Bohemian National Hall, on 73rd Street. On YouTube you can find nearly all the songs we did.

JP: You studied composition at Berklee. How important is the relationship between composition and improvisation in your music? In a characteristic about Czech jazz Mike Heffley wrote: “…so the Czech jazz scene tended to foreground technically perfect composers-arrangers first, and technically brilliant improvisers only in the frameworks of those principles.” What is your point of view on this opinion?

EV: Well, who the hell is Mike Heffley? I don’t think he knows the scene well. He probably talked only to some Czech youngsters trying to sound like ECM. Or has seen some types of musicians who worked like that. But I think you can’t generalise musicians from a country in this way. I don’t work the way he describes. The part of improvisation in my music, e.g. with Julian Nicholas in Leipzig, is very important. Nearly nothing was prepared beforehand.

Czech composer Leoš Janáček used a compositional method he called “Pattern of Speech”. He listened to people talking, especially sentences they said with a lot of emotions. He notated these patterns down and used them later for composing. The classic example is in the third act of his opera Jenůfa. Mezzo-soprano “Kostelnička” sings the phrase: F♭ , F♭ , Eb♭ , D♭ , B♭. That is an absolutely typical jazz/blues phrase, but composed in 1900. Janáček couldn’t know anything about jazz. That brings me to another fact: Recently I just finished a piano concerto with full symphony orchestra - 25 minutes long. Somebody asked me, “Is this a “jazz concerto?”. I said, “No, I don’t think so.” I don’t really know what that means, a “jazz” or “non-jazz” motive. It is up to the musicologists to decide. I don’t really care whether this is jazz or not. It's just music.

JP: You wrote a composition for Wynton Marsalis with lyrics from Václav Havel. What is the story behind it?

EV: Legendary producer Todd Barkan recommended me for a Lincoln Center opening in October 2004 to write jazz melodrama for the Wynton Marsalis Big Band. Six different composers from the world were asked to write six jazz melodramas based on the texts of the world's leading politicians. My score The Mystery of Man used texts from former Czech president Václav Havel.

Todd called and asked me, “Emil, do you write for Big Bands?”. Of course, I studied in Berklee with Herb Pomeroy - only 15 students each year could study with him! – so we are small closed society of Herb Pomeroy´s students around the world. In the eighties I wrote charts for the Zurich Big Band, NDR (Norddeutsche Rundfunk), all the Czech Big Bands. I’m an experienced Big Band writer. Then there was a telephone conference with Wynton. He asked me a lot of questions and at the end he said, “Ok, do it.”

My melodrama The Mystery of Man got a few great reviews in the USA. What helped me tremendously was my operatic experience. In the period of 1999-2003 I wrote 3 full scale operas. My Phaedra was played in Berlin´s Unten den Linden opera house, my opera Ackermann und der Tod was played in Deutches Oper in Berlin as guest performance from Prague. My experience with writing the Ackermann und der Tod score helped me to write The Mystery of Man. I have discussed it with Václav Havel, we both agreed that I don’t need one narrator but two. When Mystery of Man was played in Prague later it was a big success, too. Perhaps, there will be another chance in Germany?

JP: As an old master who is looking back on deep experiences in jazz, how do you see the future of our culture? Discussions often go about the role of studying jazz at universities and less opportunities for young musicians to play jazz and get paid. How is the situation in your country?

EV: The Czech scene is not different to other countries. Young musicians have the tendency to go more to the commercial side. Jazz has something inside that I call the “self saving ability”. Jazz is able in certain moments to modify itself. We know that universities and music schools produce more and more musicians but there are no opportunities for them to play. Jazz is the type of music that has the improvisation in it, and such a music won’t die, I hope. Another characteristic of jazz is the spontaneity, which is mostly missing in contemporary classical music of today. You have very well trained contemporary musicians, technically impeccable. If the joy, happiness and spontaneity of jazz could mix with the contemporary classical music, this could lead to something special.

JP: Do you sometimes feel that you haven’t got enough of a reputation?

EV: It is hard to say. I am satisfied about what I did. I wrote a lot of film music, theatre music etc. Also I did music for the German TV series Ein Hamster im Nachthemd in Cologne. I was lucky to work with film cutter Miroslav Hajek who did all the early Miloš Forman movies. Mr Hajek liked me and recommended me for other movies, so I worked with high professionals. In America as a jazz piano player I would never have got the chance to get to the movies. I am grateful for that.

My last CD is on a Japanese Label VENUS Record.s It is a trio with Lewis Nash and George Mraz. The company is marketing it as The Janáček of Jazz. That’s an old title I was given by Chris Parker back in the 1997 in The Times, London. The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami is fascinated by Czech culture. He often speaks about Kafka and Janáček. That is how the producers decided to call me Janáček of Jazz. And now I’m selling CDs in Japan quite well. That’s crazy. Last year I played a solo piano concert in Tokyo, and Murakami came. He usually doesn’t go out in public. Very, very seldom. My next record in Japan will be a tribute to Murakami.

JP: What are you planning to do next?

EV: This month I have a short tour with Steve Houben, next month – April 2011 – I will play with Julian Nicholas again. With Richie Cole I will play a few concerts in Chicago in May and some festivals in Europe.

JP: A last question. What is the CD title?

EV: At first I thought about Mood Indigo because we destroyed this Duke´s tune so beautifully in a kind of Thelonius Monk-ish way. A friend of mine, painter Jiří Anderle, has a picture called Spring Frenzy. Our concert was on March , it couldn’t be better description of the mood during that time. So, that´s it.

The View From The Front Row - July 2011

2011-07-03T14:30:00.001+02:00

A couple of days late, but better late than never! Welcome to the July edition of Prague Jazz, this month featuring two interviews, rehearsal footage from Emil Viklický, an invitiation to download and review a Czech jazz album for free, and GigTips - our pick of upcoming concerts.

The interviews are two sides of the same coin: an American musician who now plays in Prague and a Czech musician who now plays in New York City. They talk about the good (and otherwise) points of playing in their adopted homes, their collaborations, experiences, plans and ambitions.

In June Czech Radio had their annual Open Day, with tours of the studios and a chance to meet star presenters and also the ladies and gentlemen behind the scenes who make it all happen. It was very gratifying to be instantly recognised by Petr Vidomus, the man behind the Euro Jazz project. Euro Jazz is an internet radio station that continually broadcasts jazz music from around the world, with an emphasis on Czech and European artists. The programmes are themed around genres, such as modern mainstream, experimental, swing and bop. It is free to listen to on the web at http://www.rozhlas.cz/jazz/portal/, and with little talk and lots of music it can be enjoyed even if you don't understand a word of Czech. Their jazz news pages are also very good, and although they are in Czech they can be easily decoded using Google Translate.

If you are in the mood for even more free music then do download the Libor Šmoldas album (see below). Normally we review albums so you can decide whether or not you want to buy them, but as this one costs you nothing to download we're reviewing it in reverse, and asking you the reader for your comments and thoughts.

June saw the 70th birthday of President Václav Klaus, and it was celebrated at a Jazz na Hradě concert dedicated to the occasion. The inclement weather meant that the planned garden venue had to be substituted for the Spanish Hall, but still it was interesting to see Emil Viklický and Jiří Stivín jamming together. Emil is currently working on a new album, as you will see from the rehearsal footage. More news on that when we have it.

Writing these words in the PJHQ penthouse, watching the rain coming down hard, it is hard to believe that this is really summer. Hopefully sunny days are on the way, but until then our advice is to kick back at home, open a beer or three, and put on your favourite Czech jazz album. If you want to contact us don't forget the Prague Jazz Facebook page, and also you can follow @tonyemmerson on Twitter.

Interview: Rene Trossman

2011-07-03T14:30:00.000+02:00

There are two sorts of blues fans in Prague: those who go and see Rene Trossman and those who should. His is the sound of authentic Chicago blues, coming from an authentic Chicago heart. It was there that Rene played the clubs for a decade before moving to Europe and settling in Prague. He is known not only for his slick guitar sound and raw voice but also for his frankness and honesty: Rene tells it how he sees it, and this is how he sees it...

PJ: What was the Prague scene like when you arrived?

RT: Much more “transient”, and I refer to both the expat populations as well as the venues. In the nineties it was a lot easier in many ways, bureaucracy aside, to try almost anything, and people did. This applies to music as well. I remember “creating” venues in existing places that previously never had music. Walk in, hey do you want live music? Yeah, maybe!

PJ: What changes have you seen, for better and for worse?

RT: A huge increase in the number of quality musicians would be the main “for better”. Also, the jazz scene itself has become a lot more “sophisticated” and the blues scene, well, it “became”... Now, there are some incredible guys playing here, guys who are at an International Level and could play anywhere.

As far as the “for worse”, we could do a separate interview for that some day. In an effort to be concise here, I will limit my response to this with one specific “for worse” examples, that being musicians' wages.

Somehow, in spite of the fact that virtually everything costs a lot more today in Praha than in the nineties, musicians' wages are stuck in some sort of time warp. Granted, there are the exceptions that prove the rule and I don’t want this to be an overall indictment of all venues in the country, but, in general, the wages for musicians have not kept pace with all of the other increases. I receive offers that echo the nineties, and in many cases I can distinctly remember actually being better compensated back then! More recently I’ve played private parties where the shrimp table at the buffet costs more than what they were paying the band.

The result of this has been that a lot of the best musicians are sitting at home, because they don’t want to be taken advantage of and exploited, while owners make a profit from their talent. Even worse is the collateral damage, the programmes are now filled with those musicians who ARE willing to play for such insultingly pitiful terms.

The real losers? The paying public. What I do “get” is this: Typical venue here: 150-200Kč tickets, 40-80Kč beers, t-shirts for 200Kč, and for the band? It’s back to the nineties! Or some crappy offer a “door-deal” for a percentage of tickets sold, which if any type of promotion were to be done might be “alright”.

PJ: Who are the people you’ve enjoyed playing with most, both locals and international musicians?

RT: Locally, there are a few guys that I have played with, in various incarnations, for a long time. The Hammond Organ player, Jan Kořínek, drummer Martin Kopřiva, bassist Taras Voloshchuk (UKR), drummer Martin Šulc, and guitarist Jirka Hokeš are the guys here that I’ve known the longest and have worked with the most over the years. I continue to have musical connections to all of them in one form or another today.

Internationally, the blues man Mr. Eb Davis from Memphis, now living in Berlin. Eb and I have done a lot of things together over the years, including recording a CD with Jan Kořínek and Martin Kopřiva. A blues singer from Chicago, Mr. Lorenzo Thompson has also done a lot here, again including a CD with the same cats mentioned above.

More recently I had the privilege of working here with Miss Deitra Farr, an incredible blues singer from Chicago, and also recently we had the timeless wonder here, a blues guitarist and vocalist, Mr. Chick Willis from Atlanta, who did a tour here with us a couple of years ago at age 74. I learned a lot from all of these great people and had a lot of fun too.

PJ: When you are performing what gives you the most satisfaction?

Tricky topic here Tony! Naturally I want go out there each and every time and be better than the last time, and simply do the best I can, whether it is for 5 people or for 500 people. I try to do my thing in an honest way, and “do it like I mean it” every time. This being the goal, it is not always possible to achieve it every single time out.

Having said that, most of the time I am my own worst critic and have received compliments on nights when I did not think that it was warranted, and conversely there have been nights where I thought we really tore it up and not a word. The thing between the band and its public, it’s like the classic “chicken or the egg” argument of which came first. A band can get a lot of energy from their audiences, however it also necessary for a band to give energy to the audience, in order to receive any energy back from them.

Now I can actually answer your question and you may perhaps better understand this answer now that I have provided the “back-drop” to it. I’d say that when I am performing the most satisfying thing that happens is when someone tells me, “I don’t know anything about blues or have any blues CDs, but I loved the concert tonight.” The other is when someone says, “Hey, I also play blues in a band, back at home, and I really enjoyed your gig.” Everyone else seems to fall into some “middle” category, so to speak.

PJ: Where do you find the inspiration for your own songs?

From my own life and experiences mostly. I sometimes joke about a certain song I do as being from “The angry period” and another about being written “After she dumps you for the second time”. Of course as with a lot of writing, there is a certain amount of “poetic license” granted. So, if you ever hear me singing about killing someone or some other unreal scenario, be sure, I am using that license!

PJ: What advice would you give arriving musicians who want to break into the Czech scene?

RT: Be realistic. Disappointments will be the result of your own expectations, and how realistically these two things line up. Visit the scene, evaluate it and your own expectations in order to decide if they should in fact choose Prague. Tony, two things here, NOBODY gets into the jazz/blues music business, ANYWHERE, for the purposes of making any actual money, and secondly, I would not list Prague as a place where someone is going to become “famous” or renown in the fields of jazz or blues. There it is, the plain and simple truth.

I would like to say here that I do NOT live in Prague, nor did I choose to live here, because of the “music scene” here. Yes, there are opportunities to play, it is one of the collateral advantages of living in high-tourist city such as Praha. The key word being “opportunities” As to the quality of these opportunities and what rewards they offer, again, this is the expectations part.

The fact is, doing what I do, I can do it almost anywhere in the world that I choose to do it. I happen to enjoy living in Praha. After all, we all live in a place more than we play (work) in it. I can travel all around Europe to play, from Praha. I came here a lot of years ago and certainly did not ever plan on or even think I would stay as long as I have. Obviously if it did not suit me I would no longer still be here.

PJ: What are your current plans and ambitions?

RT: Currently, I am working on completing a new CD of all original compositions. Further on, I want to focus on booking festival appearances abroad. This is such a great way to reach a lot of people in one moment, and affords a lot of great new opportunities to return somewhere in the future as a result.

My ambitions are to quit smoking and attain Nirvana. That is all Tony, thank you.

And many thanks to Rene for his time and this thoughts. You can visit Rene at his website - www.renetrossman.com - and see him in action at the end of July:

JULY 26 - Jazz Dock
JULY 27 - U Malého Glena
JULY 28 - Blues Sklep
JULY 30 - U Malého Glena

And finally here is the official video for one of Rene's songs, "My Endless Blue Mood", featung his band and filmed at U Malého Glena.

Emil Viklický - New Album Rehearsals

2011-07-03T14:29:00.002+02:00

It is always a time of excitement and anticipation here at PJHQ when Emil is working on a new album. His current project is Kafka On The Shore, an album for Venus Records in Japan. To give you a taste of what it will be like here's a clip of the band in rehearsal at Czech Radio's famous Studio A, where many great Czech (and Czechoslovak!) albums were recorded.

CD Review: Your Turn!

2011-07-03T14:29:00.000+02:00

Free!

Anyone who says that there is no such thing as a free lunch has never gatecrashed a wedding reception. Anyone who says that there is no such thing as free music has never been to the website of guitarist Libor Šmoldas. The former member of Organic Quartet is giving away his Live At Jazz Dock album for free, although you can make a financial contribution if you feel so inclined.

We at PJ spend a lot of time telling you how great Czech jazz is so it would be interesting to hear your opinions on Libor's album. You can download it at http://www.liborsmoldas.cz/en/download - just follow the instructions on his website. Give it a listen and please leave a comment to let us (and the world) know what you think!

Interview: Ondřej Pivec

2011-07-03T14:28:00.001+02:00

When the Prague Jazz website started one of the most exciting emerging musicians on the local scene was organist Ondřej Pivec. He had that star quality: a young player with technical skill but also a young writer with something to say in his music. He was clearly one of the guys who was going to “make it”, and it was only a matter of time before he headed out into the world to expand his horizons and his musical vocabulary.

Here we catch up with Ondřej’s story in the “city that never sleeps”. No, not Brno. New York, New York.

PJ: Why did you decide to go to NYC and how do you like it there?

OP: The primary idea was to go for about half a year, take lessons, play sessions with people and get better at playing jazz music. From today's point of view it seems like quite a silly idea, as I see that the real learning process takes years or even decades, if you want the outcome to have some kind of value. So overall I really love it - I get to learn so many new things I would never have in Prague.

PJ: How does the NYC scene compare with the Czech scene?

OP: Well, speaking from a jazz perspective, the difference is mainly in the fact that there are more people. So there are more good musicians, more great musicians and more bad musicians. More places to play at, more people to come and listen to etc. which creates a highly competitive environment and therefore a greater level of music. Also, if you are great at what you're doing, there is a chance for you become a member of or play with world renowned bands, which consist of major headliners or as I like to call them "jazz superstars". The prospect of playing with truly amazing musicians keeps everyone motivated and this is something that is unlikely to happen in Prague due to the scale of our jazz community.

Another factor that plays into this is the plethora of musical styles in NYC - something that almost doesn't exist in the Czech Republic. I am very slowly entering the gospel and RnB scene - only realizing the stereotype that "jazz musicians can play everything" is really really off. Especially in today's jazz music scene, when there is not much stress being put on stylistic accuracy and everything is played so "open".

PJ: What do you miss most about playing here, and what is the most enjoyable about playing in NYC?

OP: Well, when I was leaving at the end of 2008, Organic Quartet was in a very good shape and just finally taking off internationally. So it felt a bit sad - after six years of working on a project and leaving it just when the efforts start to pay off. But, I felt a strong need to learn much more about music and the best way I thought to accomplish that would be in NYC, where I would expose myself to new situations, which could lead to great musical learning experience. And that's what I love the most about being in New York - it keeps you on your toes and if you're open to it, you can learn something new every day.

PJ: What are your current projects?

OP: Besides playing for a Harlem gospel church every Sunday, I play every Wednesday at a war veterans' club with a be-bop trio of Jason Marshall (Roy Hargrove's baritone saxophonist) and I've also formed two new projects. One is a funk/fusion trio called CPR (http://www.cprelectrio.com/) and my second project is with an R'n'B cover band (http://www.bandwithoutaband.com/). I am very excited about both groups.

PJ: What are your long term ambitions and plans?

OP: I would love to be musically as versatile as possible, because that allows you to work on many different projects. Soon I want to start writing music again, which I haven't done for nearly two years. Because I took a break to absorb some of the new music I'm being exposed to. It's a never ending process; it seems to me that I'll just have "creative" and "absorbing" eras in my life.

