Jazzová KLAUSura Continues...

The fifth JK concert, featuring American singer Deborah Davis, completed the 2013 programme of the former President's concert series.

Having written the programme notes for concert there is little to add in the way of a review, other than to say it was a a thoroughly professional and accomplished performance by the well-travelled singer and her Czech and Slovak band for the night. Presenting herself with flamboyance and glamour she showcased her interpretations and arrangements of classic tunes, including a seasonal encore, and was a commanding presence in the intimate auditorium that is the Autoklub.

The band, led by pianist Tomáš Jochmann, maintained that delicate balance of being sensitive to the singer's needs while at the same time keeping their own playing interesting and attractive in its own right. Young saxophonist Jan Fečo was a revelation, and is definitely a star in the making.

Bringing together musicians from around the world for one-night-only collaborations has been one of the most exciting aspects of the Jazzová KLAUSura concerts, and hopefully 2014 will bring more excellent entertainment for fans of sophisticated and unique jazz concerts in Prague.

Jazzová KLAUSura 4 - Deczi & DePino

The fourth concert in this new series under the patronage of former President Václav Klaus featured Slovak-born trumpet maestro Laco Deczi and the latest formation of his Cellula New York band, bringing their electric mix of jazz, Latin funk and blues to the ordinarily more genteel surroundings of Prague's Autoklub. Just to make sure they got the place really rocking they also brought along Chris DePino - a chromatic harmonica player, singer and larger-than-life character - who would effectively front the band on this unique night of Deczi's extensive homeland tour.

It was encouraging to see the Autoklub floor packed and rows of faces peering down from the balcony on a night when competition came not only from the usual jazz clubs but also Wayne Shorter, who was playing down the road. With the lights down, audience seated and Mr Klaus occupying his usual front row centre position, Cellula New York (minus dePino) opened with "Plostica", a live favourite and typical of Deczi's writing and arranging; fast and intricate with flowing lines and Latin beats and the band very, very together. Michael Krásný's mastery of the six-string bass is one of the defining features of this current Cellula formation. A phenomenal young (and loud) player, his speedy fingers allow him to lead from the back and push the band through countless changes of direction.

It was starting to seem like the Krásný show when the second song opened with his new-agey played and sung solo, until it merged into the slower "Atlantic" and DePino joined the band. In an evening of frenzied instrumentals it was pleasing to hear Cellula occasionally playing a moody ballad rather than just setting off the fireworks, and they also dug out the jazz standard "Lover Man" for a few minutes of aesthetically immaculate reflection.

DePino brought with him not only his chromatic harmonica but also the showmanship and stage presence of an American performer, interacting with the audience and paying as much attention to balcony as the front rows. As a singer he delivered the meaty "American Blues" convincingly as well as showing his instrumental agility;  it is no small achievement for a harmonica player to handle the lines required by this demanding music and this demanding musician, Deczi.

Drummer Vaico Deczi (Laco's eldest son) was working overtime for most of the night, maintaining perfect precision while rattling through his father's high-speed originals, including the test of physical and mental stamina that is "Poison Bird". Together with Krásný and keyboardist Jan Aleš he created the pulsating Latin sound that got some of the ladies of the balcony dancing and rattled the windows of this intimate hall.

At first glance you'd expect 75 year old Laco Deczi to be knocking on the door asking for the noise to be turned down rather than being the key noisemaker himself. Showing little regard for the calendar he's still an excellent trumpeter, capable of playing big, fast music without a stumble. His new incarnation of Cellula, packed with young talent, has settled in and  buzzes with energy. Received with loud applause from the full house, this popular Jazzová KLAUSura concert proved this is a series that can bring electric entrainment as well as more traditional acoustic-oriented jazz to the refined music fans of Prague.

Many thanks to Chris DePino for his insight and thoughts on the concert and their setlist. 

Jazzová KLAUSura 3 is coming

The third jazz concert hosted by the former president is on September 4th at the Autoklub. There is now an official website with details of past and future concerts, and a link to buy tickets - take a look at http://jazz.klausura.cz/

News: Jazzová KLAUSura Concert 2

Tickets for the second Jazzová KLAUSura concert are on sale at www.ticketstream.cz.

Jazz After The Castle

Lew Tabackin and the Emil Viklický Trio
Autoklub České Republiky
23.05.13

As President of the Czech Republic, Václav Klaus may have irritated the environmentalists but he delighted his fellow jazz lovers by hosting monthly concerts at Prague Castle. There were 90 Jazz na Hradě concerts in all, performed in the Castle state rooms and gardens, where some of the biggest names in world jazz performed alongside the cream of the Czech scene. While lacking the closeness and informality of club gigs, these prestigious showcases demonstrated Klaus's personal commitment to the music, and the associated sponsorship allowed a Prague audience to see players who would otherwise be unlikely to drop by. They also had the advantage that even the densest of tourists understood that this was a concert, not an opportunity to talk loudly and eat crisps, and so music could occur against a blank sonic canvas, not a symphony of morons.

New President Miloš Zeman has not continued with Jazz na Hradě but the concept, the logo, some of the organisers and the man himself have relocated. Under the title of Jazzová KLAUSura, the new concert series kicked off at the Autoklub České Republiky with American flute and tenor sax maestro Lew Tabackin. He needed a band to play with, and when the Czech Republic needs a pianist you know that Emil Viklický will probably get a phone call. With Petr Dvorský on acoustic bass and Tomáš Hobzek on drums, Tabackin had a band with which he could speak the language of music even if he couldn't pronounce their surnames.

It worked. This Czech trio were able to keep up with Tabackin through his own compositions as well as the standard songbook, and while he was the star of the show he also had star quality behind him too. The originals included "Desert Lady", the title track of his 1990 album held together with evocative flute work, and the hard swinging and smile-inducing "B flat". There were a couple of superb Duke Ellington interpretations, "Self Portrait (of the Bean)" and "Sunset and the Mocking Bird", which were performed with exuberance and panache, his virtuoso improvisations stretching out far beyond the recorded originals. Stalking around, stamping the stage and generally being cool, this was ninety minutes of music that started well and got even better as the band played itself in.

Everybody got some time in the solo spotlight and nobody abused it. Hobzek is maturing into an excellent drummer, making good on the potential he showed when he was with the Organic Quartet, Dvorský is one of the must-have bass names working in the country at the moment, and Emil is Emil. As much as we love his usual concerts it is always interesting to see a musician you know well doing something completely different, and it is unusual to see him in the role of sideman. He provided sophisticated but unselfish accompaniment, listening and responding to Tabackin, and that connection made the show so much more than just a star and some hired hands.

The Autoklub is smaller than the halls of Prague Castle, but what is lost in swank is gained in intimacy. Klaus had a smaller entourage and he was happily talking to people before and after the music. The lone protection officer stayed out of the way, enjoying his earpiece and radio, and while there were still some VIPs they were there for the music rather than to be seen and photographed. The machinery around Jazzová KLAUSura is just starting up. Hopefully there will be a web page soon, and a bit more promotion. It would have been easy for Klaus and the organisers to look back at almost a hundred Castle gigs and decide that it was time for the music to stop. Jazz enthusiasts in Prague should be happy that this did not happen, and although the new setting is less glamorous it may well turn out to provide an even better experience for the true music fan.