Results for "Prague"

Ostrava Days 2023

by Martin Longley
October 13, 2023

Klub Parník, Plato, Triple Hall Karolina, etc. Ostrava, Czech Republic August 28-September 2, 2023 Ostrava Days happens once every two years, mostly dedicated to the well-being of new music, composed for varying sizes of ensembles, right up to a fully-bloated orchestra. Sometimes, though, works will be penned for mere solo ...

The Jazz Historian: John Edward Hasse

by B.D. Lenz
August 17, 2023

Jazz is not simply a style of music; it is also a culture. The impact of this cultural force has had many ups and downs throughout the last century but, undeniably, has been felt worldwide across all nations and all languages. With such a storied past, it's important that an account of its beginnings and those ...

Petr Kalfus

Born: August 27, 1983

PETR KALFUS (saxophones) Born on August 27, 1983 in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2007 he finished his studies at Jazz Faculty of Jaroslav Jezek’s College in Prague under professors Frantisek Kop and Rostislav Fras. He also took part in private sessions with Bedrich Smarda and Martin Plachy. Petr is one of the establishing members of Infinite Quintet. Current projects Longterm: Infinite quintet,Petr Kalfus sextet, Bucinatores sextet and ORCHESTRA,POINTS OKTET, Prague Big band, BRIAN CHARRETTE SEXTETTE, Kalfus Wroblewski Project, Kalfus Dolezal Quartet, LINKS, Mark Aanderud Quartet, Occasional: Milan Svoboda Prague big band, Veleband, Roman Pokorný, Ondrej Pivec, Organic quartet, SOUNDCOLOR, Zuzana Dumková band, Gustav Brom Bigband, St

Ludmila Santini

Ludmila is a renowned Swedish modern composer and concert pianist with a partially Czech roots. 

In her childhood she was a child prodigy. She started playing the piano at the age of 4 and composed her first compositions even before she learned to read the music sheets.

At the age of 8 she started her first successful series of concert performances and as a child she participated in composers' competitions with adult composers. In the early 90's, her musical compositions could be heard on various TV and radio stations.

She graduated from the Music Conservatory, majoring in piano. Her artistic signature style is characterised by a strong melodic line with jazz, pop and classical music intertwined.

Jan Smigmator

Born: January 17, 1986

Jan Smigmator (1986) is a jazz and swing singer, who has adopted the legacy of easy listening vocalists such was Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Mel Tormé and the living legend Tony Bennett. His style, phrasing and love for jazz and swing music make him one of the artists of this genre in our country. In 2008 Jan successfully finished his music studies at the Prague conservatory in singing (department of pop music and jazz). During his studies he had performed with jazz musicians and orchestras! In 2005 he became a soloist of the legendary Václav Hybš Orchestra with whom he had performed dozens of concerts around Czech Republic. Jan’s greatest love is singing with big bands; you could catch him as a vocalist of Big Band Polná, West Big Band, Sváťa Čech Czech Summit Big Band, Kol�-n Big Band, Moravia Big Band and also an often guest of Gustav Brom Big Band, Karel Vlach Orchestra, Czech Radio Big Band, Rudolf Mazač Kentonmania Big Band or small bands like Adam Tvrdý Trio, Metropolitan Jazz Band, Bonus Orchestra or Polydor sextet. Jan Smigmator also performs with his Swinging trio, great gutarist Milan Kašuba and Josef Vejvoda Trio

Petr Zelenka

Born: July 27, 1977

He has lived in Prague from 1998 and plays with artists including Najponk, Yvonne Sanchez, Miriam Bayle, Petr Dvorsky, David Dorzka, Vojtich Prochazka, Ondrej Otverarek. He performs at jazz festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad (Novosibirsk, Wroclaw), and has accompanied foreign artists including James Zollar, Piotr Baron, Milosz Rutkowski and Macziej Sikala.

In 1999 he receives the First Prize for the best group on the contest Jazz Junior in Usti nad Labem. In 2000 he released Mafiosi (Cube-Metier). In 2003 he moved to Paris where he accompanies artists including Xavier Richardeau and Fabien Mary, playss in the Coda tentet

Jan Steinsdörfer

Born: February 8, 1990

I was born in Sokolov, Czech republic. I started play piano when I was 7 years old. Nowadays I study KJJ (jazz conservatory) in Prague and I am a member of few bands. In former times I cooperated with Orchestr Václava Hybše, Zbyněk Drda, Eva Urbanová, Back Side Big Band and many others. Now I play with these bands: Jan Steinsdörfer Q, Sixin, Eliška Ptáčková Band, Okamžitý filmový orchestr.