PJ: Do you think you will ever return to CZ permanently?

OP: Currently I see my future here in New York, but like they say: "Never say never"...

PJ: Do you have any suggestions for young musicians who contemplate going abroad for getting more experience?

OP: Yes - do it! Being abroad forces you to adjust to and understand completely different mentalities and cultures, so you begin to understand that your point of view, no matter how strong and valid it is, is just one of many equally valid ones. And the lessons you learn from those experiences are invaluable.

PJ: Is there anything you miss from the Czech Republic that is unavailable in NYC (can be anything, food, things, events, people...)?

OP: I definitely miss my close friends and family members. Sometimes I wouldn't mind having a plate of svíčková or a baked duck witch cabbage and dumplings. Thankfully, they just opened a very good Czech restaurant on the Upper East side of Manhattan a week ago, which I plan to visit every once in a while for a memory of home.

Many thanks to Ondřej for taking the time to talk to us. Best wishes from Prague – we hope to see you here again soon. You can keep up with Ondřej’s work at his website - http://ondrejpivec.com/ - and here’s a clip of him in action. Enjoy!

GigTips: July 2011

2011-07-03T14:28:00.000+02:00

There are so many jazz gigs in Prague that it would be impossible to list all the good ones, even with careful selection to weed out the routine and the mundane. Instead we offer you a handful of gigs each month that we feel could be of special interest.

At AghaRTA Jazz Centrum this month you can catch many of the biggest and most influential names in Czech jazz. Guitar wizard Luboš Andršt will be in action on 10/7 and 11/7, followed by pianist Emil Viklický on 12/7. Trumpeter Michal Gera (30/7) and saxophonist František Kop (5/7) are also playing there, reaffirming AJC’s reputation for quality acts that would be respected on any stage around the world. They will be joined by one of the best young players on the scene, pianist Matěj Benko, on 29/9.

If Latin is your thing then do take the chance to see the Yvonne Sanchez Band at Jazz Dock on 13/7 and 14/7. The Polish-Cuban singer, who received very positive reviews for her My Garden album, is an accomplished performer with an enchanting voice. Another great jazz vocalist is Elena Sonenshine, who recently guested at the President’s birthday concert: she’s at Jazz Dock on 3/7 and at Reduta on 24/7.

Finally, don’t forget our recent interviewees. Karel Růžička jr. is over from NYC in July and you can catch him at any of the following gigs:

15.7. - U Maleho Glena
22.7. - U Maleho Glena
25.7.- Jazz Dock
28.7. - La Boca

Rene Trossman's July gigs are listed at the bottom of his interview earlier in this edition.

If you go to any of the gigs listed here please let us know what you thought, and please do tell the venue that you saw the gig tipped on Prague Jazz.

The View From The Front Row - June 2011

2011-05-30T11:37:00.005+02:00

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.

Gig Review: Tribute to Miles Davis (Jazz na Hradě)

2011-05-30T11:35:00.000+02:00

Bigger than a normal jazz club.

Prague Castle
23rd May 2011

In Prague there are many places to experience live jazz. There are the clubs of course, heavily documented on this website and a magnet for tourists from around the world. And there are the restaurants where good musicians play for bad audiences and what should be a painting becomes little more than wallpaper. There's Czech Radio's Studio A where you can listen to Big Band concerts and feel decades of Czech music history. You can stand on Charles Bridge and listen to some buskers. Or you can go to Prague Castle and have top international jazz stars introduced by the President.

The Jazz na Hradě (Jazz at the Castle) concerts are no ordinary events. They are played in majestic rooms, such as the ornate Španělský sál (Spanish hall), in front of large audiences. Splendid surroundings deserve splendid musicians, and the Castle concerts are known for bringing together the cream of Czech and international talent. This time the honour of representing the home-grown species fell to pianist Emil Viklický, assisted by Jaroslav Jakubovič (a 1968 émigré currently living in NYC) on baritone saxophone. On the international team were Lenny White (d), who previously played with Davis, Corea, Getz and many others, Jon Faddis (t.) and Tom Barney (b). Barney also played with Davis, as well as with Hancock, Gillespie, Aretha Franklin and many rock acts including Clapton and Steely Dan.

The stage was set, in this case a temporary stage in a 17th century state room rarely open to the public. The audience gathered: a hefty slab of VIPs as was to be expected, a fair collection of musicians (Jiří Stivín easily identifiable in his hat, Elena Sonenshine sitting near the front, Ondřej Hejma in a military-styled suit), and of course the ordinary music fans. There was still room for us, and getting to the Castle early meant being able to get a good view and comfortable chairs; important at a concert performance without breaks.

The music was all Miles: either his own compositions or pieces that he recorded. After a short introduction by President Klaus they kicked off with “Ah-Leu-Cha" (C. Parker), following it up with “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (F. Churchill). Different sides of the band, just as there were different sides to Miles. The first a hard-bopping rapid-fire blaze, the second more lyrical, moody and (in terms of trumpet) muted. Faddis himself admitted that it was no easy for a job for a trumpeter, paying tribute to the man who had done so much to define the sound of modern jazz, but he did an excellent job. During “Some Day” his playing was fluid, caressing and coaxing the melody into existence; during the harder sections he made the instrument wail and cry.

“Summertime” (G. Gershwin) mixed things up: the familiar legato lines giving way to trumpet improvisations, while Emil added a touch of boogie-woogie underneath before taking his turn in the spotlight. His evocative bitter-sweet sound perfectly suited the song, and got a well deserved round of applause from the audience.

Ah... the audience. They were there too, perfectly behaved, perfectly mannered, looking like they'd all had a shower and a shave and were ready to say hello to the President. They were appreciative, or certainly wanted to be, and if someone set them off clapping in the right place they followed obediently. They were perfectly silent, essential for recording (all the Jazz at the Castle gigs are recorded) and good for my blood pressure. But a survey of heads and feet revealed few foot tappers, few rhythmic nodders, few beard strokers, few wry smilers. There were some. More would be better.

“'Round Midnight” (T. Monk) and “All Blues” (M. Davis) were very much familiar territory for Viklický, both being played regularly by his own Trio. The potential power of this ensemble finally broke through: brutal stabs and a menacing “All Blues” throughout which Barney's bass vamps beat like a pulse. Faddis may have introduced it as an example of the calmer side of Miles but this was a simmering interpretation, aided and abetted by the obedient listeners. One by one the players took their solos and dropped out , eventually leaving nothing but the ever-present bass against a backdrop of silence. No chatter, no chewing of salt peanuts, no camera flash and whir. A blank canvas on which a sparse pattern could be drawn. Just how it should be.

Lenny White was continually present, but tastefully so. When you've got his history there's nothing to be proved by unnecessary egotism, and throughout the concert he pitched it expertly. Shifting, dropping beats, playing around: he should have been the main inspiration for wry smiles exchanged between foot tapping beard strokers. A class act through and through he shone on “Bye Bye Blackbird” (R. Henderson), and when he finally took a full solo during “Walkin'” (R. Carpenter) it was worth the wait. The echo of the room added extra thunder as he worked his way around the kit. By the time he had finished even the suits knew they should go wild. Jakubovič also had his finest moment, growling through the bottom notes with a richness that makes you wish that more saxophonists would put down the ubiquitous tenor and go low.

The finale brought lots of flowers and photos with Klaus, and a final blast of “Milestones” (M. Davis) to complete 90 minutes of music, most of which will presumably emerge on a Jazz na Hradě album in the coming months. It wasn't an evening of cutting-edge far-out creation, and I (and perhaps about fifty other people in the room) would have liked to have heard some more esoteric numbers from the Davis repertoire. But we should not forget that this was a one-off, not a regularly gigging band, and so it was always going to err on the side of orthodoxy. What they did do they did very well, and it is always a joyous moment for a lover of Czech jazz to see local artists demonstrating clearly that they can hold their own alongside so much globally-recognised talent.

The Jazz na Hradě experience is not for everyone. Specifically it is not for people who want musical wallpaper. It is a listening concert. The Corridors (or in this case Halls) Of Power do not have the greatest acoustics in the world, but I've heard a lot worse and it is made up for by the lack of distraction. To all the foot tappers, rhythmic nodders, beard strokers and wry smilers out there who have never been, this is your call to arms. If you can stand to wear semi-smart clothing please join me. Let us march en masse to these gigs and help the VIPs time their applause. Jazz fans – to the Castle!

Interview: Karel Růžička jr.

2011-05-30T11:33:00.000+02:00

It could be an exaggeration to call two men a dynasty, but they're not far off. Two Karel Růžičkas, one father and one son, one pianist and one saxophonist, two masters of their craft. Růžička sr. is often seen in Prague but it is harder to catch Růžička jr. on this side of the Atlantic. However he will be coming over this summer for a series of shows that are sure to be unmissable, and to get you in the mood here is an interview with the man himself.

PJ: How did your father influence you in becoming a professional musician?

KRjr: In one word - profoundly. I owe my father a huge debt of gratitude for mentoring me and letting me hang around while he was practising and composing. Most of the things I have picked up by simply observing and at times by asking some annoying questions. He also took me to all the jazz festivals and big band rehearsals as a boy. I heard Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon before I could read, let alone spell their names. He had Kind of Blue, and Ballads by Trane, and many other records I was able to check out early on. I remember my dad torturing me with "Tune Up" by Miles - I was about 11 years old and played a trumpet at the time. I had to read the melody down and start to figure out the II-VI-I progressions of the tune before I was able to go to to get on my bike to play football in the park with the boys. I was still not sure if I am interested in music that much. After the usual phases of wanting to be a pilot, doctor and even train engineer I have succumbed to the siren call of the muse. And finally all the work has paid off when I fell in love with the saxophone and I never looked back. Thanks dad!

PJ: Who were the Czech jazz musicians who influenced you?

KRjr: Again I must say my father for most part. And all the cats I worked and hung with over the years - Standa Mácha, Jiří Slavíček , Robert Balzar, Najponk, Franta Kop, Štěpán Markovič - really all of them... I am very sorry if I left somebody out.

PJ: Why did you decide to move to the USA?

KRjr: Mainly my boundless curiosity and desire to learn and expand my horizons. At the time I felt I had already "made it" in Prague and whenever I saw any US musicians they encouraged me come overseas. Wynton Marsalis once told me "the only problem you have as a player is that you're not in NYC."

PJ: What is the NYC scene like compared to the Prague scene?

KRjr: There is not really a fair comparison, mainly because NYC is so diverse culturally and all the musicians gravitate towards it and Prague (and most of Europe except London and Paris) is very monocultural. Jazz is like a cultural gumbo and so is NYC. One very positive thing about the Prague scene is that the media attention and the general enthusiasm of the audience is much larger than in the US, where jazz is more on the fringes. It's definitely much easier for a talented artist to get attention of the media in Prague. It all comes down to supply and demand - here in NYC there are thousands of musicians competing for airplay on WBGO, the only mainly jazz radio station in NYC metro area. But in terms of new media, such as the internet and the satellite radio the sky is the limit, the playing field is levelled, and the game has just started a few years ago.

PJ: Do you have any plans to return to CZ?

KRjr: I am returning every year! I love Prague, but I also need to be in NYC with all the movers and shakers at the vanguard of the music. So I am not planning to be based in Prague permanently in the immediate future. But I find it important to keep coming often, maintain a presence and to give back. In mid July I will be teaching a Czech Jazz Workshop in Prague and play a number of dates with my dad and with my fellow Czech expat pianist Pavel Wlosok.

PJ: What are your current plans and ambitions?

KRjr: I am writing a bunch of music I plan to record and release later this year. Also with organist Ondřej Pivec and drummer Russell Carter we started a new group called [CPR] Electrio with influences ranging from jazz, funk to gospel. My long term ambition is to keep nurturing the jazz audience. We need to educate the future generations about this great and unique art form. There tends to be an unnecessary rivalry among various sub genres of jazz. It's important to keep studying the past while incorporating the best of the present. I believe we need to bring jazz into the 21st century and bridge the gap, where there is any, between the generations. Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock come to mind as the true masters of jazz who realised this almost 50 years ago. The music industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. My goal is to make the best of it now and pay it forward, so our kids can enjoy this great music as much as we do.

PJ: What are your best memories of playing in Prague?

KRjr: Oh gosh! There are so many of them... I am sure some of them I don't even remember! Here are just a few; Playing with The Four with Standa Macha, Petr Dvorský and Jirka Slavíček was so much fun. The gig with Roy Hargrove in 1996, when I was invited to sub for Ron Blake. All the gigs with my dad of course. Playing funk gigs with J.A.R. and Monkey Business and rocking out with Michal Pavlíček , Mirek Chyška and Lucie Bílá. Sitting in with my mentor Bob Mintzer and his quartet last year. All I can say is I am so happy and grateful to have all these memories and I am ready to make many more starting this summer.

Many thanks to Karel for taking the time to answer our questions. Do go and visit his websites - http://www.karelruzickajr.com/ and http://www.cprelectrio.com/ - and if you want to catch him in concert here's his current Euro gig diary (all are Karel sr. except the one with Pavel Wlosok):

15.7. - U maleho Glena (Fečo, Šulc)
22.7. - U maleho Glena with Pavel Wlosok
25.7.- Jazz Dock (Fečo, Dano Šoltys)
28.7. - La Boca (my dva duo) gastrojazz
30.7. - Tábor (Kořínek, Smažík)
3.8. - Augsburg (Stock, Bittner)
5.8. - Jazz Dock (Fečo, Šulc)

For our US-based readers you can also catch Karel at any of the following gigs:

June 8 - Sugar Bar in New York, NY [CPR] Electrio
June 24 - The Fillmore, Charlotte NC with Michael Franks
July 8-10 - Yoshi's, Oakland, CA with Michael Franks
August 12 - Aliante Casino, Las Vegas NV with Michael Franks
August 13 - Long Beach Jazz Festival, Long Beach CA with Michael Franks

And finally, some music. Here's a clip of Karel playing one of his own compositions with his dad on piano. Enjoy!

GigTips: June 2011

2011-05-30T11:32:00.002+02:00

There are so many jazz gigs in Prague that it would be impossible to list all the good ones, even with careful selection to weed out the routine and the mundane. Instead we offer you a handful of gigs each month that we feel could be of special interest.

If you enjoyed last month's videos of Piňa co. & Lada then you can catch them live at Balbínova poetická hospůdka on 3/6. "Balbínka" is a tiny music club in the heart of the city, and most definitely not a tourist or expat hangout. Acting like a tourist or an expat will win you nothing but curious stares. It's a great little place to see live music and well worth a visit, even if it does have the most miserable barman alive. If you enjoy the Balbinka experience you may want to return there on 17/6 to see Prague's resident Chicago bluesman Rene Trossman.

Should you want to visit another iconic Czech music venue, and indeed see an iconic Czech band, then you can go to Malostranská beseda on 28/6 to see Jan Spálený & ASPM. ASPM are more of a blues outfit, but some of the names associated with the band (Michal Gera, Radek Krampl, Pavel Razím) should be familiar to all local jazz fans.

There are exciting things happening at Jazz Dock in June for fans of great music and great thrift alike. František Uhlíř plays there on 5/6 with KUK (Kagerer/Uhlíř/Knod). František, commonly referred to as "the Paganini of the bass" is one of the legends of the Czech jazz scene and any project that he is involved with is sure to be worth investigating. Jazz Dock will also be acting as a stage for the United Islands of Prague festival, where admission is free and acts include the excellent Matěj Benko Quintet (25/6) and the Kalfus / Doležal Quartet (24/6).

If you're a foot tapping, beard stroking jazz fan who knows when to clap, and you fancy adding some atmosphere to the President's 70th birthday party, then the details of the next Jazz at the Castle are below:

Finally for June, if after reading this month's album review you're keen to experience the Ondřej Štveráček Quartet then they'll be playing at Jazz Time on 9/6 and 14/6.

If you go to any of the gigs listed here please let us know what you thought, and please do tell the venue that you saw the gig tipped on Prague Jazz.

CD Review: What's Outside

2011-05-30T11:32:00.001+02:00

Ondřej Štveráček Quartet

Cube-Metier MJCD21048, 2010

What's Outside is the début album from the Ondřej Štveráček Quartet. Released in 2010, while Prague Jazz was still in hibernation, it caused a stir, pulled in some good reviews, and generally got the name of Ondřej Štveráček thrown about far more than it had been beforehand. He's a busy guy, with regular club dates both here and abroad (Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia are on his current schedule) and will be playing as part of the Bohemia Jazz Fest.

His Quartet features the frighteningly young Tomáš Baroš (b), classically trained Ondrej Krajňák (p) and the impressive Marián Ševčík (d). Štveráček wields the tenor sax in a manner that makes comparisons with John Coltrane impossible to avoid. He plays hard in the bebop style, cavorting around the instrument with virtuosity and grace. In the liner notes Jerry Bergonzi states that “his intonation and nuances are impeccable” and that about sums it up. His playing is never clumsy, never less that technically superb. The Quartet are joined by Radek Němejc on assorted percussion devices for three of the nine tracks, who sprinkles his offerings liberally in the background.

“What's Outside” (O. Štveráček) opens the album and is a slice of accelerated bebop. Drums and bass rattle away, tenor sax rises and falls through the scales, seemingly finding a new path every time. There's skimming phrases in unison, an occasional distressed honk and wail, and the whole thing teeters on the edge of control. The energy and intensity of this tune will be repeated often.

“Three For Kate” (O. Štveráček) calms things down slightly. The complexity initially rests with drums and percussion (Němejc is busy) while maturely phrased saxophone glides over the top. The Coltrane moment follows soon though, and again we are given a tour of Štveráček's range.

The album isn't all flash and hyperactivity. “Sasha” (O. Štveráček) is a little slice of after-midnight balladry and brushes, and their interpretation of “Weaver of Dreams” (V. Young) is so light and playful that it seems to belong to another band entirely. Baroš offers up a pretty solo, and the spacier arrangement of the music means that he can be heard more clearly. He's clearly got a lot of talent: the parts are up to scratch, the tone is rich, he's controlled but not too controlled.

