About the festival
JAZZFESTBRNO, the sequel number five. No, don't be afraid, it's nothing akin to a bag of tea infused five times over or a brainless sequel to TV sitcom. But let's face it, sequels of the blockbusters often have a downward tendency where quality is concerned, however, this trend does not hold true for the JAZZFESTBRNO. Our sights which have been set rather high during the past years refuses to be lowered. See the program selection for yourself – this year's festival, with regard to diversity and quality is probably the strongest in its five year history. We hope that primarily thanks to you, our both faithful and newcomer fans alike, this year's JAZZFESTBRNO will also be our most heavily attended festival to date.
The two opening concerts of the event will be hosted at the recently reconstructed Semilasso music hall. Sunday's musical feast has been scheduled at the newly constructed Musical scene of the Brno City Theater as well as Monday night's performance in the chamber setting in the drama hall of the Brno City Theater. The event will draw to a close at the Fléda club on Tuesday.
The festival begins again with a fine intro, one that certainly promises to be captivating. Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel is often considered as a musician for the 21st century, his compositional inventiveness and improvisational creativity ranks him not only among the top of today's guitar players, but at the peak of music as a whole. The all star line-up, including Mark Turner and Jeff Ballard, will accompany the leader during his entire European tour promoting his new album Deep Song. Rosenwinkel's performance on Friday 21 April is going to be his exclusive premier in the Czech Republic. He will be therefore invited to a great society of jazzmen (including Nnenna Freelon, Diane Schuur, Take 6 and many others), presented to Czech audiences for the first time by JAZZFESTBRNO. Slovenian saxophonist and a student of Joe Lovano, Jure Pukl, together with the Ondrej Krajňák Trio will make sure that the evening, which will be topped off by a traditional jamsession, is successfully kicked off.
The Saturday concert promises mainstream bacchanalia. Miriam Bayle Band, a uniquely competitive representative of Czechoslovak jazz vocals, will take care of the first course. The main course will be served by the swinging tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton from the USA. His tenor battle with the Polish phenomenon Piotr Cieslikowski will be seconded by the Nothing But Swing Trio. This combination will definitely please a wide range of jazz buffs as well as newcomers.
The awaited Sunday festival evening will take place in the most up-to-date venue in Brno, the Brno City Theater which will host the great 4TET with the a capella Jiří Korn, quartet, which boasts not only talented musical abilities, but showmanship and wit as well. Also the French jazz diva Anne Ducros, a pearl of the European vocals on tour with her latest album “PIANO, piano,” will please audiences with her velvety voice. The last third of the musically abundant evening will feature the vigorous Prague Big Band under the baton of Milan Svoboda, with the most competent guest, the legendary pianist Karel Růľička. The orchestra will celebrate its 30th anniversary and its leader has prepared a completely new program for a memorable night of jazz. The noted vocalist Anne Ducros is among the rare gems of vocal jazz and has toured the entire world with her extraordinary Quartet. Her festival appearance will be the first, similarly as the one of Rosenwinkel, Hamilton, Marcus or Wise. Again, this year's dramaturgy fulfills the essential festival motto – the combination of quality, exclusivity and originality.
Both performers featured on Monday night, Czechoslovak Vertigo Quintet and Israeli-American Avishai Cohen Trio represent a carefully and delightfully blended fusion of jazz and their own domestic cultures. Both ensembles have visited Brno in the past and certainly have made a considerable impression on the listeners. The Vertigo Quintet is a new and progressive export item of the Czech jazz scene, gaining success and recognition on the stages of numerous foreign festivals and clubs. The brilliant bassist Avishai Cohen is not only a world class virtuoso, but also a charismatic entertainer, who spreads positive energy all around.
The final day and a sympathetic Tuesday´s festival coda will (after a sophisticated opening by American saxophonist´s Michael Marcus Quartet with trumpeter Ted Daniel and a great and progressive rhythm section) let the French electro jazz group Wise shine. Their flawless groove, electronic effects and a bold stratospheric trupet will bring the audience to the boil at the Fléda club.
The audience can also enjoy late night jam sessions and a creative workshop with the guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel as well. Preview club concerts and open air stages will take place in Brno's jazz clubs and streets shortly before the start of the event.
The city of Brno will host swinging ambassadors from many different countries in the five day framework of the international jazz festival JAZZFESTBRNO. They will certainly convince us how varied and beautiful the music called jazz can be.