Milan Svoboda

Born: December 10, 1951

MILAN SVOBODA Composer, conductor, band leader, jazz pianist Biography Milan Svoboda is one of the leading personalities on the Czech musical scene. He gained international renown as a jazz pianist and band leader. His composing and conducting skills span a wide range of styles, including modern jazz, musicals, film, theater and contemporary classical music. Milan Svoboda was born in 1951 in Prague. He graduated from the organ class at the Prague Conservatory, studied musicology at Charles' University in Prague and composition at the Prague Academy of Music and at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA

Frantisek Uhlir

Born: July 24, 1950

Born 24.7. 1950 in Usti n/Orlici in Czech Republic.From 1965 has studied double bass,piano and composition at the conservatory in Brno.During his studies has played at the orchestra of the Janacek's opera-house and at the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra. He graduated the conservatory at 1971 with the concert for the double bass and chamber orchestra by J.K.Vanhal(1739-1813). The first touch with the jazz was listening to the Voice of America that came on midnight for an hour.In this broadcasting I've heard first the Bill Evans Trio with Scott LaFaro on the bass and I was very impressed not only by his playing, but with the way, how this trio played together. I've really been influenced by everything I've heard, but of course I paid special attention to the bassplayers as Ray Brown,Paul Chambers, Ron Carter and Scott LaFaro. He is regarded as a player carrying forward the so-called Czech string bass playing tradition(G

Emil Viklicky

Born: November 23, 1948

Emil Viklicky was born in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), where in 1971 he graduated from Palacky University with a degree in mathematics. While a student he devoted much time to playing jazz piano. In 1974, he was awarded the prize for best soloist at the Czechoslovak Amateur Jazz Festival, and that same year he joined Karel Velebny's SHQ ensemble. In 1976, he was a prizewinner at the jazz improvisation competition in Lyon, and his composition "Green Satin" (Zeleny saten) earned him first prize in the music conservatory competition in Monaco, where in 1985 his "Cacharel" won second prize in the same competition. In 1977, he was awarded a year's scholarship to study composition and arrangement with Herb Pomeroy at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He then continued his composition studies with Jarmo Sermila, George Crumb and Vaclav Kucera. Since returning to Prague, he has led his own ensembles (primarily quartets and quintets), composed and arranged, and - since the death of Karel Velebny - worked as director of the Summer Jazz Workshops in Frydlant. He has lectured at a similar workshop event in Glamorgan, Wales. Between 1991 and 1995, Viklicky was President of the Czech Jazz Society, and since 1994 he has worked with the Ad lib Moravia ensemble, whose performances combine elements of Moravian folk music, modern jazz and contemporary serious music. In 1996, the ensemble undertook a highly successful concert tour of Mexico and the United States. As a pianist, Viklicky often performs in international ensembles alongside musicians from the U.S. and other European countries, including the Lou Blackburn International Quartet, the Benny Bailey Quintet, and multi- instrumentalist Scott Robinson. He has made frequent appearances in Finland (with the Finnczech Quartet and in particular with Jarmo Sermila) and Norway (with the Czech-Norwegian Big Band and Harald Gundhus) and has performed in the USA, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (at the North Sea Festival) and elsewhere. The editor of Rolling Stone wrote of Viklicky that "It was a delightful surprise to see such first-class, top-of-the-line jazz in Prague." As a composer, Viklicky has attracted attention abroad primarily for having created a synthesis of the expressive elements of modern jazz with the melodicism and tonalities of Moravian folk song that is distinctly individual in contemporary jazz. Besides this, however, he also composes "straight-ahead" modern jazz as well as chamber and orchestral works that utilize certain elements of the New Music, and at times his music requires a combination of classical and jazz performers. He also composes incidental and film music and has produced scores for several full-length feature films and television series. Throughout the 1990s he devoted an increasing amount of time to the composition of contemporary classical music for a great variety of instrumental combinations ranging from small chamber ensembles and electronic instruments to symphony orchestras and choruses. Viklicky's work has gained him a number of prestigious awards.