Playing like this and not playing any Trane would be just plain disrespectful, and they put together an impressive “Africa” (J. Coltrane). Riffs and patterns fall out of evocative effects and they go for it with a bit of a swagger. Swaggering is something this band does well, as demonstrated on “Dedicated” (O. Štveráček). The longest track on the album, it is also the richest and most interesting of Štveráček's own compositions. A prolonged sweep of an intro, that offers no clue of what is about to come next, opens out into a piano-driven sexy strut, bluesy and full of spirit. It is Krajňák that drives it and keeps it together, also taking his most impressive solo while singing along with himself low in the mix.

It is the influence of bebop that predominates though, with “Out-Sight” (O. Štveráček) being a close but slightly calmer cousin of “What's Outside” and the final blast of “At 10 A.M.”(O. Štveráček) acting as a quick encore. Fire both barrels, solos all round, thank you and goodnight. The sense of the album being a live set is enhanced by the production: stick on a pair of decent cans, close your eyes, and you really could be on the front table, glass in hand, digging the vibe. Prepare to be stared at when you start to clap the solos, especially if you are on a tram at the time. The effect is spoilt only by the fadeout at the end of the otherwise excellent “Out-Sight”. Please don't do that. We like to know how it ends.

An adventurous album then, containing some great playing and some good (occasionally great) writing. It is a demanding listen and not the sort of thing you put on at a dinner party, unless you're like me and want all the dull people to leave. Few compromises and a decent amount of risk. Their gigs and future recordings will be worth following with interest.

Tracklist:

1. WHAT'S OUTSIDE / Ondřej Štveráček / 6:58
2. THREE FOR KATE / Ondřej Štveráček / 4:16
3. DEDICATED / Ondřej Štveráček / 9:57
4. SASHA / Ondřej Štveráček / 3:41
5. OUT-SIGHT / Ondřej Štveráček / 5:35
6. AFRICA / John Coltrane / 8:12
7. GET OUT OF TOWN / Cole Porter / 5:47
8. WEAVER OF DREAMS / Victor Young / 7:55
9. AT 10 A.M. / Ondřej Štveráček / 3:39

Welcome

2011-04-25T15:52:00.001+02:00

Hello and welcome to the first edition of the new monthly incarnation of Prague Jazz.

We have kept many features of the original format, such as CD reviews and monthly GigTips. There are a few new ideas though, and I'm very happy that Julian Nicholas agreed to be our first PJ interviewee. We have also selected a couple of interesting videos from the giant bucket of assorted media that is the internet. Do let us know what you would like to see more of on the site.

Because of the monthly format PJ is no longer a good medium for news snippets. We will of course carry major announcements of albums or tours that come our way, but as a device it just does not move fast enough to be an effective news source. As such I hope that as many of you as possible, readers, musicians and record company people alike, use the Prague Jazz Facebook page. So please, fill it up with your news, your press releases, and your thoughts about the Czech jazz scene.

I hope you enjoy the resurrected Prague Jazz website and our May features.

Interview: Julian Nicholas

2011-04-25T15:52:00.000+02:00

If you went to see the Emil Viklický Trio in April you may have noticed that there were in fact four musicians on stage. This was because Emil had a special guest with him, saxophonist Julian Nicholas. Julian kindly took the time to tell Prague Jazz a little about his experiences with Emil and the Czech jazz scene. We started by asking him how he first met one of the legends of Central European jazz...

“I met Emil in Wales. We were both teaching on a Jazz Summer School and played in the 'club' in the evenings, finding a mutuality in our music that could be said to emerge from 'folk'-ish expression, and perhaps a Jarret-Gabarek ECM background. Emil invited the drummer David Wickins and myself to come and teach on the Frydlant Jazz School and play some gigs.

“My greatest regret over the years is that I haven't been able to reciprocate with engagements in the UK the kind of situations that Emil has set up for so many of us in the Czech Republic, but next year I will be freer to promote myself in the UK and work towards making things happen for us there too. Last year we recorded a duo concert in Leipzig, and I believe the promoter may be open to the idea of us forming an international quartet there next time, but generally the plans are improvised like the music. Opportunity provides...

The Czech jazz scene not only has a significant heritage of world class artists, but continues to produce them through inspiring young players to go to college and gig a wide range of styles. However, it would be foolish to pretend that it doesn't suffer from all the same syndromes as every jazz scene the world over: clubs with a reputation and tourist interest not paying enough or knowing or caring enough, no real media coverage or airtime, no record company or publisher business development support, and film and television companies not distinguishing between the real thing and potted clichés. Therefore musicians are forced to exist in cliques or sub-scenes, often pressured to compete with one another instead of pooling resources and working together to combat the anti-jazz exploitative capitalism of the media, some clubs, and the so-called “commercial music scene”. But the upside is that there is, deep down, in most of Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and the United States, a culture of respect for the artistic endeavours and heritage of the Jazz Artist that hasn't survived in mainstream culture in the UK. It still exists in the Czech Republic.

“For example, on Friday we played at the festival in Polička, a small town that has hosted jazz musicians annually for 15 years, and has consequently enriched its local people with a greater understanding of the wide range of music under the jazz umbrella, bringing them together in a unique and very different atmosphere than 'pop' and classical musics can achieve.

“My memories of playing in the Czech Republic are rich with magic moments, like recording our album Food Of Love in the atmospheric orchestral [Český rozhlas] broadcasting Studio A in Karlín, all the times Emil has brought together truly individual players from the Czech scene and internationals like Steve Houben and Scott Robinson for tours or the gig at the Castle, and playing Emil's home town gig Olomouc and feeling 'spoilt' by the level of attention. Many more to come, I'm sure...”

Many thanks to Julian for his time and thoughts, and we look forward to seeing him in Prague again soon. For those of you who didn't get to see him play here's a treat – an “official bootleg” video of him in action recorded from the top of Emil's piano at the Polička Jazz Festival. The band are playing one of Julian's own pieces, "1000 Ships".

CD Review: Richie Cole Q & Emil Viklický (Jazz na Hradě)

2011-04-25T15:51:00.001+02:00

Multisonic (31 0799-2)
2011

It is fair to say that Václav Klaus is not the least controversial politician in the world. He attracts attention on both the domestic and the international stages, and the critical coverage often seems to outweigh the positive. Where Klaus cannot be faulted is in his promotion of Czech jazz, not as some sort of historical relic but as a living, breathing cultural identity. The most visible evidence of his support for the genre is the Jazz na Hradě (Jazz at the Castle) concert series, played and recorded in the halls of Prague Caste itself. This is no mere paper endorsement: Klaus turns up and introduces the concerts himself. Whatever else you may think of him there is no doubt that Klaus is, in the words of Richie Cole, a "Jazz President".

The concert on October 17th 2010 brought together talent from both sides of the Atlantic. Richie Cole (as), Ted Hogarth (bar) and Ernie Adams (d) were joined by local guys Josef Fečo (b) and Emil Viklický (p). The resulting album is upbeat and joyous; a celebration of music and cultural collaboration.

The record is a mix of standards and original compositions, including two new Cole numbers penned for the occasion, "Castle Bop" and "Swinging With President Klaus". Cole is known for playing in the style of Charlie Parker, and during "Castle Bop" he revels in rapid twists and turns. Adams impresses with intricate percussion that never overwhelms the band but is worth listening to in its own right. Strong interplay between the two horns can be heard, with Hogarth blowing hard at the low end. Viklický tears it up during his solo, as would be expected. Although miles away from the Moravian interpretations for which he is famous, his playing is still infused with the innate sense of bitter-sweet melody that defines his sound.

It is Viklický who kicks off "Swinging With President Klaus" with an expressive, bluesy piano solo that leads into a strident and snappy piece. Fečo is reassuringly twangy and the melody is sweet enough. "Cacharel" is an infectious Viklický original during which the contrast between alto and baritone instruments is used with great effect.

There are two Gerry Mulligan pieces on the album, bringing the essence of cool jazz to the Castle. "Song For Strayhorn" unites the sax players in fragile and ethereal expression. The poignancy is even echoed in Fečo's bass solo. "North Atlantic Run" contains some of the most proficient ensemble playing on the recording: a good example to busy young musicians of how to not trip up over each other while still being able to do your thing.

Other names who are visited on this album include Ray Brown ("Buhaina"), Horace Silver ("Opus De Funk" - listen out for Adams as he sublimely shifts and changes his patterns under the angular romp of saxes and piano), and of course Charlie Parker. "Confirmation" is full-blooded bebop. They handle it well, audibly enjoying the furious pace. The Cole composition "Bossa Nova Eyes" ends the album in a calmer and more relaxing style; a fluid Latin-tinged workout with satisfying solos.

Just because you put a group of able musicians together on the same stage it does not mean that the gig is going to work. Lack of familiarly or a clash of styles can render the whole substantially less than the sum of its parts. However sometimes they seize the moment and fly. That is what happens here. It shouldn't be regarded as a Czech jazz album but as a world jazz album, recorded in Prague and with some Czech guys on it. There are a lot of Cole fans out there. Hopefully they will discover this disc, and with is discover two excellent Czech musicians who deserve the widest possible global audience.

Jazz Club Guide Updated

2011-04-25T15:51:00.000+02:00

Our guide to Prague's jazz clubs has been updated. Big changes include a radical reassessment of Ungelt and the arrival of a jazz club in a Metro station. The guide is completely independent and based on our own experiences over the last four and a half years. Read the updated guide here: PJ Club Guide

GigTips: May 2011

2011-04-25T15:50:00.003+02:00

There are so many jazz gigs in Prague that it would be impossible to list all the good ones, even with careful selection to weed out the routine and the mundane. Instead we offer you a handful of gigs each month that we feel could be of special interest.

Najponk has been making waves since his return to the scene, and on 13/5 he will be appearing at U Malého Glena. You can read about the resurrection of Najponk on Czech Position.

If, after reading this month's album review, you're in the mood for a bit of live Emil Viklický then he will be playing at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum on 12/5. Also at AJC this month you can see the Robert Balzar Trio on 1/5 and the Karel Růžička Quartet on 21/5. Karel's distinctive piano playing is loaded with dark beauty and uncompromised feeling, and it is always worth experiencing.

If you want even more Emil he will be appearing once again at a Jazz na Hradě concert. This time it is a star-studded tribute to Miles Davis:

Our final recommendation is for a Trio of musicians: one Czech, one American, and one Iranian. Martin Kratochvíl (piano) is best known for the founding the legendary Jazz Q, and he is joined by
Tony Ackerman on guitar and Imram Musa Zangi on percussion at Reduta on 7/5. It is sure to be a night of good music and entertainment - Zangi is always worth watching!

If you go to any of the gigs listed here please let us know what you thought, and please do tell the venue that you saw the gig tipped on Prague Jazz.

Video: Piňa co. & Lada

2011-04-25T15:50:00.000+02:00

As part of PJ's mission to bring interesting artists to a wider audience we are happy to showcase two videos of vocal jazz outfit Piňa co. & Lada.

The band is based around a core of singer Lada Soukupová and bassist Filip Benešovský. Filip was the organiser and star of The Wall 2009, featuring Harry Waters on keyboards, in which Lada also performed. They don't do many gigs because the band has to fit around the prior commitments of its members, but they would surely go down a storm in places like Jazz Dock. Indeed Filip and Lada joined Harry Waters on stage there in April for two songs and were very well received. Do look out for them and give them your support.

Not The End

2011-04-16T13:14:00.003+02:00

The last year has been a time of personal and professional changes. Between buying and furnishing a new flat, and coping with reforms in the Czech education framework, I was out of time and out of energy. There's little worse than a job done badly, and so instead of watching the Prague Jazz blog limp along like a dying dog I chose to put it down: a cocktail of relief and sadness in equal measure.

The changes, fates willing, have subsided. Nobody came forward to take over the website and continue its mission of bringing detailed coverage of the Prague jazz scene to an English-speaking audience. And so the inevitable decision has been made and, from the new PJHQ penthouse on the western edge of the city, Prague Jazz will resume shortly .

The format will be slightly different from the previous incarnation, with monthly updates including album and gig reviews, video highlights, and gig recommendations. There will also be a short monthly editorial commenting on aspects of Czech jazz scene. Between these updates you can follow PJ news, comment on albums you've bought and gigs you've enjoyed, and generally chat Czech jazz on our Facebook page. If you're an enthusiastic Twit then drop me a line at @tonyemmerson.

The first update should be live on April 25th. It is good to be back. I hope you come with me for the ride...

The End?

2010-09-25T14:54:00.002+02:00

With a great deal of sadness I have decided to discontinue Prague Jazz, for now at least.

This is in no way because of a lapse in enthusiasm for the music of this great city. My love of the music is as strong as before, and you will still see me around at the front tables of Prague's clubs, enjoying the world-class jazz that is on offer.

However the world moves on around music, and changes in my personal and work lives have left me without the time or the energy to meaningfully continue the website. It is a labour of love, and while labours of love are tremendously satisfying they do not pay the mortgage or secure a pension.

If there is anybody out there who wishes to continue the work I have started here then please get in touch. I will leave the website up so that new visitors who are interested in the Prague jazz scene can read my thoughts. Of course I am always ready to talk Czech jazz with anyone out there, so please don't be strangers.

Last of all, my deep and sincere thanks to the people on the scene who have helped me so much with support both moral and practical. Their kindness and their willingness to accept me into their world was truly touching. They made the experience so much more than I ever hoped it could be. My friends, thank you.

You will never know how much it meant.

You will will never know how much it still means.

Live in Vienna - U.S. Distribution

2010-05-02T14:30:00.004+02:00

Our American readers will be happy to discover that Emil Viklický's excellent Live in Vienna album is available via the Blue Horse Trading Company. Blue Horse Trading is currently the exclusive U.S. distributor of this and other Cube-Metier releases. Follow the link to order your copy today!

News: Ondřej Pivec on Tour

2010-04-19T13:21:00.003+02:00

Hammond organ player Ondřej Pivec is touring the Czech Republic this spring. This tour is a rare chance to see the talented young jazzer: at the moment he spends a lot of time in NYC. Catch him if you can!

News: Lynne Arriale in Prague

2010-04-19T13:15:00.003+02:00

Pianist Lynne Arriale will be visiting Prague during her latest tour. Her current band includes bassist George Mraz, one of the most internationally famous musicians to come from the former Czechoslovakia. They will play at the Divadlo u hasičů on 5/5/10.

News: John Abercrombie in the Prague Post

2010-04-08T15:22:00.001+02:00

Guitarist John Abercrombie talks about his upcoming Prague gig in the Prague Post. You can read the article here.

Gig Review: Face of the Bass

2010-04-05T12:18:00.010+02:00

Jazz Dock
30th March 2010

In February Prague Jazz reviewed Little Things, the Jaromír Honzák Quintet album that was subsequently announced as the winner of the Czech Jazz Society's “album of 2009” poll. As well as working with this outfit Honzák also performs with a less conventional band, Face of the Bass. On their website they describe themselves as being “Jungle/Experimental/Freestyle”. Quite what the rainforest and a swimming technique have to do with jazz is a mystery to us at PJHQ, but we are willing to take a chance with “experimental” when at least one of the band (Honzák) is a known quantity. He is a musician of talent and taste, and therefore unlikely to be involved with something too insane.

Face of the Bass is a quartet comprised of Honzák on acoustic (but heavily amplified) upright bass, Marcel Bárta on bass clarinet and soprano saxophone, Michal Nejtek on piano and keyboards, and Roman Vícha on drums and associated acoustic and electronic devices. Between them they create a highly expressive sound that is not totally free but often steps away from simple song structures. It is definitely music (as opposed to “performance art”), but music of an intense and demanding nature.

It was Bárta who dominated the stage, standing at the front and regularly swapping between his two instruments. Soprano saxophones are not uncommon in Prague jazz clubs but a bass clarinet is a rarer beast. As well as being visually striking it emits pleasingly rich dark tones. The two different voices provided an attention-grabbing contrast and kept his contributions interesting.

Bárta seemingly has two modes of playing. Often he would be standing quite still at the start of a piece, as though feeling his way into the music, emitting drones or alternating honks and parps. And then, like a man possessed by the spirit at a religious meeting, he would break into fluid soaring solos, fingers working overtime as they scrabbled to make real the music he envisioned. Once spent he would fall back into rest, leaving the audience genuinely impressed and just a little bit stunned.

Many of the compositions were based around simple patterns that, once established, would be built upon by members of the band. These were underpinned by Vícha, his drumming being sharp and tight. He did very little in the way of solos, but he did sometimes augment his rhythms with electronic samples and beats layered underneath the rest of the music. This technique was used sparingly, almost too much so: the use of electronics is one of the things that gives Face of the Bass a distinctive sound.

More electronic distinctiveness was provided by Michal Nejtek. He did sometimes turn to play Jazz Dock's trademark white grand piano but more often he was working at his own keyboards and samplers, producing a wide range of noises including whirls, whoops, and symphonic sweeps. Again the overt use of electronics integrated successfully with the more conventional instruments and their further application would have been welcome. They are an important part of the act, not just a gimmick or superficial statement.

The poll-winning bassist stayed at the back, casting a shadow of authority over the younger three and nudging the band onwards with his mesmerising sequences and riffs. Unlike the drummer he did take the chance to sprinkle solos liberally over both sets, and he looked like he was genuinely having fun.

Most of the music was pretty hardcore stuff, but there were some gentler moments. The ballad “Mysterious Face” centered around a subdued stepped pattern, and played early in the first set it offered a crumb of hope to those who were finding events a bit tough on their concentration. And then there was “Dancing Queen”. Yes, the ABBA thing. No, I didn't see it coming either. This was late on and performed as a trio, the arrangement having no need for either soprano sax or bass clarinet.

“Dancing Queen” was turned into a perfectly respectable piece of instrumental jazz, including a lovely bass solo that was based strongly on the melody. It was the piano parts that kept it wry, with those distinctive chords recalling disco nights with full clarity. Everyone was smiling, and thankfully there wasn't anyone in the audience confident enough (in the case of non-English speakers) or drunk enough (in the case of us all) to sing along. From there they slammed straight into a bout of futuristic instrumental toughness. I would have been disappointed with anything else.

