JazzFestBrno March 2015, Czech Republic

Brno is second biggest town in Czech Republic, it's not a Prague for sure, but Brno is nice old town and there are lot of ways to spend your time perfectly. Great food, excellent beer, good service and one of the lowest prices in all Europe.

March 15, 2015, Sono centrum

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Craig Taborn Solo (USA)

Craig Taborn – piano

Jazz pianist and keyboard player Craig Taborn is one of the most virtuosic, forward thinking and yet underrated pianists of today. He began working professionally in the 1990s in a variety of musical contexts, ranging from more straight-ahead jazz to more outside music, with young jazz musicians, seasoned veterans, and even techno artists. Before he graduated from college, Taborn had already performed on three recordings as a member of the James Carter Quartet. After graduating with a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1995, DIW released Taborn’s first stint as a leader, The Craig Taborn Trio. He then moved to N.Y.C., and by the end of the ’90s, he performed on two more Carter releases; Roscoe Mitchell’s 1999 ECM release, Nine to Get Ready; Detroiter Carl Craig’s techno-jazz project, Innerzone Orchestra; and on Hugh Ragin’s Afternoon in Harlem. His second album, Light Made Lighter was a piano trio date for Thirsty Ear in 2001.

Shai Maestro Trio (IL/PU)

Shai Maestro – piano, Jorge Roeder – double bass, Ziv Ravitz – drums

Pianist Shai Maestro was born in Israel on February 5th 1987. He began playing classical piano at the age of five. His first exposure to jazz music was at the age of eight, listening to Oscar Peterson’s „Gershwin Songbook“. He was later accepted to the Thelma – Yellin High School of Performing Arts in Givataim where he completed his studies with honors. While taking extended literature classes, Shai was one of the few students combining a major in the jazz and classical departments along with his regular studies. While still a sophomore, he received a full tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music’s 5 weeks Summer Program for two consecutive years. While on a concert tour in the US he auditioned to Berklee for the 4-year program and also received a full tuition scholarship.

Maestro studied jazz piano and RTC (Real Time Composition) with Opher Brayer for two years and classical piano with Prof. Benjamin Oren of the Music Academy in Jerusalem. In the years 2004-2010 he won scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Fund for jazz piano. He also won the national jazz ensembles competition „Jazz Signs“ twice (2002 and 2003). Shai studied Indian music and tabla playing with Sanjey Kumar Sharma.

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March 17, 2015 – Bobycentrum

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DIANNE REEVES (USA)

Dianne Reeves – vocals, Peter Martin – piano, Romero Lubambo – guitar, Reginald Veal – bass, Terreon Gully – drums

DIANNE REEVES is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world. As a result of her breathtaking virtuosity, improvisational prowess, and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings—a Grammy first in any vocal category.

Featured in George Clooney’s six-time Academy Award nominated “Good Night, and Good Luck,” Reeves won her fourth Best Jazz Vocal Grammy for film’s soundtrack. Reeves has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. She has also recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim and was a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. Reeves was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first singer to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall.

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March 26, 2015 Fléda

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Ondřej Štveráček Quartet featuring Gene Jackson (CZ/USA)

Ondřej Štveráček – tenor saxophone, Ondrej Krajňák – piano, Josef Fečo – double bass, Gene Jackson – drums

The extraordinarily gifted tenor saxophonist Ondřej Štveráček enjoys the freedom of jazz with a similar exhilaration as other up-and-coming Czech musicians. He has been a regular member of Gustav Brom Big Band for many years now, has collaborated with the most outstanding young musicians from both the Czech and Slovak Republics as well as with artists from abroad (Ryan Carniaux, Jonathan Crossley). Apart from activities as a sideman, he focuses primarily on his own concept of playing the saxophone, undoubtedly inspired by the jazz tradition.

Štveráček might already be hypersensitive to his perpetual comparisons to John Coltrane, however, he cannot elude them. Coltrane´s Sheets of Sound concept percolates through Štveráček´s phrasing and his tone resembles that of his idol’s as well. Coltrane and Štveráček also share great horn control and flawless technique. Štveráček is never intimidated by breakneck tempos, odd meters or complex harmonies. Even though one would be hard pressed to find a better teacher than Coltrane, Štveráček has recently been drifting further apart from his influence to find his own voice to the great benefit of himself and his listeners. He has already put out two albums with his band and is touring all major destinations in Central Europe. Both his debut What´s Outside and sophomore  release The Form have garnered critical acclaim.

