Schedule

Ploug – Pettersen - Badenhorst_dk

The outstanding Danish guitarist with his new jazz-electronica project.
Mikkel Ploug - guitar, Sissel Vera Pedersen – voice, saxophone, live effects, Joachim Badenhorst – clarinets and saxophones.

Danish guitarist and composer Mikkel Ploug (born1978) has performed all over Europe with his group, “Mikkel Ploug Group feat. Mark Turner”. He has recorded two albums for the Spanish label “Fresh Sounds New Talent” and appeared as an opening act for Wayne Shorter. He writes music for the Mikkel Ploug Group, Sissel Vera Pettersen-Mikkel Ploug-Joachim Badenhorst Trio and Mikkel Ploug Trio and is currently spends his time either in Copenhagen or Berlin.
This trio formed when Mikkel and Sissel (who both live in Copenhagen) started playing sessions together, and Mikkel suggested bringing in Joachim. Mikkel: “It’s really a democratic pile-up of all of our ideas, tastes and perceptions of the moment that creates the output. We like to leave a lot of space for open improvisation. Taking a lot of risks and feeling exposed is desired….We are all fortunate to work with great musicians from a generation or two ahead of us (Mark Turner, Han Bennink, Marc Ducret etc.). The force of this trio is that all three of us melt into a sound really quite different from the respective bands we perform with.”

Points Quartet_cz

Talented quartet offering an unconventional, musical message.
Luboš Soukup – saxophones, clarinet, Miroslav Hloucal – trumpet, fluegelhorn, Tomáš Liška – double bass, Tomáš Hobzek – drums

The spring of 2007 inspired four talented artists to unite in a pianoless combo nowadays known as Points Quartet. Since this time, the group has been rapidly developing. All the band members are either students or graduates of VOS Jazz (the official name for a special jazz department of the Jaroslav Jezek Conservatory in Prague).
Naturally, the absence of any harmonic instrument offers musicians more space for interactive communication and they use it well. The band has created its characteristic sound which has been defined partly by the line-up and more significantly, by its repertoire. It contains original compositions written by all band members and distinctive and creative arrangements of jazz standards. From the very beginning, the Points Quartet have been experimenting with the sound of their acoustic instruments and have striven to achieve a freedom of expression within complex chord changes.
A bold pursuit of the Points Quartet - not to be limited by emulating jazz legends while respecting them - seems to be the only way to go for this perspective and brave young band.

Infinite Quintet_cz

Original music performed by the most respected musicians of the new generation.
Petr Kalfus - alto and soprano saxophones, Miroslav Hloucal - trumpet, fluegelhorn, Viliam Beres – piano, Petr Dvorsky – Bass, Martin Novak - drums

Infinite Quintet came into existence in 2006 at the Jazz Department of Jaroslav Jezek’s College in Prague, where trumpet player Miroslav Hloucal and saxophonist Petr Kalfus met as students. Lead and inspired by mutual jazz esthetics,they teamed up with double-bass player Petr Dvorsky, drummer Martin Novak and pianist Viliam Beres to establish a jazz quintet focusing predominantly on performing originals penned by Hloucal, Kalfus and Beres.
Infinite Quintet´s music interfuses current mainstream jazz components with a modern European understanding of jazz. Since its inception, the band has been successfully trying to find its own voice. While searching for it, the band members have been inspired by various artists, such as Terence Blanchard, Kenny Wheeler, Chris Potter, Michael Brecker, Avishai Cohen and many others.
Apart from their mutual efforts in Infinite Quintet,all members often take part in other interesting musical projects appearing on Czech as well as international music scenes.

Mihály Borbély Quartet_hun

Premiere Hungarian ethno jazz saxophonist on tour.
Mihály Borbély – saxophone, Daniel Szabó – 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).
He has participated in countless recordings and has given concerts in Hungary, throughout Europe, in the US, in Mexico and in Australia, and has performed at large festivals with Hungarian and international musicians in different genres mentioned above.
Teaching is an important part of his life and musical philosophy. He has been active in educating young jazz musicians since 1979. He has taught at the Béla Bartók Conservatory since 1986, and at the Jazz Department of the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy since 1990. In the latter he was head of department between 1997 and 2000. Apart from the above mentioned activities he has also given lectures and lead courses at various places both in Hungary and abroad.
Mihály Borbély is equally versatile in folk and world music, in jazz and contemporary music and his band includes musicians with similar spirit and taste. The improvisational music they play is an amalgam of various styles of jazz and the ethnomusicological heritage of the Carpathian-Basin and the Balkans saturated by interesting melodic variations, now by finely transparent, other times by powerful rhythmic patterns.