Face of the Bass are a band that illustrate yet again the vibrancy and innovation of the Prague scene. They are not just trotting out easy-on-the-ear ditties for the tourist trade, and they are not in any way a jazz-by-numbers combo, a pale imitation of masters (both Czech and global) tiredly copied. If you like your jazz experimental, and don't get scared if you can't find a chorus to hang your hat on every five minutes, then you should check them out. The faint of heart, and couples seeking a romantic soundtrack for a first date grope, should perhaps walk on.

GigTips: April 2010

2010-04-01T08:33:00.004+02:00

April marks not only the coming of warmer weather (and Easter tourists) but also the start of Prague Jazz's third year of existence. Thank you to all our readers, both regular and irregular, and of course thank you to the musicians, record companies, club owners, and everyone else who has supported us during the last two years. Now, looking to the future, here's what is going down in April...

There are some good gigs at Jazz Dock this month. Gigs at this club are prone to getting spoiled by idiots who talk too much, but with an audience that is either focused or small they are usually fine. Jazz Dock is hosting the one of the big international gigs of the month with the John Abercrombie Organ Trio playing there on 12/4. Abercrombie is one of the world's great modern jazz guitarists and this is an excellent chance to see him in an intimate setting.

Jazz Dock are starting to have two concerts in one night on some occasions, with the early gig (7 PM) being cheaper than the late gig (10 PM), and there is a discount for combined admission. The best of these coming up is on 21/4 when delightful jazz/folk singer Pavla Milcová is performing first, followed by the Robert Balzar Trio. These two acts are very different, so there will be no risk of tedium, but both are truly excellent.

The AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival is also hosting some big international names in April, with the gigs taking place at the Lucerna Music Bar. Rudy Linka and Bobo Stenson will be playing there on 12/4 and the John Scofield Jazz Quartet will be dropping by on 27/4. If you fancy some high-energy, hard-edged instrumental music then check out Bozzio/Holdsworth/Levin/Mastelotto on 23/4: prog rockers go jazz!

At AghaRTA Jazz Centrum itself there is lots of good stuff as usual. Lots of fun too, with the resurrected Yandim Band (14, 15/4) and the Rhythm Desperados (25, 26/4). In both cases you can expect seriously good playing with a party atmosphere. It is also worth going there on 27/4 to see the Emil Viklický Trio, and while you are at it you can get a copy of their Live in Vienna album! A new video from one of their recent performances can be found here.

At USP Jazz Lounge in April there are some decent singers that are well worth catching. Miriam Bayle (15/4) and Elena Sonenshine (24/4) are both strong vocalists: there is nothing standard about the way that they sing the standards. Leona Milla (7/4) has a different approach, reworking known pop and soul songs in an emotional and effective way. Finally, if you prefer modern instrumental jazz to the vocal variety, Points (25/4) are one of the rising stars of the scene.

As ever this is just a small selection of what is on offer so do check out the club and artist links in order to get the full schedules. If you go to any of these gigs please let us know what you thought, either on here or via our Facebook page, and please do tell the artists and venues that you saw the gig mentioned on Prague Jazz. Happy listening!

A Funky Review From South Africa

2010-03-30T18:40:00.003+02:00

It is always good to see Czech jazz artists getting the recognition they deserve from critics worldwide. You can read what the Mail & Guardian, a South African newspaper, says about The Funky Way of Emil Viklický here: Czech the funk

News: Prague Jazz on Facebook

2010-03-29T17:51:00.003+02:00

Prague Jazz now has an official page on Facebook. Please feel free to drop by and become a fan to take part in discussions, share thoughts about concerts you have seen, and chat about Czech jazz.

Musicians are more than welcome to post news about upcoming gigs and album releases.

The PJ FB page can be found here.

CD Review: Live In Vienna

2010-03-29T14:12:00.008+02:00

Emil Viklický Trio
Cube Metier / MJCD 2945, 2010

Earlier in March pianist Emil Viklický told Prague Jazz that he believes his new Live In Vienna record has more raw energy than any of his Trio's previous live releases. He has a point, and a good one at that.

This album is an explosion of music. Emil's shows are never dull, never lacklustre and never half-hearted, but the one that he played on April 27th 2007 was something special. Live albums never convey the full effect of a gig, as anyone who has ever heard a recording of a concert they attended knows well, and so we can only imagine what it actually sounded like to the audience in Vienna. The rest of us will have to make do with this album: a second best, but a very fine second best.

The band was moving fast. Emil and drummer Laco Tropp had just flown back from America, where they had been gigging and recording with bassist Cleveland Eaton. According to Victor Verney's liner notes this was a journey that their luggage and Laco's cymbals failed to complete, their progress halting at Frankfurt Airport. In Vienna Laco and Emil joined up with regular bassist František Uhlíř, borrowed some cymbals, and went on the attack.

The strident opening of “Father's Blues” (F. Uhlíř) sets the tone for the whole record. There is an aggression in the piano playing that gives it percussive overtones even during the melodic phrases. Tropp trades thunderous exchanges with his travelling companion. Uhlíř plays with his customary refined woody twang throughout, breaking off only to unleash his bow upon the strings for an energetic sawing solo. They don't call him the “Paganini of the Bass” for nothing!

What stands out is how the three musicians are giving their all. There are no lazy moments, no lapses into ordinariness, no times of being merely average. And they can do all this without tripping over each other, without showing off to the detriment of the piece, and without even seeming to think about it.

“A Bird Flew Over” (E. Viklický) and “Highlands, Lowlands” (E. Viklický) are both pieces heavily influenced by Moravian folk tunes. The former starts off with the lilting bitter-sweetness that typifies that type of music but morphs into a rollicking piano-driven blues, a change hinted at in the opening bars but saved until later. Uhlíř plays another tuneful solo, this time eschewing the bow and getting stuck in with his fingers.

It is “Highlands, Lowlands” where the extra energy in this recording is located in greatest concentration. This piece will be familiar to everyone who has seen Emil's Trio live over the last few years. Its cascading depiction of the hills and the valleys is one of the most memorable moments of their shows. This incarnation still has the same melodies, but in jagged and rocky form. Initially it sounds like a pretty normal version, but the improvised section takes on a whole new dynamic as Viklický flings his elegant playing right to the ragged edge, calling back the theme as a reference point then ferociously cutting loose again. It is refined yet raw at the same time. Uhlíř's solo is a moment of rest by comparison, coming before the Trio hurtles the composition to resolution. This version of “Highlands, Lowlands” is possibly the most exciting piece of music recorded by a Czech jazz outfit in the last few years and is worth the price of the album in itself.

There is slower stuff on Live In Vienna too, including a beautifully expressive version of “Coral” (K. Jarrett) containing yet another great bass solo, and also the appropriately named “Longing” (E. Viklický). The latter contains delicate interplay between piano and legato bass while Tropp takes a back seat with his brushes.

“Wine, Oh Wine” (E. Viklický) speaks of one of the favourite pastimes of Moravia, and again the spirit of that part of the Czech Republic shines through strongly. It begins with sonorous chimes, in the same way that “Highlands Lowlands” does, but this time heads into a joyous romp via some teasing solo piano. There are comic bass slides from Uhlíř that always go down well with the crowd, while Tropp rides the metals and pushes from behind.

Laco Tropp's dynamic playing is worthy of special note. He was 68 when this album was recorded, and the events preceding the Vienna concert were hardly conducive to restful preparation. On “Wine, Oh Wine” he puts in a two minute drum solo, and not one of those gentle spacey ones either. He goes for the full works, assaulting the kit in a way that would be impressive for a man half his age.

Tropp is also working hard on “Buhaina” (R. Brown), the final track of the album and the final encore of the night. He grooves away tirelessly, the entire band going out with an air of triumph. This was a hot gig. Never mind being exhausting to play, this thing is exhausting to listen to, and that's without being 68 and having just endured an overnight transatlantic flight.

As well as the music this package also includes two other treats. Victor Verney's liner notes reveal a slice of Viklický's family history, and with it his enduring relationship with the city of Vienna. There is also the artwork, by Jiří Anderle, that makes one wish that CDs were sold with L.P.-sized covers.

Here at Prague Jazz we do not use a system of stars or marks out of ten, feeling that trying to crudely quantify something as complex as music is a pointless endeavor. However we do recommend, and we do fully recommend that you get Live In Vienna. Whether you are interested in Emil Viklický, Czech jazz, jazz with a national identity, or just piano jazz in general, this is one of the finest new recordings that you could purchase. Viklický has proven once again that he is a world-class pianist, composer and bandleader, as good as any and better than most. Their special gig has given us a special album.

If you would like to hear a free sample from the album as well as from other Emil Viklický albums then please visit his website.

News: CD Presentation by Cyrille Oswald - The Wrong Present

2010-03-25T15:51:00.006+01:00

We have just had this press release about saxophonist Cyrille Oswald. The video is well worth watching.

On March 25,26 and 27, Cyrille Oswald will be presenting his new CD for Animal Music at the Jazz Dock in Prague, with David Doruzka on guitar, Tomas Liska on bass and Dano Soltis on drums.

Part of the show will consist of one of Cyrille's new projects, the Beautyists, a group of musicians, poets and storytellers.

On Thursday 25th, the quartet will be extended by percussionist and metalsculptor Steve Hubback, bassist Rodrigo Reijers and storyteller Tom Zahn. On Friday, poet/singer Lucien Zell will join the group, and on Saturday, both Tom Zahn and Lucien Zell will be present. Together they tell spellbinding tales from places nearby and far away, and make musical imagery of original poetry. They create a boundless experience between various artforms, prepared and improvised. There, they integrate the worlds of word and sound.

You can watch an interview with Cyrille about the CD here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMPqBTeYdB4

Gig Review: Zuzana Lapčíková Kvintet

2010-03-21T14:14:00.005+01:00

Jazz Dock
19th March 2010

Singer and virtuoso cimbalom player Zuzana Lapčíková is a big name in Czech music. She tours internationally, and her concert tours take in theatres, churches and other prestigious venues. As befits a purveyor of Moravian music her performances are not centred around the capital city, and so the chance to see her playing at Prague's Jazz Dock (as part of their Ethnojazz Festival) was a rare opportunity to see her in action on the Prague club scene.

Gigs at Jazz Dock are always approached with a degree of trepidation. Although it is in many ways a great club it does seem to attract the sort of people who think that it is acceptable to talk loudly and inconsiderately during performances. That is the problem when you go out of your way to make a venue accessible: the wrong sort of people access it.

Lapčíková's quintet consisted of herself, Ondrej Krajňák on piano, Kamil Slezák on drums, and a couple of well known players on the Prague scene: Rostislav Fraš on saxophones and Josef Fečo on upright bass. The front of the stage was dominated by Lapčíková's cimbalom, behind which she sat hammering away, singing using a headset microphone, and manipulating the pedal with her foot balanced on a stiletto heel.

The sound of the cimbalom is synonymous with the folk music of Central and Eastern Europe, and its integration within a typical modern jazz ensemble gave the unified outfit a wide range of moods and textures with which to play. There were moments that were very much Moravian folk, concentrating on voice and intertwined cimbalom and piano. At other moments it was pure instrumental jazz, with Lapčíková either playing percussively or temporarily sitting out altogether. The best moments were when the two extremes met in the middle: good hard jazz infused with the bitter-sweet lyricism and spirit of the folk songs. These provide strong melodies that can be liberally expanded and extemporised upon by jazzers hungry for new sources of inspiration.

The format of the concert was unusual. They played two long sets with just one interval, and both sets were performed as a single medley of pieces with virtually no gaps separating them. This made for an intense music experience that offered little compromise to the casual listener, especially one that was not familiar with any of the material. Strong glorious themes rose out of the more ethereal soundscapes, we flicked between folk and jazz and back again, and the magic happened. It was one of those times when the audience focused, the music unfolded, and for a few minutes the whole was so much more than the sum of the parts.

The second set, although musically as strong, didn't hit those same heights. Lapčíková sat out for the first two songs as the remainder of the band had a brief straight jazz workout. It was good stuff, but without the star of the show it didn't instantly grab the audience's attention. Those who tend to talk did so, and that changed the mood. The genie cannot be put back in the bottle, no matter how many ugly looks and clenched fists are shown to the room, and the focus was lost. The casuals sitting at the back became disengaged, and they had voices that carried. During the louder sections they were drowned out, but the softer folky moments were placed against a backdrop of rudeness.

The band played well, and of particular note were Fraš and Fečo. The former did some wonderful things on the soprano sax, and was especially prominent in the full-blown folk/jazz fusion passages. Fečo is a sensitive acoustic player but is also good with an electric bass, and although he didn't use that instrument during the gig some of his solos were packed with electric-style groove and fun.

With no announcing of titles, and possessing a limited knowledge of Moravian folk, it is hard to put together a setlist. However there were a couple of pieces that I recognised, and it was like meeting an old friend in a room full of strangers. Interesting and beautiful strangers who I would want to see again, but strangers still. “Vrať se milý” was particularly beautiful, and would have been the perfect finale to the concert if the louts at the back had shut up to let the magic happen once again.

It was a privilege to finally see Zuzana Lapčíková in action and her concerts are recommended to anyone interested in music with an authentic Czech voice. The fusion of local folk songs with jazz is a winning combination, as other Czech artists have often shown, and it is fascinating to watch the cimbalom being mastered so thoroughly. Her gliding of the hammers across the exposed strings unleashes a full and satisfying sound, and she plays with an obvious passion for, and understanding of, the instrument. Together with her singing she puts in a performance of total commitment, possessing a massive stage presence despite her diminutive stature.

Her decision to present the music in such an uncompromised form is worthy of respect, as is eschewing chatter and communicating purely through the performance. It is as though she expects the audience to show the same commitment in their listening as she does in her playing, and we here at Prague Jazz believe that is a good and reasonable expectation. However perhaps Jazz Dock is not always the place to find an audience that will unanimously agree with this sentiment. That is a shame.

Articles About Emil Viklický

2010-03-14T15:47:00.004+01:00

Here at Prague Jazz we do say a lot of good things about Emil. Just in case some of our readers out there would like a second opinion here are a couple of articles (in English) about our favourite pianist:

First of all, here is a summary of his career from All About Jazz: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=15576

Respected US writer Victor Verney has recently penned a piece about Emil's latest activities. You can read it on Victor's own website here: http://verney.us/?page_id=689

Happy reading!

News: Emil Viklický Trio's New Live Album

2010-03-07T12:44:00.011+01:00

Live in Vienna, the new live album from one of the true giants of Czech jazz, has been released!

We will of course be reviewing the album as soon as our copy arrives, but until then here is what Emil himself has to say about it:

"In the span of nine years my Trio issued 3 live recordings:

1/ Bratislava 2001 TRIO 01, recorded 2001, issued 2002 by ARTA
2/ Cookin´in Bonn, recorded 2004, issued 2005/6 by Dekkor Records, London
3/ Live in Vienna, recorded 2007, issued 2010, by Cube Métier

In Bratislava reviews said we were the best group of the festival. There is also a DVD issued [of the set]. Bonn was good as well, but I do feel that Vienna has the most raw energy. That is due to Laco Tropp's playing. Laco is terribly excellent on Live in Vienna.

He was 68 when [Live in Vienna was] recorded, but playing his "Philly Jo" style with incredible stamina and energy. Of course it is partly because of our short tour in Alabama. We had played a trio with Cleveland Eaton - bassist for Count Basie, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Ramsay Lewis and founding member of Earth Wind and Fire!!! Cleve was so enthusiastic of Laco's groove that he offered him a position in his US band for a year. Laco's self confidence of course went up, and you can easily hear it on this CD."

Czech Jazz Society Album Of 2009 Poll

2010-03-04T15:27:00.002+01:00

The results of the Czech Jazz Society's poll to find the best album of 2009 have been released. The jury was comprised of over sixty musicians, jazz club owners, record company people, managers, publicists, and other such people on the Czech scene.

A summary of the results in English can be found here. This page also links to the individual comments of each member of the jury in Czech. Just copy and paste them into Google Translator if you are interested. It is not perfect but it gets the main points across.

GigTips: March 2010

2010-03-01T19:29:00.005+01:00

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.

Rene Trossman & Deitra Farr

2010-02-20T18:20:00.006+01:00

Prague's very own Chicago Bluesman, Rene Trossman, will be joined by acclaimed Chicago Blues singer Deitra Farr for some very special gigs in March. They will play at the Palác Akropolis in Prague on 18/3, as well as in Šumperk on 12/3 and in Ústí nad Labem on 16/3.

Deitra is the real deal, as for that matter is Rene. Come along and enjoy authentic Chicago Blues without the hassle of transatlantic flight!

CD Review: Little Things

2010-02-14T15:39:00.009+01:00

Jaromír Honzák Quintet
Animal Music / ANI013-2, 2009

Jaromír Honzák is arguably one of the overlooked stars of Czech jazz. When thinking of bassists or bandleaders his name rarely springs to the top of the pile, and yet there is no reason why it should not do so. He has put out five albums in his own name and he has regularly appeared on recordings by the Eben Brothers, Karel Růžička, Pavla Milcová and Iva Bittová. He studied at Berklee in 1989 and subsequently won several awards. He teaches in both Prague and Brno, and as well as doing session work he currently fronts two outfits: his more conventional Quartet/Quintet and the more modern Face Of The Bass. A busy guy then, and certainly worthy of recognition.

Little Things is the latest album from the Jaromír Honzák Quintet, released by Animal Music in 2009. His usual Quartet includes the two Poles Michal Tokaj (piano and Fender Rhodes) and Lukasz Zyta (drums), and the young Czech guitar star David Dorůžka. Here they are joined by American Chris Cheek on saxophones who, like Honzák and Dorůžka, also attended Berklee.

“Little Things” (J. Honzák) opens the album with a lilting piano introduction, underpinned by tinkling percussion, before bass and sax step in to fill out the sound. Although it is the latter that defines the shape there is a strong sense of melody in Honzák's playing. He is a measured and mature operator of his instrument. When he solos his fingers are capable of working into a fine flurry but still there is room within the phrasing for the music to breathe. Indeed the whole album has a strong organic feel about it, as if it was grown rather than recorded. Cheek dances around the top end, hitting a pleasing crescendo before the ensemble finishes off.