Lukáš Oravec Quartet featuring Vincent Herring (SK/USA)

Vincent Herring – saxophone, Lukáš Oravec – trumpet, flugelhorn, Kálmán Oláh – piano, Tomáš Baroš – doublebass, Dávid Hodek – drums

The Lukáš Oravec Quartet was formed in early 2012 and its quality and energy immediately attracted numerous jazz enthusiasts. The band embarked upon a large string of club gigs and festival appearances throughout Europe, won the top prize in the Young Faces of Czech Jazz competition, and the prize for the best individual performance was awarded to the leader of the Quartet. In 2013 Lukáš released his debut album entitled Introducing Lukáš Oravec Quartet and subsequently won the ESPRIT 2013 award for the best Slovak album of the year.
With his unique improvisational art, Lukáš Oravec has walked his musical path in the footsteps of  jazz trumpet greats Freddie Hubbard, Tom Harrel and Woody Shaw. Despite his young age Lukáš has scored a number of interesting joint ventures with leading national and international jazz artists (e.g. Rick Margitza, Kálmán Oláh, Vincent Herring, Miroslav Vitouš, Peter Erskine and Benito Gonzalez). He is a member of the Gustav Brom Big Band and the Big Band Matúše Jakabčice.

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March 30, 2015, Janáček Theater

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Gustav Brom Czech Radio Bigband
Kevin Mahogany, Peter Lipa (CZ/SK/USA)

Conductor: Vlado Valovič, Manager: Tibor Lenský, Trumpets: Miroslav Hloucal, Lukáš Koudelka, Juraj Bartoš, Ondrej Juraši, Trombons: Petr Hnětkovský, Přemek Tomšíček, Michal Motýl, Štěpán Janoušek, Saxophones: Radovan Tariška, Rostislav Fraš, Ondřej Štveráček, Rudolf Březina, Miroslav Poprádi, Piano: Luboš Šrámek, Keyboard: Pavol Kvassay, Guitar: Tomáš Redey, Double Bass: Tomáš Baroš, Drums: Kamil Slezák

The orchestra, founded by Gustav Brom (Frkal), began its professional career with its first event in the Radhošť hotel in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in June 1940. Probably nobody at the time expected the band to continue playing until its founder died in September 1995. The band achieved world renown status even back during its early existence. According to many American experts, the orchestra ranked among the top 10 big bands of the world in the 1960s. The greatest stars of jazz and pop performed as guests with the band – Maynard Fergusson, Dizzy Gilespie, Dianna Ross and The Supremes, Ray Conniff, Ben Cramer, VOX, Bill Ramsey and many others…

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March 31, 2015, Sono centrum

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Kompost 3 (AUT)

Martin Eberle – trumpet, slide-trumpet & flugelhorn, Benny Omerzell – piano, organ, rhodes, clavinet, synthesizers, toy piano, melodica, Manu Mayr – electric & double bass, bass-synth, Lukas König – drums, percussion

At first glance the word „Kompost“ doesn’t conjure up the thought of a protean, fire-eating entity equally capable of rocking you to sleep or rocketing you into orbit . . . but wait a moment, let’s start on the surface. Organic, earthy, alive; a jumble of countless bits and smears from the king’s table and straight out the gutter, melted together into a single mass. A little funky. Sometimes a LOT funky. Kompost is all those things.

But look deeper, that’s where the action is. The closer you get to the center the more it heats up. Reactions are taking place, unknown quantities brewing. Musical ideas are broken down to their constituent atoms then fused together again in seemingly random combinations – but there’s method to this madness; the creatures emerging from this primordial ooze are walking, talking, preaching.

