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.

Concert for Milan Peroutka

I am normally happy to promote gigs, but this one is a sad occasion. Drummer Milan Peroutka, perhaps best known for his work with Czech rock band Olympic, also played with jazz-rock outfit Q-Rats. He died on May 4th, and Robin Finesilver and the remaining Q-Rats will be playing a tribute concert for their friend in June.

Details of the concert can be found here.

Recent Releases (Part 1)

This blog may have been in hibernation over the last few months but the Czech jazz and blues world didn't stop turning, and some noteworthy albums were released by some of the biggest names on the local scene. Here then is the first part of our roundup of the best recent albums and re-releases. 


Prague's very own Chicago bluesman, Rene Trossman, returned to the studio to produce the upbeat I'm On a Roll. This is a full-blown, lush-sounding Chicago blues experience, featuring the swirling Hammond of long-time collaborator Jan Kořínek, the funky, clipped bass of Jan Tengler, and a horn section with enough punch to win a barroom fight. Rene is sounding happy here, with the title track an exuberant celebration of winning at life and "Down at Rosa's" paying tribute to one of Chicago's most famous blues venues.


Even the love songs, and this being the blues they aren't songs of happy ever after, are free of bitterness. "I Still Think About You", sung as a duet with Lenka Novotná, is a fusion of joyful playing and heartbreaking lyrics. "You Sure Left In A Hurry" is exactly the story you'd expect it to be, but Rene sings as the affected but worldly-wise and accepting participant rather than the pathetic struggling victim.


This album makes you feel good. The musicianship is as excellent as you would expect it to be, with Rene's Strat coming through loud and clear.  Nine of the eleven songs are originals, and creativity was clearly high when they were written. No fillers, and all good stuff. There's always an edge to Trossman's work, the edge of a man who has lived a lot and got hurt along the way but is still standing. If there is an overall message to this album it is that love is not easy and the world is not right, but that's not going to keep a good man (or a good guitarist) down for long.


More information about Rene and I'm On a Roll can be found here.


Jan Kořínek also appears on Daily Specials, an instrumental album by American guitarist and producer Steve Walsh. Joined this time by Tomáš Liška on bass and Daniel Šoltis on drums, this is a recording blending jazz, blues, rock and a little bit of country (see the delicate "A Little Piece of Tennessee" for proof).


Highlights include an absolutely storming version of Duke Ellington's "Blue Pepper" and the aggressive "Conjunction Mars" (Melvin Sparks).  Walsh plays with a dirty, fuzzy tone that takes up a lot of space. Liška is the unsung hero, holding his own with an acoustic bass in an electric band.


There's nothing on Daily Specials that is going to change your life, but it is interesting enough to make it worth a listen. International collaborations are good things, and we're in favour of anything that spreads the word and shows musicians around the world just how good the Czech players are. It would have been a better album if they'd taken a few more risks and let things hang out a bit more, but there are plenty of moments to make you smile. 

More information on Daily Specials here.


Continuing with the transatlantic theme, but this time with Czechs in America rather than the other way round, we have 18 Days, 2000 Miles by the Libor Šmoldas Quartet. This album was recorded during a studio break on their 2011 USA tour, a tour that lasted and covered... well.. you can guess. Although it is a studio album the Quartet were in full live performance mode,and so it does feel like a live recording with the audience silenced.


Libor has blossomed as a guitarist over recent years, and here he is heard with his fellow ex-Organic Quartet bandmate Tomáš Hobzek on drums, Petr Beneš on piano and Josef Fečo on acoustic bass. It is very much a no-nonsense modern jazz album, with cohesive ensemble playing and skillful solos. The standout piece is the absolutely gorgeous "Lenka", written by Fečo, a sophisticated ballad that opens with a melodic and perfectly judged bass solo.  There is no trickery here, no attempts at being overly clever, just a reminder that there are still good things for musicians to say when they open their hearts.


There is a joyfulness about Libor's guitar playing that is conveyed well on this record, and he can swing and bop with the best of them. One moment paying tribute to Wes Montgomery with his own composition, the next performing a credible interpretation of John Carisi's "Israel", this is a cool album to listen to on a hot summer's day.


A taste of the band's genuinely live sound is provided by the bonus track, "Moanin'" (Bobby Timmons) with special guest and ex-Jazz Messenger Bobby Watson on sax. They do the event justice, and once again Czech musicians perform credibly alongside world-famous counterparts. 


Read more about Libor at his website.




The second part of our overview of interesting recent releases is coming soon, so do stick around...

New Republic

Jazz Republic, the strangely placed music club in Můstek Metro station, has reinvented itself and set itself apart from Prague's other jazz venues by no longer charging an admission fee. The concerts are sponsored by the Lobkowicz Brewing Company, and one can only hope that they're providing enough cash to pay the musicians a respectable fee.

The positive side of this model is that it has become a lot cheaper to see some of Prague's best jazz musicians. There are some decent names playing there, including the "Live and Together" jam sessions where some unusual combinations share the stage.

The free door policy and the location means that there are lot of casual visitors, and so the level of talking can be very high. Thankfully a lot of them are so casual that they move on after a couple of drinks, with just a hardcore of serious music fans being there for the entire evening.

It isn't the best musical experience out there - the talking is distracting and you're seldom going to get a focused audience that energises the performers - but it is a cheap way to sample bands you're not sure if you'll like. There is a good selection of beers on sale, including Lobkowicz of course, and even with the slightly inflated bar prices it is still easier on the pocket than most other live music options. If you can make it through the night without punching a talker it is definitely worth visiting.