“The Cue” (J. Honzák) is a groovier track, with bubbling bass in the background that reflects Honzák's interest in modern forms of music. Complex rhythms and handclaps rattle away while the first solo is taken on Fender Rhodes, the second on sax. This most iconic of the electric pianos seems to be making a comeback in Czech jazz: the instrument used on Little Things was on loan from Beata Hlavenková! Dorůžka finally wakes up on this track, throwing in a clean, electric solo. It's a sweet sound, as opposed to a dirty blues note, with good technique.

“Friendly Space” (J. Honzák) begins with assorted percussive sounds and harsh noises. From this falls piano, and from this hangs a stepped melody led by sax and underpinned by bass played in unison. The weirdness and dissonance carries on underneath, even during the long bass and saxophone solos. Coming in at almost eleven minutes this is the longest track on the album but it is time well spent. The title is ironic. The space is uneasy rather than friendly, and you are thoroughly urged to listen to this track through headphones in total darkness.

“Clear” (J. Honzák) is a positive affair containing some pleasant electric guitar strumming and also a neat solo from Dorůžka. Zyta cuts loose towards the end. His presence on the album is more about subtlety than the wild stuff.

“Song for Albert” (D. Dorůžka) is the only composition on the album not written and arranged by the bassist. Dorůžka again takes a purposeful excursion during his solo spot. There is no doubting his ability but he is always so controlled, almost infuriatingly so. As good as his contributions are, and they are indeed good, it would be interesting to hear him really let rip like a maniac.

“Bystander's Story” (J. Honzák) features bowed bass and moody sax over choppy drums. The result is disjointed and a touch experimental while still being listenable. In contrast “Faraway” (J. Honzák) is a dreamy elegy of a piece, dripping in warmth and beauty.

The final track should win some sort of award for its title alone: “The Blues Of A String Hanging In The Wind” (J. Honzák). The string(s) in question appear to be the PKF String Quartet led by David Danel on 1st violin, and this piece is not what you might first expect. Solo piano explodes into a world of violent stabs and high tension, interspersed with mournful legato passages. The strings are fully integrated into the sound and not merely used as a backdrop. Cheek emerges and soars above before strings pick up and play out.

Little Things is a relatively short album, coming in at just over fifty minutes. Being honest there aren't many CD-filling recordings that contain more than fifty minutes of the really good stuff, and that is what we have here. Fifty minutes of really good stuff. The traditional combines with the unorthodox to produce an experience that keeps the listener's attention. Just when you think you know what this album is about it plays a joker like “Friendly Space” or the hanging string thing. For anyone who is interested in Czech jazz, but has yet to embrace the music vision of Jaromír Honzák, Little Things could be just the place to start.

Audio samples from this album can be found here.

News: Points Album Launch

2010-02-08T19:48:00.003+01:00

Yet another new album is appearing on the Animal Music label, this time from Points. This quartet is made up of Luboš Soukup (tenor sax), Miroslav Hloucal (trumpet), Tomáš Hobzek (drums) and Tomáš Liška (double-bass).

The album will be launched at Jazz Dock with two special concerts on 12/2 and 13/2.

News: Najponk in London

2010-02-08T19:25:00.005+01:00

This week our readers in London have a chance to sample some genuine Prague jazz without all the expensive and tiresome travelling that it would usually entail. Pianist Najponk will be appearing at the Pizza Express Jazz Club on 9/2, and also in the afternoon at The Vortex on 14/2. He should be performing with Alec Dankworth on bass and Matt Fishwick on drums at Pizza Express, and solo at The Vortex.

Alec is the son of British jazz legend Sir John Dankworth, who sadly passed away earlier this week. He will be widely missed.

Video Selection

2010-02-01T20:23:00.006+01:00

The snow and ice that cover Prague's streets at the moment make every trip outside an adventure, so here's three videos that you can enjoy at home without risking a trip to the hospital with broken bones.

To kick things off we have a rehearsal video from The Wall 2009, a concert in which Czech musicians recreated the legendary Pink Floyd rock show. So why feature it in Prague Jazz? First of all there is a pretty hot saxophone solo from Petr Kalfus, who is now more usually seen playing with the Infinite Quintet. Secondly, it features singer Lada Soukupová who is not only excellent but is also more than capable of delivering a jazz tune or two. Thirdly, on keyboards we have Harry (son of Roger) Waters, who is establishing a name for himself as a jazz musician in his own right.

Next up, following our review of her Joy For Joel album, we have pianist Beata Hlavenková and band. Here they are performing "The Riddle" on Czech television:

Finally, because he's very cool and that's reason enough, here's Luboš Andršt with his Blues Band playing a nice bit of Hendrix:

CD Review: Joy For Joel

2010-01-24T16:49:00.005+01:00

Beata Hlavenková
Animal Music / ANI 011-2, 2009

The number of young musicians rising to prominence on the Czech scene is impressive. They have a lot to live up to, and with many of the great names of Czech jazz still going strong it is not easy for the newcomers. The old kings have not only retained their stunning technical skills but they also have a lifetime of experience and emotion to pour into their music. That is what makes it so rich. It is inevitable that those with a shorter lifetime have less to draw on, and sometimes that means their performances, while still very good, just don't have that magical special something that separates the very best from the merely better. Something in the depth, something in the tone. Perhaps it is just something in the way they sit at their instrument that conveys so much.

Beata Hlavenková is one of the few that truly bridge the divide. She is one of the younger generation – we have almost three decades to wait until she does her “60” gig – but her music betrays little inexperience. As a pianist the mechanical competence of her playing is strong, but it is more than that. Her compositions are interesting. You can never be sure which direction things are going to go in next. Her live performances can be a roller-coaster, some parts sweet and some parts edgy, uneasy listening for the attentive audient. In this context it is fair to say that we at PJHQ were excited at the prospect of her first solo album finally hitting the shelves.

Joy For Joel is not a typical Czech jazz album. For a start it was recorded in New Jersey, and it was recorded with mainly American musicians. Although Beata usually performs in Europe with more local names here we have Rich Perry on tenor saxophone, John Wikan on drums, Matt Clohesy on bass, and Dave Easley on pedal steel guitar. Regular collaborator Lenka Dusilová is however featured on the recording, providing vocals. Some interesting sounds are provided by Canadian Ingrid Jensen, who plays trumpet and flugelhorn as well as fiddling with electronics.

Joy For Joel is very much a big album, and very much a studio album. The larger band is used to create a larger soundscape; a world of varied textures and moods interwoven together. It does not have a “live in the studio feel” in the way some albums can do. You're never holding your breath, disbelief suspended, wondering if the whole thing is going to crash out of control. To borrow the analogy used so well by rock guitarist Robert Fripp, the album is the love letter whereas the gig is the hot date, and both have their place and their charm. And so here we have the love letter, carefully crafted and pleasingly delivered, and containing some fairly spicy bits for good measure.

Hlavenková is a pianist with a timeless sound. It is rich in melody, with a tempestuous rolling quality that is all about expression. She rarely goes for the obvious, and isn't afraid to leave space for others to occupy. A perfect example of this is the first track, “Jazvečík vo hmle za stĺpom” (B. Hlavenková) which opens with the full spectrum. There's brass from Jensen, a delicate vocal line from Dusilová, light and fluttery sax, the hum of pedal steel, and all are crafted together with piano. There's so much going on but still it feels airy, with Wikan restraining himself to gentle punctuation. Together they move, shift, push forward as a group. Perry's solo is fast but tasteful. There is a moment of peace as all subsides, bar the piano, heralding a tight, twangy excursion on pedal steel before the ensemble finale drives the track home.

“Rainy Afternoon” (B. Hlavenková) leans more on the piano, combining mesmerising patterns and strident chords with a twinkling melody. Clohesy steps out of the shadow, grooving away while Hlavenková moves through a variety of moods and explorations. Again a wordless legato vocal line (this time sung by the pianist herself) adds emphasis and an extra layer to the big finish. It is ambitious stuff.

“Bullerbyn” (B. Hlavenková) is faster paced, bouncy, and a bit more conventional. Jensen plays with clarity, taking time between phrases. “Spring Story” (B. Hlavenková) on the other hand is eleven minutes of mini-epic. It is announced by an extended flourish of piano and voice. From there it is a journey of tension and release as varied ensemble playing builds up in pace and vigour, climaxing with a ferocious blast from Jensen and followed by a rapid diminishing to almost nothing. A repeat of the initial flourish follows, before again rising up joyfully. An unexpected but perfectly placed pedal steel solo adds the extra dimension.

There are other notable compositions on the album, including “The Riddle” (B. Hlavenková) and “4 Days” (B. Hlavenková). The former utilises electronic distortions to create a warped environment (dig the evil piano!), and the frantic beat even hints at modern dance music.

The album finishes with “A Little Something” (B. Hlavenková), the shortest track on the recording, which takes a simple cascading phrase and rides it hard. There are crazy moments of disorder that make it all the more lovely when the melody kicks back in.

If you're going to do a full-on studio album you might as well use everything at your disposal. Joy For Joel is complex, contemporary, well structured, and through the use of pedal steel and electronics it has an uncliched sound. At its core is strong writing and arranging, and there is little doubt that these compositions will also work with a smaller outfit in a live setting.

Czech jazz piano does have many kings. Is it now time to crown a queen?

A full track listing and free audio samples can be found on the Animal Music website.

Infinite Quintet on YouTube

2010-01-11T19:15:00.008+01:00

Given that their album was reviewed on Prague Jazz last month, and that they are playing in Prague in January (see the last GigTips for details), here are a few video clips of the very promising Infinite Quintet.

On Czech television:

At Reduta:

In Berlin:

News: New Prague Club

2010-01-11T19:03:00.003+01:00

A new jazz club has just appeared on the Prague scene, called Jazz Time. Their website, www.jazztime.cz, is still under construction but it does contain a link to their (currently active) Facebook page.

We really don't know anything about this place yet, but hope to drop in and take a look around soon. More details then...

GigTips: January 2010

2009-12-31T16:07:00.004+01:00

And so here we are again, at the start of another year. We at Prague Jazz hope that all our readers had a good time over the Christmas season, welcomed in 2010 with good company, and are now ready for another year of jazz. The Czech jazz scene remains one of the most vibrant in Europe, with a combination of exciting young artists who are finding their way to excellence and more established names who are truly world class writers and players. There were many great concerts in 2009 and there is no reason to suspect that 2010 is going to be any different. Here is our selection of what's hot and cool (you know what we mean) in January...

For those of you interested in hearing Infinite Quintet perform material from their Speak Slowly album (reviewed on PJ last week) they will be at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum on 22/1. Also at AghaRTA this month is Hammond organist Ondřej Pivec with his Organic Quartet. It is not as easy as it used to be to see Ondřej in Prague because he now spends a considerable amount of time in New York City. On this tour he will also be appearing with saxophonist Petr Kalfus (8/1) and with the Bucinatores Big Band (19/1). Both of these concerts will be at Jazz Dock. His full schedule is shown below:

It is also possible to see the other great key basher called Ondřej in January, again at AghaRTA. Ondřej Kabrna will be appearing there with his own band, the groovy Ondřej Kabrna Powerplay Trio (5/1), as well as in his usual role of pianist and keyboard player in the Luboš Andršt Group (12, 13/1).

At U Malého Glena in January there is a chance to catch the excellent Beata Hlavenková and her Trio on 23/1. She is one of the most interesting young Czech pianists, and will be playing material from her recent Joy for Joel album.

In a break from tradition this month we are actually going to recommend two gigs at Reduta. On 3/1 the fabulous Elena Sonenshine will be there. She's a powerful singer with a strong stage presence, backed up by a tight band. If you're in the mood for some vocal jazz then you could do a lot worse. Also appearing at Reduta will be the evergreen Emil Viklický Trio (14/1). What he can't do with a piano is probably not worth doing. Both Elena and Emil will also be appearing at USP Jazz Lounge on 9/1 and 26/1 respectively.

As ever this is just a very small selection of the gigs taking place. If you are interested in finding out more please follow the links to the artist and venue websites for full schedules. Remember to book your table in advance if you want to be sure of sitting near the front, and if you do sit near the front why not (as a late Christmas present to the musicians) refrain from talking all through the performance and firing your flashgun in their faces. And please, if you remember, do tell the club that you saw the gig mentioned here.

Best wishes for 2010 from all at Prague Jazz HQ!

CD Review: Speak Slowly

2009-12-27T11:15:00.004+01:00

Infinite Quintet
Animal Music / ANI 014-2, 2009

Speak Slowly is the first album to be released by Infinite Quintet, but flicking through the liner notes you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Their names and faces are nothing if not familiar to anyone who frequently attends jazz gigs in Prague. Miroslav Hloucal leads the outfit on trumpet and flugelhorn, with Petr Kalfus (saxophones) and Viliam Béreš (piano) also featuring prominently. The rhythm section consists of the excellent bassist Petr Dvorský and drummer Martin Novák. A ubiquitous bunch who, if a supergroup of young Czech jazzers was to be assembled, would all be strong candidates for inclusion.

Although Hloucal wrote the majority of the compositions he does not unduly dominate proceedings. This album has a strong feeling of collaboration and the combination of talents. Hloucal plays sweetly and often with an edge of melancholy, also echoed by Kalfus. While not an especially slow recording it does have an atmosphere of contemplation that makes it seem to belong to the small hours of the morning, regardless of the time of day that it is actually played.

The first track, "Ghost Town" (V. Béreš), opens with a twangy bass rhythm and delicate drum pattern before Hloucal and Kalfus come in with a lilting melody that endures. They spend a lot of time on this album working together, two intertwining strands of sound. It works well, with the different tones of woodwind and brass contrasting nicely. There is no rush. Plenty of space is left. Béreš's solo is unhurried, even when nudged along from behind. The saxophone solo is high and nimble, the ensemble playing has depth.

"Night Callin´" (M. Hloucal) is one of the more interesting pieces on Speak Slowly. It features some delicate interplay between Béreš and Kalfus before the former teams up with Dvorský at the bottom end, providing a broken pattern over which a legato melody is layered. It is another spacey composition with all five members managing not to trip up over each other.

There are some lighter shades on this recording. "Cup of Bb" (M. Hloucal) has whimsical moments, fed by a playful piano line. "Song For P.K." (M. Hloucal) has periods that are almost strident and chaotic (in an understated sort of way), with Kalfus getting a good workout. "Gaza" (V. Béreš) swirls enjoyably, bubbling with pacey staccato attacks.

"Gone So Fast" (Petr Kalfus) is not one of the lighter shades. Dedicated by the writer to his father, it starts with ambient effects and haunting piano. Novák goes for the brushes. Emphatic and grandiose chords give way to an expressive saxophone solo. Dvorský pitches it just right when it is his chance to go alone. While the musicianship on this album is of a generally high standard it is his consistent contributions that so often stand out as worthy of note.

Hloucal steps out into the spotlight on the title track, "Speak Slowly" (M. Hloucal), stretching himself on what is ironically one of the quicker pieces. It is also ironic that it is this playing that shows up the album's weak point most clearly: it never really lets rip. It never goes balls-to-the-wall fury. There's never a point where the listener utters an involuntary curse of amazement and rewinds to listen again. The music is introspective and thoughtful and often beautiful, but there's always a feeling that it is never quite in top gear. It isn't that sort of recording.

Speak Slowly is therefore not the most exciting album in the world, but it is a satisfying début with plenty of moments to grab the attention. What it does it does well, and it will be worth following this outfit to see where it goes from here. It will also be interesting to see how their live shows develop, and what music they choose to compliment the material from the album. There is a lot of talent in this band. It is worth taking seriously.

News: AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival (Spring)

2009-12-22T19:10:00.003+01:00

The spring dates for the AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival are now out. The concerts will take place (as usual) at the Lucerna Music Bar: a great relaxed venue with very reasonably priced beer.

Acts appearing this year include the John Scofield Quartet (27/4), Courtney Pine (9/2), and the rockers-who-can-jazz-a-bit supergroup Bozzio/Holdsworth/Levin/Mastelotto (23/4).

Full details are available here.

Photos: Emil Viklický & Eve Quartet

2009-12-18T17:41:00.004+01:00

On December 14th Emil played a one-off concert with the Eve Quartet in Prague. It was a rare chance to hear some of his music created for piano and string quartet: complex pieces that show a whole different side to his writing. Here are a few photographs from the unique occasion:

Many thanks to Zuzana Peřinová and the Eve Quartet for the photographs. More information about the Eve Quartet at www.evequartet.com.

News: Emil Viklický - More Free Samples And Yet Another Album!

2009-12-15T19:34:00.003+01:00

Exciting news from Emil: there is yet another album on the way. This one will be a recording of his Trio playing live in Vienna. It was recorded on April 26 2007 with Viklický playing a Steinway Model D. It will hopefully be released in February 2010 on the Cube-Metiér label. More news when we get it.

Meanwhile, if you would like to listen to some free tracks from Viklický then here are a couple of links.

First of all there two samples from his recent Funky Way album on DJ Lou Kash's blog:

I Want The Funky Way!

If you would like to hear a wide selection of Emil's work, including collaborations with George Mraz and Marcus Printup, then check out the samples on Emil's own site:

I Want The Whole Lot!

News: Special Offers from USP

2009-12-06T10:21:00.003+01:00

[Updated 8/12/09 - USP not closing down but changing hands]

USP Jazz Lounge will shortly be changing hands, with the new owners taking over in early January. The old owners are saying goodbye with a series of December special offers:

On 7/12 you can go to see Milan Svoboda and the USP Big Band for just 100 Kč!

On 8/12 everyone who buys a ticket to see the excellent Robert Balzar Trio will also receive a free ticket for a Jazzboat cruise (normally 590 Kč), valid up to December 23rd.

On 11/12 everyone who buys a ticket to see Miriam Bayle will also receive a free club T-shirt.

More news about the changes at USP when we have it.

News: Free Music from Emil Viklický

2009-12-02T19:22:00.005+01:00

The good news (part 1): Emil has yet another album out! Sinfonietta - The Janáček Of Jazz features him playing alongside George Mraz on bass and Lewis Nash on drums.