Gerald Clayton Trio (USA)

Gerald Clayton – piano, Joe Sanders – bass, Obed Calvaire – drums

Over the course of eight years, with three albums as a leader, several studio projects as a sideman, and countless worldwide performances, pianist and composer Gerald Clayton has established himself as a leading figure in the up-and-coming generation of jazz artists who are fluent in the range of styles that make up today’s jazz lexicon. Hailed by The New York Times for his “huge, authoritative presence,” Clayton is well on his way toward etching his own enduring mark in the long and rich tradition of jazz. Never has this been more apparent than in Life Forum, his latest recording on Concord Jazz and his most ambitious project to date.
Born in the Netherlands in 1984 and raised in Southern California, Clayton took his first piano lessons before age seven with the full support and encouragement of his father, the acclaimed jazz bassist, composer and bandleader, John Clayton.

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April 8, 2015, Alterna

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Adam Tvrdý – Brian Charette Project (CZ/USA)

Adam Tvrdý – guitar, Brian Charette – Hammond organ, Petr Mikeš – drums

The new album „Suspicious Activities“ of this impressive trio introduces a new face in Czech-American jazz. Prague´s own excellent guitarist and composer Adam Tvrdý invited the great American Hammond organ player Brian Charette and top-notch young drummer Petr Mikeš, a graduate of the jazz department JAMU, to record his second album as a leader.

Adam Tvrdy is a guitarist and composer with a multi-genre and intense expression. In his interpretations and improvisations he focuses mainly on his original musical ideas with respect to traditions and the vocabulary of a given musical style. Adam has been playing guitar since the age of six and later learned to play bass guitar and drums as well. Since childhood he’s been influenced by blues and classic rock, especially by Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. Later he discovered the music of Miles Davis and started to fully focus on jazz. Adam’s original music could be labeled as contemporary or modern Jazz with elements of his most influential genres e.g. blues, classic rock, modern and classical jazz, Latin music, classical music.

Mike DiRubbo Chronos Trio (USA)

Mike DiRubbo – alto saxophone,  Brian Charette – Hammond organ, Tomáš Hobzek – drums

The time has come to go full speed ahead as Mike DiRubbo’s organ-based trio, Chronos, navigates steadily away from the known and familiar to move swiftly into the uncharted depths of modern collective improvisation. Chronos features NYC veterans and Downbeat magazine “Rising Stars” Mike DiRubbo on saxophone and Brian Charette on organ along with the powerful Czech time-keeper Tomas Hobzek on drums.

Today, in an age where media-created young lions are more interested in downloads than down beats, alto saxophonist/composer/bandleader/educator Mike DiRubbo is the real deal. Ever since he arrived in New York two decades ago, DiRubbo has reigned supreme as one of the most durable and dynamic musicians of his generation. That bold statement is augmented by the aural evidence of his work with the brightest jazz stars including Tony Reedus, Larry Willis, Eddie Henderson, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Dwayne Burno, Peter Washington, Carl Allen, John Hicks and Cecil Payne, and as a solo artist, with eight critically-acclaimed CD’s as a leader. DiRubbo has worked in various New York clubs including Smalls, Smoke, 55 Bar, the Kitano, and has also performed in many national and international venues including the Litchfield Jazz Festival, Vizta Jazz in Rio de Janeiro, The Maze in Rio de Janeiro, Ronnie Scott’s and Pizza Express in London, the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, the JVC Jazz Festival in NYC, the Jazz, Blues and Videotape festival in Tel Aviv, Ferrara Jazz in Italy, and Ancona Jazz Festival.

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April 9, 2015, Fléda

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Petr Kalfus Sextet (CZ)

Petr Kalfus – alto saxophone, Jakub Doležal – tenor saxophone, Jan Jirucha – trombone, Jiří Neužil – piano, Petr Dvorský – double bass, Martin Kopřiva – drums

The alto saxophone has occupied an honorable place among jazz instruments since the days of the king of bebop Charlie Parker, who helped the instrument finally get rid of the label  as an “instrument for children“. Many alto specialists in the world follow in Parker´s footsteps, and one of the most promising talents is Petr Kalfus, who has been an established figure on the local jazz scene for some time. In his project Sextet, which first saw light in 2011, he brought together the excellent instrumentalists Jakub Doležal (tenor saxophone), Jan Jirucha (trombone), Jiři Neužil (piano), Petr Dvorský (bass) and Martin Kopřiva (drums) to (as columnist Jan Hocek wrote in a review of their recent performance) „spread a huge canvas on which the musicians paint an eminent sound of jazz in all its diversity, and most importantly, also communicability! Even in the most extreme parts (this applies to both saxophones, but even stronger to the tenor), which are enhanced even with free-jazz passages, their music never loses its listener.“