Matěj Benko Quintet_cz, sk

A new and unique voice in Czechoslovak jazz.
Radek Zapadlo – tenor saxophone, Miroslav Hloucal - trumpet, fluegelhorn, Matěj Benko – piano, Tomáš Liška – double bass, Pavel Zbořil - drums

It takes some talent and effort to make it in Prague as a jazz pianist, but the Slovak pianist and composer Matěj Benko posesses both the flair and stamina to meet his ends. As a student of composition at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory in Prague he quickly established himself as a sensible accompaniment for singers as well as an intriguing pianist for trio and other formats. Gradually he has found an ample platform for his compositional output, be it his trio or his most recent project, the Matěj Benko Quintet. This band offers a thorough excursion to Benko´s soul, as evoked through his introspective writing. He has been fortunate to have found himself the best possible cohorts to help him materialize his deep thoughts to the music lively, catchy and complex at the same time. Pavel Zbořil on drums, Tomáš Liška on double bass, Radek Zapadlo on saxophone and the young trumpet ace Miroslav Hloucal seem ideal for Benko´s jazzy blend with hints of latin as well as Slavic music.
The Arta publishing house is currently releasing Benko´s debut Quintet record and we can all be proud there is a new voice on the Czech jazz scene. Benko is not only an outstanding accompanist for Miriam Bayle and other great artists, but a peculiar writer who fancies to ignore stylistic boundaries as well.

Tariška - Štveráček Saxophone Summit featuring Ryan Carniaux_cz, sk, usa

Collaboration between Slovakian king of the saxophone and American trumpet player.
Radovan Tariška - altsaxophone, Ryan Carniaux - trumpet, Ondřej Štveráček – tenorsaxophone, Ondrej Krajňák – piano, Tomáš Baroš – double bass, Marián Ševčík – drums

Slovak saxophonist Radovan Tariška surely is a phenom. His energy is inexhaustible and infectious, his stage presence is ravishing. He is bound to his family for his talents. He was brought to the music world by his grandfather who also played clarinet and saxophone. Rado also received a great gift – he knows how to make a listener believe that music is the easiest and most enjoyable activity in the whole world. His extroverted manners, self confidence and musical abilities predestinated him to a succesful musical career.
Tariška´s music quest for glory began quite early, at the Žilina Conservatory where he attended the Slovak Young Swing Generation bigband. They performed at the Bratislava Jazz Days in 1997. The following years offered him a chance to work with many jazz greats, among others James Morrison, Philippe Catherine, Oliver Kent, Harry Sokal, Jarek Smietana, Piotr Baron, Janus Muniak, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Strickland, Donald Edwards, Jeremy Pelt, Joan Faulkner, Gabor Winand, Jeff Ballard, or George Mraz.
Tariška´s comrade Ryan Carniaux was born in New York and jazz runs through his veins. He truly plays like an American and uses his native jazz tongue to communicate greatly with the reminder of the band. Ryan belongs to a new wave of musicians who respect tradition and refuse the proposition of the death of jazz many years ago. He studied at the Berklee College in Boston with Tiger Okoshi, Greg Hopkins and Barry Ries, who engraved their jazz passion as well boldness and willingness to experiment to Ryan´s mind. Also under that influence Ryan refuses to limit his musical ambitions only to a bona fide jazz. He toured the east coast with a Boston funk band, lead a jazz sextet on tour through Costa Rica and worked for Wilson Rainbow as a sideman. Currently he resides in Holland and continues to speak to audiences throughout Europe.

Beáta Hlavenková & Ingrid Jensen Quartet_cz, usa

Musical collaboration of two charming and influential women.
Ingrid Jensen – trumpet, fluegelhorn, Beáta Hlavenková – piano, Michal Baranski – double bass, Jon Wikan – drums.