The bad news: It is only available in Japan at the moment.

The good news (part 2): There are free samples available on the Venus Records website. Just click the link below to listen.

Yes - I want to hear some excellent free music!

GigTips: December 2009

2009-12-02T19:02:00.005+01:00

And so we reach December, and it is hard to understand where the last twelve months have gone. But gone they have, bringing us around to the end of yet another year and into another Christmas season. It is a time to eat, drink and be merry, and it's always fun doing just that at one of the many Christmas markets in Prague. The health benefits of living for an entire month on a diet of hot wine and roasted chestnuts are unknown, but we will let you know if anything exciting happens. Enjoy the season, and do try not to fall into the carp tanks when you're drunk. And now, here are our December GigTips.

As you all know November saw the release of Tomáš Liška's début solo album, Invisible World. He is celebrating its release, alongside his two collaborators and perhaps some special guests, with two gigs at Jazz Dock (9, 10/12). The first night is the official “christening” of the album and is sure to be a happy event. Also worth seeing at Jazz Dock in December is the always creative Beata Hlavenková with her Trio (21/12). The audiences at Jazz Dock can be a bit chatty so if you want to listen properly make sure that you get a seat near the front and prepare to stare meaningfully at aural trespassers.

AghaRTA Jazz Centrum is offering a quality December programme as can be expected. Another man with a recently released album, Emil Viklický, will be dropping by on 10/12. He is playing with his usual Trio so expect a blend of original compositions, adaptations of Moravian folk songs, and interestingly delivered standards. If you fancy some woodwind excellence then you must go to see the legendary Jiří Stivín: he's playing there on 15, 16/12. AghaRTA is also hosting a lively New Year's Eve event, with the party-hearty Rhythm Desperados playing out the final hours of 2009.

USP Jazz Lounge are continuing their trend of having one-off, interesting concerts with the pairing of pianist Matej Benko and Latin singer Yvonne Sánchez (16/12). Matej will also be appearing with his Trio at U Malého Glena on 29/12. He's a very good pianist and one of the stars of the younger generation of musicians on the Czech scene.

That completes our recommendations for December. Of course we have mentioned just a very small selection of gigs, so do follow the links to the club and artist websites for complete listings. Remember that Christmas is a time for giving presents, and Czech jazz CDs make very good presents indeed. Not only will you be supporting the local musicians but your music-loving friends will thank you for it.

Have fun out there!

News: Ondřej Pivec To Record New Album

2009-11-29T11:55:00.001+01:00

Ondřej Pivec is planning to record a new album in NYC with Czech pianist Najponk and American drummer Greg Hutchinson. More details when we have them...

CD Review: Invisible World

2009-11-29T09:42:00.009+01:00

Tomáš Liška
Animal Music / ANI 015-2, 2009

There are many new, younger artists currently making music on the Czech jazz scene, including bass player Tomáš Liška. He's a busy guy, appearing on recordings by the likes of Matej Benko, Nika Diamant and Radek Krampl. He also plays live alongside Lenka Dusilová in the Eternal Seekers, and with award-winning quartet Points. Now he has a solo album out, Invisible World, and it is something rather different.

Invisible World was recorded with a trio of Liška on bass, David Dorůžka on (mainly acoustic) guitars and Daniele di Bonaventura on bandoneón. To save you all a trip to Wikipedia, the bandoneón is a concertina-type instrument, invented in Germany but now associated with Argentinian dance bands. There are some additional contributions - Marta Topferova sings on one track and Tomáš Reindl plays percussion on two - but apart from that it is just the three of them making music together.

What they have created with Invisible World is an intricate and intimate album. The studio-recorded tracks have a live feel about them, but it is the feel of a fireside or a chamber concert rather than one played in a large hall. It is mellow and poignant, blending jazz with touches of folk, country and tango. Each note is played to be heard, not lost in a solid structure of sound. It's a contemplative album, with spacey arrangements that allow the music to breathe.

The first track, “Bonami” (T. Liška), gives a clear idea of what this album is about. Acoustic guitar picks at a clear, Latin-tinged melody, Liška plays tight and syncopated melodic bass, and di Bonaventura adds the drawl of bandoneón, occasionally running in unison with Dorůžka and occasionally taking the lead. The acoustically sensitive recording conveys the impression of music being created at close quarters: a clear sense of fingers pulling on strings and hitting buttons.

Liška is a strong presence on the album, occasionally going for the burn with a solo but mostly leading from the back. He's always working there, throwing in interesting patterns and tones, never settling for being pedestrian. The lack of a drummer means that it is often his work that keeps the beat and suggests structure. It also means that there is more space from him to manoeuvre as a one-man rhythm section, and so he can stretch out comfortably without being intrusive or clashing with anyone else at the low end. It is his bass patterns that keep driving things forward, emerging to provide extra emphasis and withdrawing when not required. It was a brave decision by the bassist to record like this, rather than with a conventional Trio or Quartet, but he handles it with style and maturity.

“Alegría en masca” (T. Liška) and “Silent Talking” (T. Liška) both feature Tomáš Reindl on tabla and udu, lending them even more of a "world music" feel. The former is a legato slice of yearning, and the use of sweet and simple electric guitar as well as percussion gives it a bigger band feel. The latter begins slower and simpler, very bass driven, with the other instruments echoing and complimenting the thick, twangy notes before rising up in elegant ensemble playing.

It is not all slow stuff on this album: “Nihemiah” (T. Liška) lifts the pace, and “Strade deserte a Praga” (D. di Bonaventura) is a brief (1:11) shimmering interlude. “River Way” (T. Liška) rolls along like its name suggests, and again features some good interplay between acoustic guitar and bandoneón. This device, rarely found on a a Czech jazz album, works as a lead instrument as well as being able to provide sharp chordal accompaniment and elongated washes of sound.

“Tierra de mis padres” (“The Land of my Parents”, T. Liška / M.Topferova) is complemented by brooding, breathy Spanish vocals from Marta Topferova. It reeks of Latin tragedy and the call of destiny: longing, sunsets, regrets, returning to home to die, the usual sort of stuff.

“Etheric Moments I.” (T. Liška) is the longest track and it brings the album to a fitting conclusion. It contains the same mix of sadness and celebration that permeates the whole recording. There are shifts in mood and theme, sometimes rich and sometimes sparse, sometimes gentle and sometimes dissonant, and it is perhaps the most musically challenging piece in this collection. The big-finish cliché is eschewed, the final bow consciously understated

In some respects this album is not what you would expect from a Czech jazz musician. Invisible World sounds more influenced by South America than by Central Europe, and while it contains strong jazz elements it not the most straightforward album to classify. It is pleasant music to have on in the background without offending anyone, but with close listening the fine details of craftsmanship make themselves known. Invisible World is also interesting, innovative, technically superior, and a satisfying listen. In that respect it is exactly what you would expect from a Czech jazz musician. For his début album Tomáš Liška has not taken the safe option. I, for one, like that.

Full track listing:

1."Bonami" (T. Liška)
2.“Colour For You” (T. Liška)
3.“Alegría en masca” (T. Liška)
4.“Silent Talking” (T. Liška)
5.“Nihemiah” (T.Liška)
6.“Tierra de mis padres” (T. Liška / M. Topferova)
7.“The Truth About Unspeakable Things” (T. Liška)
8.“River Way” (T. Liška)
9.“Strade deserte a Praga” (D.di Bonaventura)
10.“Forever Lost” (D.Dorůžka)
11.“Long Time Ago” (T. Liška)
12.“Etheric Moments I.” (T. Liška)

Free samples of this album can be found on both the Animal Music and the Tomáš Liška websites.

CD Review: The Funky Way of Emil Viklický

2009-11-21T22:56:00.008+01:00

Emil Viklický
Vampisoul / VAMPI CD 115, 2009

It was November 2008 when Emil Viklický, a pianist whose work is revered not only in the Czech Republic but also globally, told Prague Jazz that there would be a release of some of his jazz-rock work from the 1970s and 1980s. The wait was long but now, one year later, The Funky Way of Emil Viklický is here!

Those who are familiar with Emil's piano work can be forgiven for looking puzzled. He is famous for his technical but melodic compositions, his fusion of jazz with Moravian folk melodies, and his effective treatment of jazz standards. There are many ways to describe his recent output, all of them complimentary, but “funky” would not be on the list. So, can Emil Viklický, grandmaster of the grand piano, really play funk? Of course he can...

The Funky Way is a collection of his work with different outfits from between 1975 and 1987. Some of the tracks were originally released by Supraphon and Panton on hard-to-locate vinyl albums, singles and EPs, and there are also four pieces that were previously unreleased. Real care has been taken with the sound quality: Ian Shepherd's 24-bit transfers of the original analog tapes are clean but still colourful. Care has also been taken with the presentation: there are extensive and interesting liner notes from Lukáš Machata (DJ Lou Kash) and some fantastic 1970s photographs provided by Emil and singer Eva Svobodová.

Five of the tracks, spread out across the album, are from a 1979 Prague session with Vinne Johnson (drums), Kermit Driscoll (bass guitar) and Bill Frisell (electric guitar). Friends from his year at Berklee, they came to Prague for a two-day recording session with Viklický. These pieces, originally from the Okno LP, are pure funk. The grooves are strong, with big bouncy bass riffs and tight, precise drumming. The keyboard parts will come as a revelation to those who consider Viklický solely as a pianist: here he's working on analog synthesizer, electric piano and clavinet.

“Trochu Funky” (“The Funky Way”, E. Viklický) is opened by the rhythm section before keyboards and guitar join in. The melodic approach and attention to detail that typify Emil's piano playing are much in evidence. There are washes of sound and delicate highlights as well as the down and dirty funk. He plays fast with a lot of intricate touches, and there is some good interplay and union with Frisell on guitar.

“Květen” (“Maytime”, E. Viklický) opens with a sweep before falling into a jaunty pattern. There are some sweet escalating chord progressions and Johnson employs a light and airy touch while still keeping things pinned down. There is more electric piano and some nice bendy synth notes. Frisell again goes for the burn before the whole thing rises to a powerful climax.

“Boston” (E. Viklický) is rapid and choppy, the quartet on overdrive. Leads are shared between keyboards and guitar, and Johnson gets to do a drum solo without abusing the privilege. “Zase Zapomněli Zavřít Okno” (“They've Left The Window Open Again”, E. Viklický) is a slower-paced funk experience, although still with a satisfyingly fat, squidgy sound. Less fiery and more contemplative, it shows a different side of this quartet. “Jumbo Jet” (E. Viklický), the final piece from this session, is again a slower and spacier number and is thoughtfully delivered.

The four previously unreleased tracks on The Funky Way feature Viklický in yet another role unfamiliar to many of his fans: as the leader of a big band. The Emil Viklický Studio Big Band pieces, arranged and conducted by the man himself, are 2-track recordings and so their sound quality is not quite as good as the rest of the collection. It is still pretty decent though, and the brass comes over brightly. Given the quality of the arrangements and their historical significance (they're out of Emil's own archives), their inclusion is most welcome.

“Ještě Jednou Slunce” (“Once Again Sun”, E. Viklický) is a full-blooded affair with stomping bass and punchy brass. It is mainly led by saxophone, with keyboard instruments taking a back seat. The arrangement is sophisticated and satisfying, blending the traditional big band sound with a funky rhythm section. “70. Východní” (“East 70th Street”, E. Viklický) starts with a brassy fanfare before opening out into busy high-tempo big band jazz. It is tight and precise stuff from this outfit of (according to the liner notes) unknown personnel.

The majestic “Hromovka” (“Thunderhouse”, E. Viklický) has a melancholy opening but soon settles into the funky pattern once more, with a slower ultra-groovy bass riff and staccato piano rumbling away under a wide-screen sleazy feast of brass and woodwind. “Siesta” (E. Viklický) picks up the pace again, with some mellow sax and piano moments being juxtaposed against powerful brass.

The Okno session and the Studio Big Band are both projects that are no longer currently active, but that is not true of some of the other collaborations featured on The Funky Way.

There are two tracks from SQH, the outfit that Viklický joined in 1974. SQH also featured Karel Velebný on vibraphone, Ivan Smažík on drums, Jaromír Helešic on percussion, and František Uhlíř on double bass. Yes... the same František 'Paganini of the Bass” Uhlíř who currently plays in Emil's Trio. When you see them play together their communication is almost telepathic. Little surprise, given that their shared history reaches back over 35 years!

“Týden” (“Week”, E. Viklický) is a joyfully airy piece of jazz-rock that feels good. It's fast and it bounds along with playful interaction between vibes and piano, often falling back into satisfying phrases. Drums and percussion are busy and skittish, and Uhlíř's melodic bass twang sounds very much like it does today. The second SHQ piece also features Eva Svobodová on vocals. Yes... the same Eva Svobodová with the same velvet voice that it is worth going to Reduta to see. “Země Plná Lásky” (“A Land Full Of Love”, E. Viklický / V. Čort) heads more into acid-jazz territory, with disjointed rhythms, super-rubbery bass, and a gorgeous sweet chorus excitingly delivered by Svobodová who sounds like she is having real fun. Some slightly surreal spoken comments from Velebný to the rest of the band also help to keep the acid vibe going. It may only clock in at 3:44 but every second is a pleasure.

“Kam S Tím Blues” (“Chega De Saudade”, A. C. Jobim / V. Čort) is taken from Svobodová's own album, Můj Ráj, on which Viklický appeared as part of her backing band. The wooden twangy bass tones give Uhlíř away without even having to look at the credits. It's an enjoyable track, as would be expected from the fusion of an interesting and talented singer with an interesting and talented band.

Last but not least, The Funky Way includes two tracks by 1970s Czechoslovak jazz-rock legends Energit, a band that also included guitarist Luboš Andršt. Yes. The same one.

“Zelený Satén” (“Green Satin”, E. Viklický) dates back to 1976 and is one of several recorded versions of this award-winning piece. The opening melody is lyrical and haunting, played on electric soprano sax by Rudolf Ticháček. Viklický solos on electric piano before making way for a hard-edged burst from Andršt. The conclusion is a reprise of the initial evocative melody.

The last track is the mini-epic “Ráno (Part 1)” (“Morning (Part 1)”, L. Andršt). This is a slightly edited version, but at 13:13 it is still a substantial beast. Intense jazz-rock, with more than a hint of progressive rock in there too, it again kicks off with Ticháček's electric sax. This time the mood is sinister, with unsettled electric piano and guitar patterns swirling underneath. Andršt's solo is fast and jagged. Ticháček walks the line between control and chaos. The electric piano solo is bluesy, the underlying rhythms are funky, and the overall effect is not dissimilar to one of the early 1970s jazzed-up incarnations of King Crimson, only done better. A suitably prolonged outro ends the track and the album.

And so there we have The Funky Way of Emil Viklický. It was worth the wait. The music is very different from the sort of material that he is usually heard playing, and yet it sounds so natural that it is hard to believe he is not a dedicated full-time funk and jazz-rock musician.

For fans of Emil's piano work it is a fascinating insight into his other lives. For those interested in Czechoslovak jazz it is an essential archive collection of excellent and important material. It is also a great listen: a recording full of life and excitement and fun. That is the Funky Way. The only question now remaining is whether Viklický could ever be persuaded hit the road with a Funky Tour...

Venues Guide Updated

2009-11-21T13:11:00.004+01:00

An updated version of the PJ Venue Guide is now online and can be found here.

The Charles Bridge Jazz And Blues Club is sadly gone, newcomer Jazz Dock is reassessed, AghaRTA Jazz Centrum is still the best.

This guide is totally impartial, honest, and based on the experiences of PJ. If when you visit the clubs mentioned here you find that there have been any important changes please contact us or leave a comment.

News: Žižkov Meets Jazz

2009-11-14T12:51:00.003+01:00

It is almost time for Prague 3's annual jazz festival, Žižkov Meets Jazz. This event, held at the Palác Akropolis, is usually good fun. The Palác Akropolis is notable for its reasonably priced beverages, and as in previous years there will be some free whisky and cigars. Obviously we in no way endorse chatting up the give-away girls to get extra rations, but it is fair to say that at last year's event PJHQ actually drank and smoked itself into profit.

Žižkov Meets Jazz will take place on November 20th and 21st, and will feature acts such as the Simone Reifegerste Project, the Petr Zelenka Trio, and Beata Hlavenková.

News: New Album from Tomáš Liška

2009-11-14T12:44:00.002+01:00

Bass player Tomáš Liška has a new album coming out on 16/11/09. Called Invisible World it will be released on Animal Music. Once again, we hope to have a review up as soon as we get a copy of the album.

News: Emil Viklický - Janáček Of Jazz

2009-11-11T14:05:00.002+01:00

Emil's latest album, Sinfonietta - The Janáček Of Jazz is finally out on Venus Records. More details can be found at the All About Jazz website here.

GigTips: November 2009

2009-11-02T21:03:00.005+01:00

It is hard to believe that it was twenty years ago this month. Hard to believe because in some ways the Velvet Revolution seems like such a recent event to those of us who remember it happening, or perhaps we are just unwilling to face the fact that we are now twenty years older than we once were. Hard to believe because, for the outsider at least, looking at Prague today it is difficult to imagine that it could be anything other than a free, vibrant city. Hard to believe, but true.

Jazz played an important part in the artistic rebellion against Communist control. The Jazz Section of the Czech Musician's Union was a notable irritant to officialdom. And so it would be wrong to let this anniversary go by without raising a glass to the musicians, many of whom you can still see on the Czech scene, who worked under oppressive conditions. It is also important that the tradition of Czech jazz is kept alive as part of the artistic soul of the Czech nation, and not relegated to being an unimportant tourist attraction. Here are our tips for November: real live music and as good as it gets.

The one and only guitar genius that is Luboš Andršt will be working at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum this month, with his excellent Luboš Andršt Group appearing twice (6, 24/11). It is fair to say that we do tip his gigs a lot here on Prague Jazz, but he really is that good. His pianist and keyboard player, Ondřej Kabrna, will also be appearing as bandleader with the Ondřej Kabrna Quartet on 7/11. It is a good month at AghaRTA with the Robert Balzar Trio (29/11) and the Emil Viklický Trio (3/11) also dropping by. If this club offered season tickets we would thoroughly recommend getting one.