Jaromír Honzák Quintet (CZ)

Radek Zapadlo – saxophones, clarinet, David Dorůžka – guitar, Vít Křišťan – piano, Jaromír Honzák – double bass, Martin Novák – drums

New musical visions, great talents, original compositions, unity in musical thought, supreme craftsmanship and sophisticated inventiveness – the Jaromír Honzák Quintet offers all that, and a lot more: an elite musical unit in the Central European region, speaking the language of jazz, but open to all musical influences and full of creative energy. The Quintet features some of the most promising talents of the younger Czech generation – the rhythm section consisting of Jaromír Honzák, Martin Novák and Vít Křišťan topped up by guitar hero David Dorůžka. For the current tour Radek Zapadlo is joining the group to further pursue the already excited inventiveness.

The new recording of the Jaromír Honzák Quartet aptly entitled „Uncertainty“ takes brilliant, enigmatic and convincing music steps out of  the jazz territory and approaches a wide range of open-minded music fans. Their artistic genuineness and honesty will certainly not leave you untouched.

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April 10, 2015, Sono centrum

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David Helbock Trio (AUT)

David Helbock – piano, Raphael Preuschl – bassukulele, Herbert Pirker – drums

Two awards and the audience prize at the world’s biggest jazz-piano-solo competition of the Jazzfestival Montreux, a lot of enthusiastic/international reviews for his CDs and the most important prize in Austria 2011 – the „Outstanding Artist Award“ – David Helbock, the piano player coming from a small little village in Austria called Koblach, is without doubt, on his way up to a great international musical career. Helbock is not only a great pianist, he is also a very individual thinker, who is investing not only a lot of dexterity but also quite an amount of brain activity into his projects.

David Helbock, born on the 28th of January 1984, began playing the piano at the age of six. He studied at the Feldkirch Conservatory with Prof. Ferenc Bognar, where he finished 2005 with an „excellent“ degree in performance and since 2000 he has been taking lessons with the New York City jazz pianist Peter Madsen, who became his teacher, mentor and friend.

Ben Williams (USA)

Ben Williams – Bass (acoustic & electric) and Band Leader, Christian Sands – Piano/keys, John Davis – Drums, Marcus Strickland – Saxophones (tenor, alto, soprano), Matt Stevens – Guitar

Ben Williams is one of the youngest and brightest musicians on the scene today and who is helping to push the legacy of jazz forward through the reflection of his own distinct sound and flavor of hip hop, gospel, and Rhythm & Blues. He is highly recognized as a nationally and internationally acclaimed bassist, bandleader, performer, music educator, and writer who has performed with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Terrence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Benny Golson, Stefon Harris, just to name a few. He consistently tours the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North & South America.

Williams became a Grammy Award Winner with the Pat Metheny Unity Band for Best Jazz Instrumental Album of 2012. Recently, he received the 2013 DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Award for Bass; and the 2013 Michigan State University (MSU) Alumni Award for reaching and maintaining the highest of standards in his profession as well as in his personal life and as an MSU Alunnus which, by the way, places him in the ranks of NBA Star, Earvin “Magic” Johnson also an MSU Alumnus Award Winner. Ben first became a “Rising Star” when he won the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition Award that landed him a record-deal with Concord Records. Thereafter, he recorded and released his first Album, State of Art, in 2011 with his band, Sound Effect. The Album received an impressive 4.5 Star Review in DownBeat Magazine and reached #1 on the charts of iTunes and the National BillBoard. He was named the 2011 iTunes Breakthrough Artist of the Year in the category of jazz.