The most sought after pianist, arranger and composer of the Czech jazz scene Beata Hlavenkova graduated at Janacek Conservatory in Ostrava (1992-1996) and completed her music studies in the USA. Her work as a composer for symphonic orchestra and drama is equally important. She has cooperated with many Czech ensembles and projects including jazz, world music, rock and even country music and is one of the leading creators of the Eternal Seekers group together with Lenka Dusilova and Clarinet Factory.
For her current project she has succeeded to assemble a sublime line-up. The front line is occupied by prodigious Ingrid Jensen. Since graduating the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1989, the life of Ingrid Jensen has contained a whirlwind of musical activities taking her to the position of the most famous contemporary female jazz trumpeter. Her performances both as a leader and featured soloist have taken her around the world from Canada to Japan, Australia, South America, the Caribbean and to almost every country in Europe. Jensen can be heard with the Grammy winning Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Nordic Connect, Ingrid Jensen Quintet, Project O, Terri Lyne Carrington Project Mosaic, and many other New York-based bands.
Michal Baranski ranks among the most sought after jazz bassists of the Polish jazz scene and in Europe. For the open minded and creative attitude to music and a supreme craftmanship he is frequently invited to contribute to take part in touring or recording with remarkable artists as Bennie Maupin, Nigel Kennedy, Eddie Henderson, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Tomasz Stanko and many others.
Currently based in New York, Alaskan-born jazz drummer John Wikan has managed to study with some of the great drum masters such as Chico Hamilton, Carl Allen, and Jeff Hamilton. In 1996 Wikan immersed himself in the Seattle jazz scene becoming one of the busiest sidemen in the northwest area backing international artists including Herb Ellis or Kurt Elling. His move to New York City in 2000 immediately landed him a record date with pianist Geoff Keezer, a tour of Japan with Downbeat Vocalist of the Year, Mark Murphy and a week at the Blue Note with Grammy award winners, the New York Voices.

Yaron Herman Trio_il, usa

A concentration of talent, taste and musicianship at the hands of the Israeli piano genius and his American cohorts.
Yaron Herman – piano, Matt Brewer - double bass, Gerald Cleaver – drums

It has become a pleasant tradition at the JAZZFESTBRNO to feature a wide array of pianists every year. An extraordinally gifted pianist Yaron Herman is coming to the festival to join Alan Broadbent, Jacky Terrasson, Alan Pasqua or Eliane Elias in the string of world class pianists who have recently performed in Brno´s international jazz festival.
Yaron Herman, best new instrumentalist in the French “Victoires du Jazz“ in 2008, brings us his new music composed mainly for his most recent album Muse. After two intense years on tour, the trio (composed of Matt Brewer on double bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums) continue the success story of their highly acclaimed first album “A Time for Everything“.
The three partners, now closer than ever, take us on a journey which covers jazz, pop and improvisation. What they have managed to do in their uncomplex, natural, creative and joyful way is to reinvent the trio concept. The raging energy, the moody lyricism, the tension, the perpetual reinvention of formats and permenant risk-taking make this album like no other... welcome to the personal universe of Yaron Herman.
In 2009 Yaron Herman will perform in the Theatre des Champs Elysées in Paris in March, in the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo in April, in China and in numerous festivals in Europe (including the JAZZFESTBRNO) and in the United States. His impressive schedule of concerts across the world (more than 100 concerts played in 30 different countries), his popularity with younger audiences and his dazzling career to date confirm that he is an exceptional phenomenon, unique in the history of piano playing.

Les Yeux de la Téte_fra

Authentic French avant-garde bustling with youthful energy.
Samuel Frin - saxophone, Luc Muteau – bass guitar, Ivan Guerrand - drums

The free-rock-jazz trio Les Yeux de la Téte was formed in 1999 in Caen. Their repertoire is a blend between original songs and tortured covers, ranging as far as Stravinsky, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Astor Piazzola.
The band has been interesting rock and jazz audiences alike for over eight years with a demanding and iconoclastic but always surprising musical universe. The trio is now working on a new album for the winter and the members continue to cheer up listeners in a variety of venues as they have been successfully doing so far e.g. in le BBC at Hérouville, l'Olympic Café in Paris or at the Chauffer dans la Noirceu festival and many other places.

Jamsession

after the end of the main program, admission free, bring your own instruments
Kick off band: Přibil / Zapadlo Quintet

Peter Lipa Band_cz, sk

The popular Slovak singer with extraordinary charisma and no genre limits. .
Peter Lipa – vocals, Michal Žáček – saxophones, Peter Lipa jr. – piano, keyboard, Michal Šimko – bass guitar, Robo Rist - drums

