Feature: Žižkov Meets Jazz

The underground warren of Palác Akropolis once again played host to the annual Žižkov Meets Jazz music festival, and Prague Jazz was there for the opening evening. Over two nights it was possible to see some big names in Czech jazz, and also younger up-and-coming outfits, for a bargain price. Tickets bought in advance were only 120CZK, and even in this post-credit-crunch world that is not a hefty cost. As an added sweetener there were selections of whiskeys and cigars available for free at the beginning of the night, and it was easily possible to smoke and drink yourself into a net profit on the evening. Sadly not many of the cigars were fired up instantly, although there was still a pleasing affluent fug around some of the tables.

The first of the two main acts was Veronika Diamant with her new Sofajazz project. The name may suggest “lounge music” as found in the world’s worst best hotels but do not be deceived. Darker and more powerful than the outfit she had with her in concert last year it benefited immensely from the addition of piano to the previous guitar/bass/drums arrangement. Song-led, but with interesting instrumental passages, they put together a confident set. Some of her older standards made it through, such as the Czech version of “Jersey Girl” (Tom Waits) and “It Ain't Necessarily So” (Gershwin / Gershwin), but there was also a lot of new material. Diamant’s voice sounded stronger and more expressive than ever and hopefully there is a lot more to come from her and Sofajazz.

During the break between main sets the young Latin-influenced outfit Zeurítia played in the adjoining small hall, leaving just enough time for people to return to their seats for the second main act, Polish-Cuban vocalist Yvonne Sánchez. Playing with a stripped down acoustic band, with just percussion and acoustic guitar, she gave a sensitive yet gutsy performance that delighted the sold-out Akropolis. Including pieces from her recent My Garden album, she sang in both Czech and English with equal beauty. Pedro Tagliani did a good job on guitar, even generating a searing “electric” solo from his acoustic axe using an effects box, much to the confusion of those who do not understand such oral alchemy.

Zeurítia played a final brief set in the small hall to end the night. It was good that all the tickets for this event were sold. Hopefully this will ensure that the annual Žižkov Meets Jazz festival not only continues, but also continues attracts the sort of sponsors who merrily will dole out Scotch and stogies to happy jazz fans.

News: Žižkov Meets Jazz

Once again winter brings, along with hot wine and cold mornings, the Žižkov Meets Jazz festival. This year it features acts including rising star guitarist David Dorůžka with his Trio, the smooth samba grooves of Yvonne Sanchez, and Nika Diamant (now seemingly known as Veronika) with her SofaJazz project.

ŽMJ will take place on the 7th and 8th of November in the underground maze that is Palác Akropolis. If you want to grab some food before the music we at Prague Jazz heartily recommend the pub diagonally opposite the Akropolis - as well as Czech favourites they do the best steak in this city.

More details at: http://www.palacakropolis.cz/program/2008-11-07

News: Nika Diamant Interview on Radio Prague

It looks like there is another new Prague jazz album on the horizon, according to Nika in a recent interview. Hopefully there will be a feast of live performances in support of her new work!

The interview can be found at: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/107174

Feature: The Prague Jazz Cinema Show!

Obviously the best way to sample the musicians who play this town is to get down into the clubs, sink a few cold ones, and let the night work its magic. But for those of you who do not know where to start, or don’t really appreciate what is out there, or simply live in far-away underdeveloped countries (e.g. Great Britain), there is the Prague Jazz Cinema Show! So log in, turn down the lights, and grab a drink…

First of all we have a couple of crackers from Prague’s resident Chicago bluesman, Rene Trossman. His original piece , "My Endless Blue Mood" and the classic "Caldonia". The latter is taken from an NME feature on different versions of "Caldonia", showing once again the world-class nature of the local scene.

I first saw Nika Diamant performing at an anti-communist demonstration on 1st May 2007. Here is a great version of “Spoonful” (Willie Dixon) from that concert from my own vaults:

Also, from the same event, Michal Prokop, Luboš Andršt and Jan Hrubý "unplugged":

The Emil Viklický Trio are known for their exciting and vibrant performances, with Emil’s adaptations of traditional Moravian tunes always worth hearing. Here is a clip of the trio performing "Buhaina, Buhaina" (Ray Brown).

The Robert Balzar Trio often work with Czech singer Dan Bárta, in this case performing "Looking at the world"

Time for a timeless blast from the past. Michal Prokop performing “Bitva o Karlův most” from 1985! Watch out for some excellent violin work from composer Honza Hrubý.

We’ll leave the last word to the king of cool himself, the one and only Luboš Andršt. Here he is, “Walking the Dog” (Rufus Thomas) with his Blues Band. Enjoy!

News: Nika Diamant Returns!

ND's website has undergone a major overhaul. Exciting developments include some new live dates and music samples from her new "Sofajazz" project. With promise of more to come this is great news for all fans of Prague jazz!

Check out the new site at: http://www.nikadiamant.com

CD Review: Nika Diamant

Achat (2007)

If you’re going to set yourself up with a brilliant and shiny name then you’d better be prepared to offer up a brilliant and shiny act. After all, diamonds and graphite are both carbon, with only arrangement and lustre marking one from the other. However Achat is certainly more of a sparkler than a pencil lead, and deserves a wider audience.

Nika’s debut album mainly consists of standards, but with many of them presented in a non-standard format. The golden thread that runs through the album is Diamant’s excellent voice. She is able to sing in English with ease, betraying enough of an accent to add interest but not enough to obscure her crystal clear enunciation. Fast-paced opener “Love me or leave me” (Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn) is a veritable breathy tumble of words, falling rapidly and energetically enough to trip up any unsure vocalist. On the other hand her treatment of “Jersey Girl” (Tom Waits) is languid and sweet with each note and, just as importantly, each pause held to a perfect length.

The most un-standard track on the album has to be Leonard Cohen’s “Dance me to the end of love”, but with Czech lyrics (Tango pro dva) written by ND. It is always good to see Czech artists throwing in something that doesn’t appeal immediately to the English-speaking world; sometimes it feels like the Czech language does not exist on the stages of Prague’s clubs. It is an original touch, deftly delivered.

The instrumental work on Achat complements ND’s singing, enhancing without drowning out. This is a band that is not afraid to leave space for the music to breathe, effectively coming to the fore only when required. A prime example can be found on “It ain’t necessarily so” (Gershwin/Gershwin), which starts off almost idly and dreamlike until the drums kick in, Diamant turns it up a notch, and finally Jaroslav Friedl floods the soundscape with overdriven guitar effects. Robert Fripp hits Vegas!

A particular highlight is a soaring and emotive rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Edith and the Kingpin”, but “Spoonful” (Willie Dixon) is the standout track by a long chalk. It is not performed as the heavy blues number, done so perfectly by Cream and many others, but instead it is a brooding, swirling ache. Tomáš Liška does some nifty work on acoustic bass, including some moody discordant bowing, but it really is the singer that carries the song.

Listening to Achat’s eight tracks is a pleasing, if not always demanding, experience and there is nothing wrong with that. It is a good album but you can’t help feeling that if Diamant was to take a few more risks, and get a bit more experimental, she could produce a truly great one. However, to date, this is the best example of her craft available on CD.

Nika has dropped off the radar in 2008, but hopefully this means that there is a new project in the offing. Meanwhile samples from the album can be heard at her website. More news when we get it…