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April 12, 2015, Alterna

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Zeurítia (CZ)

Zeurítia (Vendula Šmoldasová) – vocals, Libor Šmoldas – guitars, Jan Andr – piano, Tomáš Baroš – double bass, Marek Urbánek – drums, Jakub Zomer – Hammond organ

„When I was growing up I was exposed to a great variety of music,“ says Vendula Šmoldasová, a.k.a. Zeurítia. At home, they would listen to folk and country music, but also to Frank Sinatra and traditional folk songs. Just like perhaps everybody else, she liked to listen to anything that was played on the radio. Later in life, she became fond of classical music and began to discover the beauty of the opera and belcanto singing. „For quite some time, it appeared that I would become a soprano opera singer,“ she says. „I had a great teacher, Ms. Helena Havlíková, who devoted a lot of time and effort to preparing me for the entrance exams at the Classical Music Conservatory in Prague; however, in the end, my life took a different turn and I was pulled toward jazz.“  She attended Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory instead and the more she was learning about jazz the more it attracted her, especially the recordings of musicians such as Louis Armstrong (that’s where it all started for her) and Billie Holliday. However, it didn’t mean that she´d turn her back on classical music.

Miriam Bayle: Fenomén scat (SK/CZ)

Miriam Bayle – vocals, piano, percussion, arranger, Tomáš Jochmann – piano, keyboards, Peter Dvorský – double bass, bass guitar, Daniel Šoltis – drums and guests: Vít Halška – percussion, Radek Zapadlo – tenor and soprano saxophone, Adam Tvrdý – guitar

The dictionary entry defines „scat“ as an improvised jazz singing style with use of words with no meaning, or with separate syllables sung without any articulation. In general, scat is quite similar to instrumental improvisation. Other sources say that it is a superior skill that requires an extraordinary ear. Throughout the history of jazz, scat was made famous especially by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Jon Hendricks, locally it has been popularized by its uncrowned Queen Miriam Bayle. She actually possesses the required ability to handle her voice like a musical instrument. And not only that – you keep wondering where this ethereal lady gained such vocal potential, uncompromising swing, perfect phrasing and English pronunciation. Miriam is blessed with all the aforementioned attributes and there is even more – she does not waste her talent. On the contrary, she has been putting a remarkable amount of hard work into refining her craft for nearly two decades.
Miriam Bayle is originally from Slovakia and has been an integral part of the Czech jazz scene since the nineties. She has performed a number of concerts in jazz clubs and festivals all over Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, France, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Greece, Hungary, Germany and Ireland among others.). Miriam has been lucky enough to work with some excellent musicians during her career, including Andrej Šeban, Juraj Bartoš, Matúš Jakabčic, Juraj Griglák, Gabo Jonáš, Vojtěch Eckert, Josef Fečo, Ondřej Pivec, Tomáš Baroš, Ondrej Krajňák, David Dorůžka, George Mraz, Piotr Baron, and many others. Another proof of her qualities could be the project „Jazz Performed by Iva Bittová and Ida Kelarova“ from 2008, which was held in the Great Hall of Lucerna and was completely sold out. Miriam rehearsed a complete repertoire of the concert and became its musical director.

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April 15, 2015, Besední dům

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Tomáš Liška a Pénte (CZ/GER)

Tomas Liska – double bass, Fabiana Striffler – violin, Šimon Marek – cello, Markus Ehrlich – clarinets, Natalie Hausmann – tenor saxophone

Tomas Liska studied double bass at the Conservatory of Jaroslav Jezek in Prague and at the prestigious Berlin Jazz Institute Berlin with renowned American players and educators Greg Cohen and John Hollenbeck. Tomas performs at noted jazz festivals and concert halls throughout Europe, the United States, Latin America and Africa. He has received several awards from major jazz festivals in Poland, Belgium and Spain. His closest collaborators are Dorůžka David, Steve Walsh, Druhá tráva, Beata Hlavenková, Cyrille Oswald, Marta Töpferová, Lenka Dusilová, Eternal Seekers, Dan Tepfer, Mark Aanderud, and many others. Tomáš’s musical taste is simply exquisite and therefore he is often offered great engagements by enlightened bandleaders. It is not surprising that he currently ranks among the most popular bassists in the Czech Republic.

Fred Hersch Solo (USA)

Fred Hersch – piano

Proclaimed by Vanity Fair as “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade,” Fred Hersch balances his internationally recognized instrumental and composing skills with significant achievements as a bandleader, collaborator and theatrical conceptualist. In 2006 he became the first artist in the 75-year history of New York’s legendary Village Vanguard to play a weeklong engagement as a solo pianist. His second solo run at the Vanguard was documented on the 2011 release Alone at the Vanguard, which received Grammy Award nominations for Best Jazz Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo.
 