Slovak singer Peter Lipa may have an unlimited number of musical influences, yet he remains original and convincing. He lets his self emerge in the music of Jimmy Rushing, Al Jarreau, Ray Charles, Bobby McFerrin or Joe Cocker, but when there is time for Peter Lipa to perform, he stays true to himself and sincere to his fans. He is not afraid of blending genres, not intimidated by bringing together poetry and jazz, pop or blues. It comes as no wonder that he is intensely sought after by promoters and fans alike. His genre span is as wide as his fan base is diverse.
It is the diversity where the main attraction of Lipa´s style begins. Enhanced by peculiar stage presence as well as the right ammount of confidence, his performances always exuberate with ideas, wit and enjoyment. Even if we leave aside Lipa´s seminal organizer activities, he would be considered one of the major and the most influential figures of the Slovak music scene. His musical career is bordered with collaborations with the cream of the Czech and Slovak jazz crop: Combo Petra Lipu, Lipa Andršt Blues Band, T + R Band, Lipa – Šeban Band or the current Peter Lipa Band and LP Sessions. All these bands have strongly influenced Slovak music in general.
Lipa surely appreciates jazz, although he does not call himself a jazz singer. He fancies to use jazz elements to make his music more liberate and emotional. He likes to be surrounded with similarly open-minded musicians and provides them a great deal of individual solo space. Michal Žáček is one of them and he returns the trust of his leader by adding an original and soulful saxophone voice to his manifold musical mosaic. The remaining musicians in the band surely enjoy Lipa´s company in their quest for a unique musical statement as well...

Karrin Allyson Quartet_usa

Grammy nominated American singer presenting her new record Imagina: Songs of Brasil.
Karrin Allyson – vocals, piano, Rod Fleeman – guitar, Ed Howard – double bass, Todd Strait - drums

Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Karrin Allyson has spent the last fifteen years carving out an impressive career as a singer, songwriter, pianist, composer and bandleader. It's not just critics who love her, it's the rest of the world too, musicians, concertgoers and connoisseurs of quality music. One thing's for certain, though: The two-time Grammy Award-nominated artist has been winning over fans and critics alike. And she's been doing so just about everywhere jazz can be heard or seen since 1992.
Over the years, Karrin Allyson has recorded a series of eleven CDs for Concord Records, each of which have showcased her astonishing breadth of repertoire, from standards by Gershwin and Porter to Brazilian bossa nova to samba and Thelonious Monk. She has also taken on French and Brazilian music (From Paris to Rio), the genius of John Coltrane (Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane) and the blues (In Blue). Most recently, the vocalist has released Imagina: Songs of Brasil, a beautiful collection of 14 tracks that features songs sung fully in Portuguese, as well as Brazilian songs with English translations by Susannah McCorkle, Chris Caswell, Gene Lees, Paul Williams and Jon Hendricks. But, "Whatever your native language," she says, "I hope that these songs speak directly to your heart, as they have to mine."
Her many eclectic and steadfast recordings, however, are only the tip of the iceberg. Karrin Allyson spends two days out of three on the road, playing the major jazz festivals and clubs of the U.S. and making repeated tours overseas.

Elizabeth Lohninger + Fischbacher Trio_usa, aut

Austrian American singer with the supreme band leader, Walter Fischbacher.
Elisabeth Lohninger - vocals, Walter Fischbacher – keyboards, Petr Dvorský – double bass, Otto Hejnic - drums

"A rich, passionate alto" and "A haunting alto of controlled force" - that is how critics describe Elisabeth Lohninger's voice. Lathered on lusciously all over her new release "the only way out is up" (Lofish Music, 2006), it catches the listener by surprise with its sheer sonority and smoothness. Having lent her vocals to a very diverse range of releases over the last ten years, Elisabeth Lohninger is not only a seasoned, polished singer but a vocalist with tremendous depth and range. An internationally touring artist, Elisabeth Lohninger has performed at Festivals and jazz clubs in the US, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and Slovakia, with performances at world renown jazz clubs such as A-Trane (Berlin), Porgy & Bess (Vienna) and the Jazz Standard (New York).
Born and raised in Austria, Elisabeth Lohninger relocated to New York City and teamed up with pianist Walter Fischbacher to co-found the duo "Perfect Roommates". This collaboration resulted in a much-lauded CD called "Austrian LiedGood" - a cross between Austrian folk music and jazz - and concerts at American and European Jazz Festivals (such as Texaco Jazz Festival, Chopin & Friends Festival/NYC, Jazz Festival Seeon/Germany). Her pop-soul album "Alien Lovers", released in 2000 under the alias Tera further portrays her stylistic versatility. Further collaborations with Walter Fischbacher led to an album comprised entirely of electronica chill out tracks, which were featured extensively in the daytime drama "One Life to Live".
Elisabeth's first film score for Helena Smith's short film "I'm Thursdays" promptly received the Wasserman Craft Award for Original Score (awarded during the First Run Film Festival, NYC) and led to other film scoring projects such as Ms. Smith's short film "No Verbal Response" and "A Dogday Afternoon" by New York City writer and filmmaker Claire Moed. Additional TV credits include writing songs for shows such as "The Precinct", "Alias" and "General Hospital". Since 2002 Elisabeth Lohninger is a faculty member at the prestigious New School Jazz Department in New York. Her 2004 CD with the title "Beneath Your Surface" (Lofish Music) garnered a flock of stellar reviews, while her brand new CD "The Only Way Out Is Up" draws from jazz, pop and drum&bass, creating a mood that is exciting and emotionally charged while staying completely authentic.