Another legend of the Czech music scene is composer and conductor Milan Svoboda. He is in action at Le Fabrika on 10/11, alongside saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi (USA):

Robert Balzar and his Trio have an alternate role in Czech music, as the core of singer Dan Bárta's band. It is unusual to see them together performing a small club gig but that is what is on offer at USP Jazz Lounge on 25/11. Be sure to book early as this will surely sell out in advance. If you're in the mood for some good vocal jazz then you are also in luck at USP with Miriam Bayle (14/11) and the Jana Koubková Quartet (13/11).

If you fancy some cool late-night jazz (finishing well after midnight) then Jazz Dock is the place to go. Pianist Najponk will be there on 22/11 and rising guitar star Libor Šmoldas will play with his Quartet on 25/11.

That wraps up our selection of gigs for this month. Of course there is a lot going on in the city so for more information click on the artist and club links to the right. Do remember to book ahead to be sure of a good seat.

Enjoy the music.

Be glad that you can.

Video: Karel Růžička x 2

2009-10-29T10:36:00.003+01:00

During the summer the Prague club stages were wowed by the combination of Karel Růžička senior (piano) and Karel Růžička junior (sax). Sadly they don't play together very often, but thanks to the miracle of YouTube we can relive the summer fun throughout the cold winter months. Here they are playing one of Růžička junior's compositions, "Seven Hills":

Details Of The Funky Way

2009-10-29T10:24:00.002+01:00

For anyone interested in Emil Viklický's new album, a collection of his jazz/rock work from 1975-1987, full details can be found here. The credits do read as a pretty impressive collection of Czech jazz stars, with some players from the world stage thrown in for good measure.

Our copy should be arriving soon, and a full review will follow.

Blast From The Past: Energit

2009-10-10T14:42:00.003+02:00

Here's something very special: Energit's "Paprsek ranního slunce" (Ray of morning sunshine) from the 1970s. Energit were a jazz rock band that featured some of the best local musicians of the time. On this recording you can hear the magical guitar work of a young Mr Luboš Andršt. Enjoy, and play it loud!

News: Filip Benešovský Interview

2009-10-10T14:17:00.002+02:00

My interview with Filip Benešovský, the man behind The Wall 2009, can be found here.

This recreation of the famous Pink Floyd show will take place on October 31 in Prague, and the performers will include Prague Jazz favourites such as Radim Hladík, Petr Kalfus and Lada Soukupová. Also appearing will be keyboard player and jazz musician Harry (son of Roger) Waters.

GigTips: October 2009

2009-10-03T16:09:00.006+02:00

Another month has gone by: how quickly the year seems to be slipping away. Apologies for the infrequent updates here on Prague Jazz: real life and other projects (of which hopefully more soon) have been relentlessly eating up my time. But of course there is still time to fill you in on the highlights of the Prague jazz scene for October.

At AghaRTA Jazz Centrum this month there is something very special: two nights (12, 13 /10) of the Jurkovič-Uhlíř-Helešic Trio. Alongside bassist František Uhlíř (often seen in Emil Viklický's Trio) will be two-handed tapping expert Darko Jurkovič and drummer Jaromír Helešic. These three brilliant musicians are undertaking a small European tour, performing in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and, of course, the Czech Republic. Their music is exciting and complex (but still strongly melodic) modern jazz – see them if you can.

At Jazz Dock the Infinite Quintet will be launching their new album, Speak Slowly, on 13/10. Innovative and challenging pianist Beata Hlavenková will perform there with her Trio on 15/10, and Ondřej Pivec returns from New York City for three nights with his Organic Quartet (16, 17, 18/10).

U Malého Glena has lots of good music this October, with the Robert Balzar Trio back in action on 8/9, and a collaboration between a fine pianist and a fine singer, Matej Benko and Miriam Bayle, on 23/10.

And finally, as is now traditional, if you really must go to Reduta then go and see the very wonderful Emil Viklický Trio. They will be there on 14/10, performing their usual blend of jazz standards, original compositions, and interpretations of traditional Moravian songs. We saw them last month and even by their usual standards they were superb, with lots of energy flowing through the band.

This is, of course, just a small taste of what is out there. Do follow our links to the club websites for full schedules, and remember to book ahead to be sure of getting a good table. And please don't forget to tell the venue that you saw the gig listed here.

News: Ondřej Pivec on Tour

2009-09-23T21:46:00.002+02:00

Ondřej Pivec and his Organic Quartet will return to action in Prague this autumn. He's been back in NYC for a few weeks but will be working hard when he gets back on home turf in October, including three nights at Jazz Dock. He will also be heading out to Brno and Ostrava!

Details can be found on his website.

News: Jazz Dance at USP

2009-09-23T20:47:00.002+02:00

News: The Funky Way Of Emil Viklický

2009-09-23T20:24:00.004+02:00

Great news for all fans of Emil Viklický: the collection of his 1970s and 1980s work with some of the other great names of Czech music (and indeed some great names from around the world) is almost with us.

It will be released on CD and also LP (there are some real audiophiles working on this project) by Vampisoul.

For more details please look here.

We'll be running a review here on PJ as soon we we get our hands on it!

New Albums

2009-09-06T21:27:00.003+02:00

There are a couple of new albums to look forward to in the second half of 2009:

Infinite Quintet will release their debut album Speak Slowly. It will be officially launched at Jazz Dock on 13th October.

Pianist Jan Knop (better known as Najponk) is launching his new work, Night Lights, this September and will be playing at U Malého Glena.

[Information from www.czechjazz.org]

News: Changes at USP

2009-09-06T21:10:00.003+02:00

USP Jazz Lounge are changing their style of programme, with the inclusion of more intimate acoustic nights, and also jazz dance nights. These special events are clearly marked on their website. They are also bringing some of the menu prices down, something that we here at Prague Jazz always think is a good idea.

They do have some good gigs at USP and it is a venue worth checking out when you have the time.

GigTips: September 2009

2009-09-02T20:10:00.005+02:00

Summer is on the way out and longer nights are on the way in, but that's no reason to be sad because the jazz of Prague is always in season. The leaves may turn brown but the music is evergreen here in this most special of cities. September will see a lull in the tourist crowds, but that just means more empty seats for locals to occupy while enjoying the unique sounds of the Prague Jazz world. So, what are you waiting for?

There are few more evergreen jazzers than pianist (and Prague Jazz favourite) Emil Viklický. He will be at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum on 18/9 with his Trio, playing his usual mix of standards, Moravian folk songs, and original compositions. The AghaRTA stage is quite small but if you would like to see just how many musicians it can hold then the reformed Yandim Band are unmissable (16, 17/9). They manage to squeeze nine up there, including three singers and Czech guitar legend Slávek Janda. Funky and fun they are an outfit worth seeing. Also good fun will be the Rhythm Desperados on 21,22/9.

At USP Jazz Lounge in September will be the recently reviewed musician, Karel Růžička sr. His saxophone playing son is back in New York City but the Czech pianist returns to action with his Trio on 10/9. Expect things dark. And heavy. And beautiful. On other nights you can see the Robert Balzar Trio (8/9) and the silky-voiced Veronika Diamant (27/9).

If last month's review and videos have made you want to go and see Stan the Man's Bohemian Blues Band then you can catch him every Monday night at U Malého Glena. Do make sure that you book ahead though: the size of the club means that with no reservation you probably will not get a table, never mind a table at the front. Alternatively you can go and see Goran Bregović, without reservation and for free, in the large expanse of Old Town Square on 17/9 (from 19:30). Okay, he's not really jazz (more like “crazy Balkan”), but this acclaimed musician from the former Yugoslavia is on tour with his “Weddings and Funerals Band” and wants to give us a free gig. Good man!

Finally, our traditional “if you must...” tip for going to Reduta. Eva Svobodová will be singing there on 29/9. Her voice is so beautiful that it makes up for the bar prices.

If you are interested in finding out more about some of the artists mentioned here please do take a look through our site: many of them have had their gigs and albums reviewed. If you want to know more about what is happening in general then follow the links to the clubs and the artists (on the right hand side). Please remember to book ahead to be sure of a good table, and do tell the venue that you saw the gig listed here.

Stan the Man on Video

2009-08-29T15:27:00.002+02:00

Following our recent review of Stan the Man's Bohemian Blues Band we thought that it would be fun to feature a couple of videos of them in action. Play them loud and enjoy:

Badman:

I Can't Sleep:

News: Jaromír Honzák "50"

2009-08-29T15:04:00.004+02:00

Master of the acoustic bass Jaromír Honzák will be celebrating his 50th birthday in style at the Palác Akropolis on 31/8. His guests will include many luminaries of the Czech scene, including Iva Bittová, Marek Eben, David Dorůžka, Beata Hlavenková and Jiří Slavíček.

The Akropolis is a fun venue with cheap beer and a starting time (19:00) that allows you to get to bed at a reasonable hour, something essential for a Monday night gig! More information (including ticket details) can be found here.

Gig Review: Stan The Man's Bohemian Blues Band

2009-08-20T13:26:00.006+02:00

U Malého Glena
17th August 2009

Edinburgh-born Stanislaw “Stan the Man” Wolarz is a true legend of the Prague live music scene. His Bohemian Blues Band has been in action for over a decade, based here but also touring around Europe. Even those expatriates who have somehow (I blame ignorance and stupidity) managed to remain unromanced by the music of Prague have heard of Stan. Tales of stumbling upon him and his outfit playing in some pub somewhere are part of the standard tale of the “good old days”, along with how cheap the beer used to be and how pretty it all was BT. Before Tesco.

Stan gigs a lot, but his most famous engagement is Monday night at U Malého Glena, the club that boasts “you have never been so close to music”. They have a point: At Little Glen's is a tiny place, with two rows of tables lined up in a semi-claustrophobic tunnel. At my usual seat at my usual table, at the front of course, my feet were only a few inches away from the front of the kick drum. It's a fun little joint, only let down by the fact that you have also probably never been so close to punching people to make them shut up during the sets. And gentlemen, beware the toilet door that opens with a clear view out onto the stairs. You have never been so close to flashing your wang at strangers.

The problem of talking isn't so great during Stan's concerts as it might be with others. Most people are stunned into silence, breaking it only to show their appreciation or express astonishment at the ferocious guitar technique they are seeing. The few remaining chatterers are drowned out, because the Bohemian Blues Band is loud. Seriously loud. Refreshingly loud. Electric guitar from Stan and electric bass from Anton Duratný. Acoustic drums from Kamil Nemec, but hit so hard and placed so close that amplification was unnecessary.

This is a band that sounds raw and real. They do not produce a slick, polished, syrupy “music product” to be played in the background at dinner parties. It is about emotion, it is about having fun, but it is mostly about the blues. Stan's trademark growled vocals are all feeling: even when the words get lost in the wall of sound the meaning is always clear. The meaning comes through his instrument as well, the Telecaster wailing, humming, responding to delicate touches and aggressive strikes alike. His mastery of his axe is staggering. The meaning comes through the man as well. He means it with every inch of his body. There is expression in everything he does.

Even when they played more familiar material it was never ordinary or average. “The Thrill Is Gone”(R. Darnell, R. Hawkins) was darker, dirtier, and spikier than B.B. King's famous version. “Further On Up The Road” (J. Veasey, D. Robey) was unforgiving. “I Just Want To Make Love To You” (W.Dixon) was pure sleaze. “Not Fade Away” (C. Hardin, N. Petty) was a blast, in the middle of which Stan left the stage while his band took their solos. The bass solo was funky, the drum solo was fast and showy; a drumstick-between-the-teeth moment got a loud cheer. It was their only big solo session of the night, the format of the gig being based on songs rather than extended individual extrapolations.

For the last two sets the band was joined by Robin Finesilver on piano. The small size of UMG means that a grand is out of the question, the only choice being an upright against the wall, honky tonk style. It suited the Bohemian Blues Band: a more refined instrument would have been unsatisfyingly out of place. With Finesilver in position the sound was more diverse, his enthusiastic pummelling of the keys sharing solo spots with Stan's six strings. Again the audience loved it, lapping up the action from a close range. Even those attendees who knew nothing about music liked the fact that the band was working hard. It was also fun to watch these guys working together, and at times fooling around. The occasional deliberate false start, the occasional jokey introduction.

We were well into tomorrow morning when the gig finished. “Big Boss Man” (J. Reed) ended the main set. Even though some of the earlier crowd had left during the last break – it always happens with late gigs – there were still more than enough of us to force an encore of “Hound Dog” (J. Leiber, M. Stoller) before the performers were allowed to escape.

Stan Wolarz is an entertainer. He speaks to the audience, will chat with the punters after the gig, and obviously takes pride in putting on a good show. He is also a musician to the core, who loves the blues and plays it with a passion and authenticity that brings it to life in a whole new way. It is not karaoke. It is not blues-lite. It is rough around the edges but in a satisfying way: a roughness that scratches away the itch of everyday life. Take the chance to see him if you can. You will never have been so close to the blues.

Prague Jazz Goes To Oxford

2009-08-14T11:03:00.002+02:00

Cherwell, the Oxford University student newspaper, has published a feature on jazz in Prague. It always nice to read articles that focus on the jazz scene here being alive and creative, and not just perpetuating the myth that it is a circus for tourists.

You can read the piece here.

Gig Review: Karel Růžička Quartet feat. Karel Růžička jr.

2009-08-09T14:10:00.004+02:00

Jazz Dock
2nd August 2009

I am very glad that they play different instruments and in different styles. Karel Růžička senior, a driving pianist, master of uneasy listening, caller down of the thunder. His son, Karen Růžička junior, a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, slick and soaring with lightening moves. Both incredibly talented, both writers, both arrangers, both charismatic onstage and off. But thankfully different: different enough that the awkward question of which of the two is better need not arise, and therefore the thoughtful listener is spared from making an arbitrary decision in order to tick a mental box. Like two fine spirits they are both intoxicating, both enjoyable. But mix them together in the right way, throw in a couple of extra ingredients, and let them shake it all up: jazz cocktail, jazz brilliance.

Růžička sr., award winner, composer, and former president of the Czech Jazz Society, can often be seeing playing in the jazz clubs of Prague with his Trio. His son is now based in New York City, a busy and acclaimed player on the local scene there. The two of them playing together is a special event, a fact reflected in the atmosphere at Jazz Dock. The rain was pouring down outside, a passing storm ripped the sky apart, but inside the purpose-built riverside venue there was even more of a buzz than usual.

Alongside the Karels the band comprised of Růžička sr.'s frequent collaborators, Josef Fečo on basses and Radek Němejc on drums: a tight unit of proficient musicians who know each other well. They played hard and with purpose, opening their account for the evening with a salvo of solos set into melodic group playing. That would be the format of the night, with the transitions between ensemble and individual sections always slick, always organic, never forced or clumsy.

Růžička jr.'s tenor sax work was spellbinding and clearly appreciated by the audience, who responded to his explorations spontaneously and enthusiastically. He is fast, very fast in fact, but never loses his sense of melody, never just burns for the sake of it. The tone he produces is rich and pleasing, as expressive as the notes he plays. At times he evoked grandeur, and at times beauty, and at times it was just nice'n'sleazy, the way that midnight jazz should sometimes be.

His father was not left in the shade, playing deep with lots of left hand, his work on their interpretation of “House of Jade” (W. Shorter) exciting yet contemplative. It was a pleasure seeing the pair perform together; the astonishing telepathy by which jazzers communicate being even stronger than normal between the two of them.

They played a lot of original material, concentrating on Růžička jr.'s compositions. “Lucky in Kentucky” (also known as “Seven Hills”) gave us sweet, stupefying saxophone and some thumping work on piano. “Coffee Machine” did exactly what the title suggests, frantic, edgy and at high speed, but again it was a good tune and not just a technical exercise. “Coffee Machine” also saw Fečo swap his acoustic bass for an electric five-stringed version, on which he funked and slapped joyfully. Normally with Růžička sr.'s Trio he keeps it acoustic, and it was a bit of a shock to see him on guitar. He also used it for “Groovy Blues”, (his electric solo was a revelation – who knew?) and “Flight”, both upbeat Růžička jr. numbers.

It was spectacular, it felt good. It was one of those nights. Libor Pešek, the world famous conductor and former musical director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic came forward to the stage when a song was dedicated to him and was clearly having fun. We had a blast of "Summertime" (G. Gerswin) as a sax, drums and bass trio. Růžička sr. directed the clapping. I got filmed grooving in the corner by Růžička jr.'s girlfriend. Some glass got broken in the back rows towards the end of the night. It wasn't that the music was the background to some social event; people were listening intently. It's just that with so much energy on the stage some of it rubs off onto the audience!

All through the night Radek Němejc kept time and kept it anchored. Subtle and responsive, his shifting rhythms and patterns took their place in the soundscape without being overbearing. Some nice work with brushes and mallets kept his sound interesting, kept the listener wanting to listen.

It was back to the standards towards the end, with “Giant Steps” (J. Coltrane) bopping hard with lots of energy. There was no way that they were getting away from Jazz Dock without an encore that night. Father and son returned to the stage, the younger picked up his flute, and together they finished off with “Largo” from Dvořák’s “New World Symphony”. It started simple, a duet straight and by the book, before each in turn took their bow with a last flash of improvisation. Two men, two instruments, a simple melody, but somehow epic and definitely emotional.

It was great stuff, and it was a special treat to see the two Růžičkas playing together. Senior is one of the great names of Czech jazz, not only in terms of his playing but also his importance in developing the music in the country. Junior is worthy of taking the stage with this modest giant of the genre, and worthy of carrying his name.

GigTips: August 2009

2009-08-02T14:02:00.010+02:00

August, and the end of the summer is with us. Holidaymakers from around the world are with us too, visiting this great city and hopefully coming to sample some of the jazz for which Prague is rightly famous. Do remember though that it is not just for the tourists: for any music-loving resident of Prague at a loose end the jazz clubs are always a good option. The music is very real, the standard very high, and not all the clubs are very expensive!