Hersch’s latest trio CD with bassist John Hebert and drummer Eric McPherson, Floating (Palmetto) is nominated for two 2014 Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Album and Best Improvised Solo; it reached No. 1 on iTunes Jazz, No. 2 on Amazon Jazz and No. 5 on Billboard Jazz after its release in July, 2014.

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April 19, 2015, Alterna

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PaCoRa (SK/MOL)

Stano Palúch – violin, Robert Ragan – bass, Marcel Comendant – cimbalom

Cimbalom? Sure. But in jazz? Hardly! Believe it or not, jazz has its white crows and black sheep, the category of instruments aptly called „Miscellaneous“ by the American magazine DownBeat. This all-encompassing category includes some of the most exotic and least conceivable instruments and their virtuosos. Music critics and readers choose their favorites among these players once a year and there is no doubt that sooner or later the dulcimer will get into this category and rank alongside banjo, bagpipes, shells or harmonica. A virtuoso strings and drumsticks player Marcel Comendant is doing everything to adopt the dulcimer to the family of jazz instruments as soon as possible. He plays genuine bebop and swings hard!

Mihály Borbély Quartet (HUN)

Mihály Borbély – saxophones, wind instruments, Áron Tálas – piano, Balász Horváth – double bass, István Baló – drums, percussion

Mihály Borbély ranks among the most brilliant saxophone players in Hungary. He has always surrounded himself with similarly gifted musicians and the best example of it can be his current quartet with the outstanding pianist Daniel Szabo. Borbely studied classical clarinet and jazz saxophone at Béla Bartók Conservatory and Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. Through his career in addition to his original instruments (clarinet and alto saxophone) he has focused on playing unusual wind instruments (tárogató, folk flutes, kaval, dvojnice, fujara, ocarina, bombard, zurna) as well as soprano and tenor saxophone.

He is one of the founding members of the famous Vujicsics folk group, and he is an equally active participant – either as a leader or as a soloist – of various world music, jazz and contemporary music groups (Balkan Jazz Project, Quartet B, Borbély-Dresch Quartet, Binder-Borbély Duo, Eastern Boundary Quartet, Attila László Quintet, Kálmán Oláh Sextet).

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April 25, 2015, Alterna

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Marion Thomas Quartet (FRA)

Marion Thomas – vocals, lyrics, music, arrangement, Jeff Alluin – piano, Julien Pinel – bass, Damien Roche – drums

Before Marion Thomas began to focus on modern music and later on jazz and improvisation, she had studied classical music. At the time when she discovered the beauty of jazz she began to cooperate with several jazz musicians from Brittany and later founded her own band Marion Thomas Quartet.

The band´s repertoire consists mostly of original compositions evoking the sound of 70′s and oscillating between the dreaminess of the Canterbury School and progressive jazz-rock overtones. The editor of the French Jazz Magazine Franck Bergerot recently said, „this young quartet has all the cards in hand and we expect them to gradually play them.“ Also Ouest France does not hesitate to praise the band calling them a „discovery“ and referring Marion Thomas´ vocalize as „volcanic“.

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April 28, 2015, Na Orlí Theater

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Koncert Katedry jazzové interpretace JAMU (CZ/SK)

Although the Jazz Department has been active for just five years, it boasts not only excellent teaching staff, headed by David Dorůžka, Matúš Jakabčic, Lubomír Šrámek, Rostislav Fraš, Rasťo Uhrík and Juraj Bartoš, but also very talented students. The third concert presentation of the department at the festival will feature several bands and even a big band, despite the fact that the department consists of a mere two dozen students.
Uninformed listeners might expect an anonymous student band of rather dubious quality, but if you look closely at who will be performing, you will find mature jazz ensembles, often even presenting original music. We are looking forward to hearing some of the exemplary students, such as Radim Hanousek, Petr Beneš, Jaromír Honzák and others.

 

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June 17, 2015, Vodova hall

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Chick Corea & Bobby McFerrin (USA)

The chemistry that Chick and Bobby McFerrin have in performance can be honed down to one word: Play (which is also the title of their first duet album). Each is a virtuoso on his instrument — Chick’s inimitable acoustic piano sound, and Bobby’s peerless voice — and together they create an environment with no boundaries. Bebop, ballads, standards, classical and pop all get folded into a musical landscape like no other.