Roman Dragoun and his Angels_cz

Brno legend is back with a brand new project bordering on jazz, pop and rock.
Roman Dragoun – vocals, keyboard, Filip Benešovský – bass guitar, Ondřej Pomajsl - drums, Radek Kašpar - saxophone, Miloš Švec –guitar, Míra Barabáš – trumpet

Talented singer, keyboard player and composer Roman Dragoun collaborated with the Brno art rock legend Progres 2 in the beginning of the 80s. Those were the times, when his memorable hits „Muž, který se podobá odvrácené straně Měsíce“ and „Že Tvých vlasů v ní se dotýkám“ came to existence. Later on he and Miloš Morávek founded another rock gem aptly named Futurum and this formation proved equally important for the development of the Czech music scene during communism. Futurum brought more hits such as “Juliet“ or “Zdroj“ and two remarkable albums “Ostrov země“ a “Jedinečná šance“. At the close of the eighth decade of the last century Dragoun found himself in the group Stromboli, to where he was invited by the famous Michal Pavlíček.
Soon after the split-up of Stromboli, Dragoun devoted himself fully to solo projects, where his soulful approach to music began to reveal an even stronger side. His urgent, highly emotional and uniquely phrased vocal performance spiced up by some cunning Moog solos has become his trademark. Not that he would play too differently before, however, it was his solo work, where he could really open up. After an intermezzo in Prague musical theaters, where he starred in Jesus Christ Supestar and a few odd projects, he spared enough material to cut two more solo albums “Stín mý krve“(1995) – co-produced byMichal Pavlíček - and “Slunci blíž“(2000).
After nine years of artistic hiatus, Dragoun is presenting himself with a new record “Otlučená srdce“. It contains sixteen new songs as well as a good old “Že Tvých vlasů v ní se dotýkám“ in a fresh jazzy arrangement. Dragoun is back in full strength confirming he is both a strong chanson and ballad interpreter as well as a lively rocker with unusual instrumental, compositional and vocal prowess.
Dragoun´s inclination to jazz has been growing inevitablably in recent times. He fancies more intimacy and space in his songs, embellishing them with more blues elements. His songs make us think about mature wine and life in general, his voice is beginning to resemble that of Kurt Elling or other jazz greats with no restraint...

Ulf Wakenius and AMC Trio_sk, swe

Guitarist of the late, great Oscar Peterson accompanied by the skilled Slovak piano ensemble, Trio.
Ulf Wakenius – guitar, Peter Adamkovic – piano, Martin Marincak – double bass, Stanislav Cvanciger – drums

AMC Trio is one of a few professional jazz trios in Slovakia that can dare to call themselves a “working band”, a term often overused. It was founded twelve years ago and since then it has earned itself a solid reputation at home as well as abroad. The AMC Trio mostly performs originals written by all band members, who enjoy crossing over a standard jazz border and using outer musical elements. The melody is often a crucial focus in the band´s compositions, frequently accompanied by rich and distinctive work with strong musical motifs. It is not difficult to trace pop and traditional Slovak folk music hints in most of the trio´s tunes and it is equally easy to notice a close proximity of the trio, which unites three different voices to one integral musical stream.
AMC trio has cooperated with many top-notch musicians and has performed in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Austria and Germany... A cooperation with the guitar virtuoso Ulf Wakenius, a former member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet, ranks among the trio´s greatest accomplishments so far. Together they have recently recorded a fine and unique CD entitled Soul Of The Mountain.
Ulf Wakenius began playing the guitar at the age of 11, inspired by other guitarists in his neighbourhood. After picking up the guitar Ulf never looked back. In the beginning he was inspired by virtuoso electric blues guitar players but soon moved to more jazz-orientated music. John McLaughlin became Ulf's new guitar hero. Up until now, Ulf has 10 solo albums to his name and has recorded several albums as a sideman together with many jazz legends including Ray Brown, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen and especially the late great Oscar Peterson. He has played and recorded with the who´s who of the jazz world among others with, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Joe Henderson, Phil Woods, Clark Terry, Johnny Griffin, Toots Thielemans, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Liebman, Chris Potter, Kenny Kirkland, Max Roach, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson, Jim Hall, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, James Moody, Hank Jones, Roy Hargrove and Michel Legrand.