The cheapest club to get into and drink in, as long as you stay off the silly cocktails, is the new late night haven, Jazz Dock. Prague-based Chicago bluesman Rene Trossman will be passing through on 4/8, while excellent young saxophonist Petr Kalfus will be there with his Quartet on 16/8. If you are feeling adventurous and fancy a bit of Nu-jazz then respected acoustic bassist Jaromír Honzák will play with his Face of the Bass project on 13/8.

There will be a special gig at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum on 7/8, not just one Karel Růžička but two! The acclaimed pianist is joined by his son, the saxophonist now based in New York City. It will be exciting to see them play together but be warned, Růžička senior is not an exponent of easy listening! Expect the music to be mostly melodic but usually challenging. The Rhythm Desperados will be up to their usual fun and frolics for two nights (23,24/8) followed by the ever brilliant Luboš Andršt Group (25,26/8).

There is also brilliance on offer at USP Jazz Lounge in August, with the superb František “Paganini of the Bass” Uhlíř playing with his Trio on 12/8, and modern pianist Beata Hlavenková fronting her outfit on 20/8.

Finally for this month, if you really want to sample the slice of Prague jazz history that is Reduta, then 31/8 is your best bet: the ever-enjoyable Emil Viklický will be on with his Trio.

This is just a small selection of what's on offer; personal recommendations from PJHQ. Do follow the links to the club websites for a fuller picture, and don't forget to reserve your places to be sure of good seats. And please, do let the venue know that you saw the gig tipped here on Prague Jazz.

Gig Review: Rhythm Desperados

2009-07-30T13:21:00.006+02:00

AghaRTA Jazz Centrum
28th July 2009

Turning on the television or reading a newspaper can bring you down. Swine flu, terrorism, floods, droughts, economic chaos, unemployment, the enduring appeal of Oasis: everything's total rubbish. Sometimes it feels like there is no fun left in the world. But then something comes along to remind you that, against all odds, there actually there is: Rhythm Desperados.

This is not a reversal of policy at PJHQ - we're still music snobs of the highest order - but outfits that can combine excellent original writing, interesting arranging, superb playing, and still fool around on the stage joyously are sadly few and far between. As such they deserve all the attention they can get.

The band is based round a core of Boris Urbánek (keys), Michal Žáček (saxes and flute) and Michal Hejna (drums). Bass and percussion duties are more flexible, with Martin Lehký and Pavel Plánka often filling the roles but for this gig it was Imran Musa Zangi hitting things like a nutter and Wimpy Tichota taking care of the low end. All of them are fine musicians, playing in a wide variety of bands. When they come together as Rhythm Desperados it is almost a “supergroup” of modern Czech jazz, although the term is not really correct. Supergroups tended to collapse under the weight of their own egos and the whole was often less than the sum of the parts. This is certainly not what happens with this band.

The first set was straight down the line, focusing mainly on original work composed by the talented Urbánek. Žáček leads from the front, an emotive whole-body player who really makes the instrument sing and uses the range of the soprano saxophone well. His solos were intense and instinctive, real crazy knife-edge stuff, but they were always placed naturally into the songs and never uncomfortably stuck on to prove a point. The keyboard solos were pretty intense too, again dispensed with good taste as well as fast fingers.

The rhythm section was certainly not being shown up while all this was going on, playing very fast and very furious. "Volcano" (B. Urbánek) featured both drummer and percussionist thrashing away like mad while tension was built up using synthesiser rumbles and swooshes. Tichota, as well as putting bounce into the funky sound, also had some really sweet moments such as in "First Snow" (B. Urbánek), playing melodic bass runs in unison with rolling piano.

The overall tempo was fast and upbeat, moments of funk and moments of fusion, with some Latin flavours too. It was a good mix of sounds, cohesive but with enough variation to be interesting. There were also gentler times during the show, such as the romantic "Déjà vu" (B. Urbánek), but celebratory rather than contemplative was the order of the day.

The second set was where the fun broke loose. An opening piano and flute duet that deviated into The Big Country. "Sunny" (B. Hebb) was given a lively presentation with gaps left for the audience to sing the “I love you” line. That then turned into a medley that incorporated Für Elise, Bésame Mucho and Popcorn. All with tongue very firmly in cheek of course, the band having previously set out its impeccable artistic credentials and now at complete liberty to screw around. The crowd loved it, although I do wish that audiences in general were as receptive to original, exciting music as they always are to stuff they've heard on the radio.

The club was pretty full considering that it was a midweek gig, and as usual for AghaRTA most people were there to listen. There are always exceptions, in this case a few French persons who drank small coffees and had big mouths. A couple of dirty looks did the trick, and pretty soon they were fully collaborating. But if you want to talk why get a table right at the front, right by the stage? As well as disrupting the music for others it is just rude to the band, an especially odd thing to do when the garlic gang were actually enjoying the show.

The remainder of the evening wasn't just fooling around with familiar numbers: there was more original material to come, including “All Or Nothing”, that Urbánek told us he wrote a quarter of a century ago. Regardless of age it sounded fresh, something that could be said about the Rhythm Desperados in general, and also about their stomping version of “Birdland” (J. Zawinul). Big and meaty, properly loud, and the band having a ball.

Watching this outfit was half the pleasure. Zangi's work on percussion was relentless, only interrupted when he reached down to pull out yet another stick, block, shaker, thing that goes boing, or a cocktail. Žáček's total commitment to his playing was spectacular, and Urbánek is no slouch either; some excellent playing from him as well as a lot of enthusiasm, getting the audience clapping along and generally looking like he was enjoying himself.

The Rhythm Desperados are an interesting and unusual band. There are some groups in this city that pursue creative excellence and there are some that just set out to entertain. These guys prove that the two are not mutually exclusive. It was hard not to be impressed by their musicianship and the original compositions. It was also hard not to smile. Go and see them. It's probably more fun than anything else you've got planned.

News: AghaRTA Open Air Concerts

2009-07-29T14:50:00.003+02:00

This year's AghaRTA Open Air Concerts will take place on August 1st and 2nd, in the beautiful setting of Prague's Old Town Square. The performances are between 14:00 and 20:00 each day, feature some of the big names of Czech jazz (including Jan Štolba, Štěpán Markovič, Pavel Razím, Rhythm Desperados), and are totally free. These gigs are always a special event so come along if you can.

The full details can be found here.

News: Emil Viklický Album Release Date

2009-07-27T14:23:00.003+02:00

Hot news from the man himself: The new Emil Viklický Trio album, Sinfonietta - Janáček Of Jazz, will be out on October 29th, 2009.

The prospect of this record is causing no little excitement here at PJHQ - obviously we will post review of the album as soon as we get our hands on it!

Emil Viklický London Review

2009-07-26T17:41:00.004+02:00

There was a very interesting review of the recent concert at which Emil appeared alongside two Swedish acts, marking the handover of the European Union presidency. It was published in Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper: you can read it it here. Emil may not have been the headline act but he was the star of the show!

Photos From The Organic DVD Recording

2009-07-25T11:31:00.002+02:00

Here are some pictures from the recent DVD recording at Divadlo Disk on 16/7, courtesy of photographer Patrick Marek.

Apology: A Mess of Emails!

2009-07-25T11:24:00.001+02:00

For some reason Blogger published some of my emails as postings on this site. I am not sure how it happened and will be checking the security settings on my machine. I have now removed the mess of emails: please be assured that this site is NOT becoming a feast of spam!

Organic DVD Recording

2009-07-17T23:16:00.004+02:00

Last night (16/7) saw the much awaited concert by Ondřej Pivec and friends, recorded for DVD release by Animal Music in 2010. This was a professional job: Divadlo Disk packed to capacity, five cameras (including one on a boom for sweeping shots over the stage and audience), and over two hours of great music.

The first set was by the Organic Quartet in familiar format with Kuba Doležal on tenor saxophone, Libor Šmoldas on guitar, and Tomáš Hobzek working away on the kit. They played their usual brand of original material, honed and refined on the road. Ondřej's rig now features a new Hammond put through a Leslie cabinet, recreating one of the greatest sounds in music.

For the second set they were joined by saxophonist Joel Frahm (USA), along with Miroslav Hloucal on trumpet. The result was a tight sextet, double sax and trumpet working well. Frahm was on stellar form, his wild solos rapturously received.

The grand finale saw the stage straining to also accommodate the dozen or so members of the Bucinatores Big Band: brass, woodwind, Tomáš Liška on bass, and a big, big sound. With so many players the music was more structured but there was still room for improvisation. It was then back to the sextet for the first encore, and finally a trio of Frahm, Pivec, and Šmoldas to softly play out the night.

Both sets were good, the second especially so in places. The sextet managed to hit the zone where the music had something really special going on. The DVD should be treat: look out of news (and of course an in-depth review) on Prague Jazz.

Bohemia Jazz Fest in The Prague Post

2009-07-10T11:15:00.003+02:00

An unusually interesting article about the Bohemia Jazz Fest is featured in this week's Prague Post - you can read it here.

News: Ondřej Pivec on TV

2009-07-08T10:20:00.005+02:00

According to OP's management Ondřej will be on news channel ČT24 tonight (July 8th) at 19:30 (Prague time) with his band. If you don't have access to the channel you can also watch over the internet at http://www.ct24.cz/vysilani/.

Update, 8/7/09 (19:00) - Sadly the powers to be at the TV station have bumped the piece to make room for something on the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Details of rescheduled broadcast when we have them.

Gig Review: Ondřej Pivec / Petr Kalfus Trio

2009-07-07T18:24:00.005+02:00

Jazz Dock
5th July 2009

Gigs often leave an overriding impression, something about them that really stands out during the night and dominates memories. Sometimes they are historic, sometimes they are outstandingly beautiful. Sometimes you see technical wizardry that makes your fingers hurt just by watching it. Sometimes it is serious and dark and sometimes it is all a bit of a giggle. Sometimes, as was the case this time, it is all about energy. That is not to say that there wasn't virtuoso playing or moments of spine-tingling “rightness” or any of the other good things, but boy was it turbo charged. From opening number to the encore (half past one, the next morning) this band never seemed to let up for an instant.

The Trio was fronted by superb young saxophonist Petr Kalfus, a player who combines the ability to knock out lightening runs with subtlety and a sense of melody. He handles his horn with good taste and, even in the wilds of improvisation, maintains a sense of purpose that keeps the music moving forward.

Ondřej Pivec on Hammond organ made sure that there was plenty of width to the sound, playing melody, left hand bass, and also dancing his feet over the bass pedals. The Hammond is an instrument of restrained power, with one firm full-on blast being all that is needed to leave the front rows of the audience with bleeding ears. Pivec is a true organist, not just a pianist or keyboard player transplanted onto the instrument, and shows a real understanding of how the Hammond works. He's constantly in control of the sound, changing its texture and washing it in and out using a volume pedal.

The regular Trio was completed by drummer Martin Novák, a sensitive and listening player who complimented the work of others instead of ploughing on straight through. His solos were hot, but it was the shifting, sliding, responsive rhythms during ensemble playing that really stood out. The fourth member of the "Trio" was a special guest, acclaimed guitarist and recent returnee from Canada, Petr Zelenka.

Together they formed a tight outfit, pumping out the material with gusto. Kalfus and Zelenka are both physically expressive players, losing themselves in the music as their solos climaxed. There was room for everyone to step out but also some satisfying moments of four-way cooperation. Pivec's rumbling bass notes gave soloists something to soar above. Sax and guitar merged and blended well with each other, the latter being lyrical and smooth at some times, sharp and angular at others.

The band took on some challenging material and delivered it well. Joe Henderson's Inner Urge and Wayne Shorter's Night Dreamer are not the easiest ones in the book to play but they were convincing and enjoyable, interpreted by this hard blowing combo that attacks with style. The tempo was mainly fast and furious, but even when it stepped down a notch the underlying energy remained, generated by the sense of a band having fun.

Some cute variations were thrown in, making sure that the show never got dull. There was a dark, sinister soundscape created by muted organ, guitar, and Novák squeaking the metals. The few ballads were duly balladic and, intentional or not, the playing of a dark smoky number at the stroke of midnight was a neat touch. Nothing says midnight like mellow legato solos and brushes, and it fitted the candlelit tables and waterfront location perfectly.

It was another good gig at the Jazz Dock, a sort of club that is suited to this sort of music. The volume was loud enough to drown out the occasional chatter of posers at the bar and the shaking of iced cocktails. The cool sounds of sax and organ fitted the cool atmosphere of the room, a room that feels like a small piece of New York City moved east. Above all it was good to see a young band playing with so much maturity and flair. While the performance contained many traditional elements this was not jazz by numbers: it was exciting, energetic and very enjoyable.

GigTips: July 2009

2009-07-02T14:40:00.003+02:00

We're now over halfway though 2009, and so far it has been a great year for music if not for the weather. Hopefully we are now going to get some proper summer in the city, although just because it gets hot don't forget your umbrella. Those storms come fast and seemingly out of nowhere!

With luck the rain will hold off for the Bohemia Jazz Fest, the Prague dates of which are 12-13/7. This is a chance to see jazz talent from around the world, including Chris Potter Underground on the Sunday and Medeski, Martin and Wood on the Monday. There will be Czech jazz represented too, in the form of the Milan Svoboda Quartet. Free, and staged in the beautiful setting of Old Town Square, this is an event to savour.

Another unique concert that is worth a mention is bassist George Mraz with Hank Jones (p.) and Willie Jones (dr.) playing at one of the Jazz na Hradě concerts on 14/7.

Just because acts appear regularly it does not make them any less good, and all blues fans are advised not to forget the two great bluesmen of U Malého Glena, Stan “The Man” Wolarz on Mondays and Rene Trossman on Wednesdays. Rene's music is very much Chicago blues whereas Stan belts it out rough and raw, very different but both are fantastic guitarists. Another fantastic guitarist is of course Luboš Andršt: see him at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum on 19-20/7 with his Group.

The newest club on the scene, Jazz Dock, thankfully didn't float away in the recent floods, and if you're after some hard Hammond then watch out for Ondřej Pivec – he'll be there with his Trio and saxophonist Petr Kalfus on 5/7 and with his ORGANIC Quartet on 30-31/7.

As ever this is just a small selection of what is going on. Check out the links below for full details of all the main clubs and festivals. Remember to book ahead if you want to be sure of getting a good table in the smaller clubs, and please do tell the venue that you saw the gig listed here.

Viklický / Wellins At AghaRTA

2009-06-29T11:36:00.010+02:00

The last night of this CZ-GB mini-tour (28/6) was once again a delight to witness. Bass duties were taken over by Petr Dvorský but otherwise the outfit was the same as before: Emil Viklický, Bobby Wellins and Dave Wickens.

It was probably the tightest of the three performances, loaded with improvisation but always retaining melody and musicality. From the lyrical to the blistering they tore through such exciting material as Caravan (J. Tizol) and the gorgeous Monk's Mood (T. Monk). The lack of repetition over the three dates was truly impressive, with the outfit producing three very different shows.

It was a true privilege and pleasure to see these gentlemen making music together and it is to be hoped that Bobby and Dave pass this way again soon.

(Left to right: Dave Wickens, Bobby Wellins, Petr Dvorský, Emil Viklický, Tony Emmerson)

Photos: Viklický / Wellins At Wallenstein Garden

2009-06-28T16:08:00.004+02:00

Summer rain interfered with proceedings at Wallenstein Garden yesterday (27/6) but the quartet still played for an hour to a damp but appreciative crowd.

Emil Viklický & Bobby Wellins

2009-06-27T12:39:00.005+02:00

British sax legend Bobby Wellins (he of Stan Tracey's Under Milk Wood fame) is in town and playing with Emil in a short burst of concentrated coolness. They were at Reduta on 26/6, will be at the Wallenstein Garden at 6PM on 27/6, and also at AghaRTA Jazz Centrum on 28/6. They don't play together often but it is tight, exciting, fun and powerful. This is the cream of modern European jazz jamming together: real music by real musicians.

The full band comprises of Emil with with Bobby Wellins, Dave Wickens (drums), and his regular bassist František Uhlíř.

Pictures from Reduta (26/6):

Ondřej Pivec OQ Back From China

2009-06-24T18:58:00.005+02:00

Ondřej and his ORGANIC Quartet have just returned from a successful trip to China where they played two gigs and took in the local sights. The band are now embarking upon a busy schedule of live and session work, including their recorded-for-DVD gig on July 16th.

Pictures courtesy of OPOQ's management.

Michal Prokop & Framus Five at United Islands (20/6)

2009-06-21T17:20:00.004+02:00

The early afternoon rain didn't dampen spirits at the Czech Stage of the United Islands festival, although admittedly we were nicely sheltered in a big tent! PJ's highlight of the day was undoubtedly the set by Prokop and his Framus Five band. Incredibly three of the outfit (Luboš Andršt, Wimpy Tichota, Pavel Razím) had just stepped off a flight from Bucharest where the night before the Luboš Andršt Blues Band had been in action!

News: Bohemia Jazz Fest Information

2009-06-21T16:46:00.004+02:00

The Bohemia Jazz Fest website has been updated with the full list of performers as well as performance times. This festival travels around the country, featuring different performers every night. The current dates are as follows: Prague (July 12th - 13th), Domažlice (July 14th), Pilsen (July 15th), Tábor (July 16th), Prachatice (July 17th), Telč (July 18th) and, České Budějovice (July 19th).

News: Rudy Linka on Radio Prague

2009-06-16T18:55:00.004+02:00

Rudy Linka, the Czech-born guitarist and driving force behind the Bohemia Jazz Fest is interviewed by Radio Prague. You can read or listen here.

News: The Wall 2009

2009-06-15T18:33:00.003+02:00

Exciting news for Pink Floyd fans: There will be a recreation of Roger Waters's magnum opus performed at Prague's O2 Arena on 31st October, 2009!

And why mention this rock event on PJ? Because it is going to feature a huge chunk of Czech musical talent, spanning the genres and including some of our regularly mentioned artists. Rock / blues guitar legend Radim (Mr Blue Effect) Hladík will be playing, as will a rising star of the jazz saxophone, Petr Kalfus. One of our favourite (but sadly rarely seen) female vocalists, Lada Soukupová will also be there.

Full details of the show, the cast of thousands, and how to buy tickets can be found at http://www.thewall2009.cz/