Jaromír Honzák Quintet featuring Chris Cheek_cz, pl, usa

Joint project of musicians from various sides of the Atlantic, sharing a mutual musical vision.
Chris Cheek – saxophones, David Dorůžka – guitar, Michal Tokaj – piano, Jaromír Honzák – double bass, Lukasz Zyta – drums

New musical visions, great talents, original compositions, unity in musical thought, supreme craftsmanship and sophisticated inventiveness – the Jaromír Honzak 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 Quartet features some of the most promising talents of the younger European generation – the Polish tandem of Lukasz Zyta and Michal Tokaj and Czech guitar wunderkind David Dorůžka. For the current tour as well as a planned recording, Chris Cheek is joining the group to further pursue the already excited inventiveness.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Chris Cheek began playing the alto sax at the age of 12. Chris played in a variety of local jazz and blues bands in the St. Louis area while attending Webster University. In 1988, on scholarship, he went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied with Joe Viola and Hal Crook.
Chris moved to New York in 1992 and since then has played and recorded with a number of different groups including: Paul Motian's "Electric Bebop Band", "The Bloomdaddies", Charlie Haden's "Liberation Music Orchestra", The Brian Blade Fellowship, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Luciana Souza, David Berkman, and Guillermo Klein's "Los Guachos".
In addition to appearing on over 60 albums as a sideman, Chris has recorded 4 albums as a leader on Fresh Sound Records, "I Wish I Knew", "A Girl Named Joe", "Vine", and most recently "Blues Cruise", featuring Brad Mehldau. While he continues to be actively involved in a number of different musical projects, Chris plays regularly with his own band at various clubs in the U.S. and abroad.
The joint venture of Chris Cheek and Jaromír Honzák Quartet - brilliant, enigmatic and convincing music steps out of jazz territory and approaches a wide range of open-minded music fans. Their artistic genuineness and honesty will certainly not leave you untouched.

Jamsession

after the end of the main program, admission free, bring your own instruments
Kick off band: Přibil / Zapadlo Quintet

Lenny White WORKSHOP_usa

Rez Abbasi´s Bazaar featuring Kiran_ind, usa

An attractive blend of Indian and American music directed by guitarist Rez Abbasi, starring Kiran (vocals), Stivers (organ) and Weiss (drums).
Kiran Ahluwalia – Indian vocals, Rez Abbasi – guitars, Ben Stivers – organ, Dan Weiss – drums

Born on the Indian Sub-Continent, removed at the age of four to the driving surf sounds of Southern California, schooled in jazz and classical music at the University of Southern California and the Manhattan School of Music as well as a pilgrimage to India under the tutorial of master percussionist, Ustad Alla Rakha, Rez Abbasi is a vivid synthesis of all the above stated influences and genres. Abbasi states, “To create a world-based music steeped in jazz is my goal. In this way, I’m following in the footsteps of some of the greatest jazz musicians. Coltrane, Ellington and Gillespie all immersed themselves into music from around the world and then brought it back home. If I have that kind of unifying affect, I’ve succeeded!”
With five albums of original compositions under his belt, Abbasi continues to garner new groups of musicians to help his musical vision come to life. His 2005 recording Snake Charmer created a stir in the music world partly due to his organic, original approach in blending two complex musical genres together, namely jazz and Indian music. 20th Century Guitar reviewed the CD as, "One of the best examples yet of how to merge Indian music with jazz...Snake Charmer really breaks new ground." In 2006, Rez achieved even greater heights with the follow up to Snake Charmer, Bazaar featuring Kiran, a vocalist supreme.
Making New York home for the past 15 years, Rez Abbasi is considered by many to be one of the foremost modern jazz guitar players. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Canada, the U.S. Mexico and India. He has performed and recorded with many jazz greats including, Grammy winner Ruth Brown, Peter Erskine, Kenny Werner, Barre Phillips, DD Jackson, Tim Hagans, Marc Johnson, Billy Hart, Michael Formanek, Rick Margitza, Gary Thomas, Dave Leibman, Kadri Gopalnath, Gearge Brooks, Ronu Majumdar, Kiran Ahluwalia, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Tony Malaby and many others.

Lenny White and Present Tense_usa

Legendary drummer accompanied by his great band mates.
Lenny White - drums, George Colligan – piano, keyboards, Tom Guarna - guitar, Richie Goods - bass

A versatile drummer, Lenny White is still best-known for being part of Chick Corea's Return To Forever in the 1970's. White was self-taught on drums and he largely started his career on top, playing regularly with Jackie McLean (1968) and recording "Bitches Brew" with Miles Davis in 1969.
White was soon working with some of the who's who of jazz including Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Gato Barbieri, Gil Evans, Stanley Clarke and Stan Getz among others. As a member of Return To Forever during 1973-1976, White gained a strong reputation as one of the top fusion drummers, but he was always versatile enough to play in many settings. After the breakup of RTF, Lenny White headed several fusion projects but none of these recordings (for Nemperor and Elektra) have dated well at all, emphasizing commercial funk. However his work with the Echoes Of An Era and Griffith Park all-star groups were been more successful and he has been a valuable sideman for a wide variety of projects.
His long term project Present Tense has recently been featuring outstanding musicians: George Colligan – seasoned piano player, both leader of his unique projects and sideman for Cassandra Wilson and many others, guitarist Tom Guarna and basist Richie Goods, both highly sought after instrumentalists and, in the latter case, producers. If Lenny White represents the genuine fusion messenger, the younger reminder of the line-up helps the leader get the message across to today´s audience with an extraordinary skill and esprit.

Jamsession

after the end of the main program, admission free, bring your own instruments
Kick off band: Přibil / Zapadlo Quintet

Dan Weiss + Rez Abbasi´s Bazaar WORKSHOP_ind

Auguścik – Karnas Sextet_pol

The best of Polish jazz vocals.
Grazyna Auguścik – vocals, Grzegorz Karnas - vocals, Adam Oles - cello, Sabin Todorov - piano, Michal Jaros - bass, Sebastian Frankiewicz – drums

A supreme vocal summit was initiated by two of the most respected Polish musicians, Grzegorz Karnas and Grażyna Auguścik. "Jazz in its open-minded conception based on listening to each other is a great means for communication of various temperaments and visions," both performers say. "It provides plenty of room for self-fulfillment", adds Auguścik and in her case it is clearly a genuine statement, which she fancies to prove every night.
Singer, composer, arranger, and producer Grazyna Auguścik has won the praise and admiration of music critics, jazz enthusiasts and even non-jazz audiences with a unique voice that speaks a universal language. She is one of the most intriguing contemporary vocalists on today's world jazz scene. Her elusive style challenges traditional definitions of a jazz and show vocalist and musician without boundaries. Her unorthodox approach to rewriting classic works is at once a tribute to its authors as well as an adventure into uncharted territory. Her originals offer up a fresh taste of uncanny flavor.
Karnas has worked with top-line younger artists of Poland's jazz scene as well as its legends. In 1998, he was awarded first prize at the International Jazz Vocalists Meeting in Zamość, Poland. The following year, his debut album "Reinkarnasja" (Nottwo 2000) was released and put Karnas on the road touring throughout the main clubs and festivals in Poland and Slovakia (International Jazz Pianists Festival in Kalisz, Bratislava Jazz Days). The summer of 2004 saw the premiere of Grzegorz Karnas' self-produced solo project "Sny-Dreams of a Ninth Floor" (DeBies 2004) the promotion of which took place with a series of over 30 club and festival concerts in Poland (Warsaw Summer Jazz Days), Slovakia and Czech Republic (Prague Jazz Open, Jazz Goes To Town in Hradec Kralove , International Jazz Festival in Kosice), Germany, Romania (Sibu Jazz Festival) and many others. A new album "Ballads for the End of the World" featuring brilliant Silesian cello player Adam Oleś was released in April 2006. Promotions of both projects continue in 2007. Also in 2006 Karnas was awarded first prize at Young Jazz Singers Competition Brussels. In August 2007 he was a winner of the CREST JAZZ VOCAL competition in southern France. He is also the artistic director of the International Jazz Competition For Singing Musicians, "Voicingers".

Monster Jamsession

after the end of the main program, admission free, bring your own instruments
Kick off band: Přibil / Zapadlo Quintet

B Side Band (CZ)_cz

Modern big band, full of energy and fun.
Josef Buchta – band leader, Matuš Bagár – vocals, Richard Mlynář – piano, Jiří Kučerovský – guitar, Tomáš Koudelka – bass guitar, Jan Dvořák - drums, Petr Toman - percussion, Vojtěch Novotný, Josef Buchta, František Kříž, Hubert Ratschker – trumpets, Antonín Mühlhansl, Petr Kovařík, Petr Herzán, Pavol Hoďa, Lubor Pokluda – saxophones, Petr Hnětkovský, Pavel Semek, Martin Henek, Pavel Debef - trombones

If there is any tradition in jazz music which Brno can boast, it is the big band tradition. The history of the legendary Gustav Brom Big Band has been bordered with success at international music festivals as well as prestigious jazz magazine polls. Recently, though, the orchestra has been functioning predominantly in Slovakia, Germany and Poland and living more or less off of the past success. The void created by the departure of the Gustav Brom Bigband has long remained unfulfilled by a purposeful project and it sure takes plenty of energy and enthusiasm to pull off such a project. The trumpetist and impresario Josef Buchta posesses a strong enough will to lead and manage the lively and diverse unit he which he has named the B Side Band, a twenty-piece orchestra comprised of the best players from Brno and its surroundings.
Buchta did not hesitate to invest not only his big band vision and concept, but on top of that to secure enough engagements to keep the bigband alive. He has managed to surround himself with likeminded and seasoned musicians capable of executing his bigband visions. The result of his efforts are stunning – in less than three years of existence, the band has performed more than fourty times, an incredible number of appearances for a new bigband! In addition to that the B Side Band´s performances have overwhelmed the local press and have approached a surprising abundance of listeners. In 2008 the band toured with a unique project of the Jazz Mass penned and arranged by the legendary trumpet player Jaromír Hnilička, performed at the Jazz Goes to Town festival as well as other prestigious events in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Beside these projects, the B Side Band has cooperated with noted musicians and arrangers with no genre limitations, e.g. Radovan Tariška, Juraj Bartoš, Matěj Ruppert, Roman Holý and Zdeněk Novák to name just a few.
Similarly unlimited is the band´s repertoire combining bits and pieces from various genres, creating a modern and colored sound locked in infectious grooves and intriguing arrangements. It reveals inspirations by Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, Incognito, All Star Big Band of Michel Camilo, Phil Collins, Miles Davis, Gordon Goodwin or Ray Charles, but strives to stay original, relaxed and entertaining. The B Side Band certainly offers a great deal of potential for the near future.

Jamsession

after the end of the main program, admission free, bring your own instruments
Kick off band: B Side Quartet

Alexander Sipiagin a Ondrej Krajňák Trio_rus, sk

The leading Russian trumpet player in a joint project with the breathtaking Slovakian trio.
Alex Sipiagin – trumpet, Ondrej Krajňák – piano, Tomáš Baroš – double bass, Marián Ševčík – drums

Eastern European is in the phase of an unprecedented renaissance after the fall of the iron curtain in the late 80s. The up and coming generation of young musicians produces an ample amount of talent not restricted in their flowering by barbed wire or any other infringements. The group of Alex Sipiagin gathers some of these talents into a cohesive unit, which performs primarily compositions of its leader, Russian trumpet phenomenon Sipiagin, with characteristic energy. Sipiagin is a top Russian jazzman living outside of Russia and during his tenure in NYC he has been honored with numerous opportunities to play as a featured soloist either with small groups as well as big bands including the Dave Holland Big Band and Sextet, Michael Brecker Sextet and Quindectet, Mingus Big Band and many others.
Sipiagin boasts a rich discography as a leader. It features his originals alongside with blistering renditions of jazz classics in an exquisite company of the world´s best sidemen such as Dave Kikoski, Tain Watts, Scott Colley, Gene Jackson, Seamus Blake, Chris Potter, Adam Rogers, Jonathan Blake, Robin Eubanks, Antonio Sanchez and many others. The trumpeter´s special project for JAZZFESTBRNO, consisting of seasoned representatives of the Czech and Slovak jazz scene, draws some of its repertoire also from his solo albums.
Bassist Tomáš Baroš is a talent, whose impact will soon overgrow the boundaries of the Czech Republic. The manifold playing of the passionate drummer Marián Ševčík reveals some afro-american drumming influences and the solos of the pianist Ondrej Krajňák resemble a stream of water, which will take the listener down and let him float in the current. No wonder that Alex Sipiaginhas picked out this line up to let his trumpet shine and easily blend into the group´s chemistry at the same time.

Program subject to change!