Programme

At 43, Canadian pianist Kris Davis is one of the brightest stars in her generation of jazz pianists – and also one of the most industrious. Rarely does a year go by without a new release from her. If one year passes without an album, you can expect at least two the following year.

 

Since entering the recording industry in 2003 with her sextet‘s debut album Lifespan on the respected Fresh Sound label, Davis has released 25 albums as a leader or co-leader. This doesn’t include over two dozen additional recordings as a “sidewoman.” Few musicians are as prominent in contemporary jazz as Kris Davis.

Davis began studying piano at age six in a classical setting, but during elementary school, she discovered jazz, which completely captivated her – particularly the works of Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. She later studied jazz piano in Toronto, then moved to New York, the “capital of jazz,” where she released her first album and quickly launched a meteoric career built on immense talent and hard work.

Davis has never confined herself to one genre. While she excels in traditional jazz, she’s also embraced avant-garde tendencies, including playing prepared piano and composing unique orchestrations, such as a suite for four bass clarinets, guitar, piano, organ, and drums. It’s no surprise that she is part of John Zorn’s circle, performing his Bagatelles around the world, including at the Bagatelles Marathon in Prague in 2019.

Her albums consistently appear in annual jazz rankings. Her 2022 record New Standards Vol. 1, a collaboration with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Two years earlier, Davis was named Best Pianist by DownBeat magazine, sharing the honor with Kenny Barron after receiving the same number of votes.

Davis’ latest album, Run The Gauntlet (her fifth release on her own label Pyroclastic, founded eight years ago), was recorded in a trio with bassist Robert Hurst (who has worked with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, and Diana Krall) and drummer Johnathan Blake (known for his work with Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, and Donny McCaslin). This stellar trio will perform at JazzFestBrno.

Line-up:

Kris Davis – piano, Robert Hurst – double bass, Johnathan Blake drums

Pianist and composer Nikol Bóková is one of the most prominent and successful creators of her generation. Just last year, she performed in several countries, including Japan, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy. She performs and records both in various ensembles and as a solo artist, and she will bring the stable lineup of her Trio to Brno.

 

Bóková‘s musical range is vast, extending from Baroque to contemporary music of the 19th and 20th centuries. At the same time, she is a remarkable composer of her own unique music.Her work reflects her classical music education, blending elements of jazz, classical, and popular music, as well as modern rock and minimalism. Her debut album Inner Place, released in 2019, was nominated for the Anděl Award and marked the beginning of a rapid series of recordings. These include albums created with her trio, featuring Michał Wierzgoń and Martin Kocián, as well as collaborations with other musicians such as guitarist David Dorůžka, double bassist Jaromír Honzák, and world-renowned horn player Radek Baborák. Her discography also includes solo piano recordings and explorations into classical music, spanning from Bach‘s harpsichord works to Wagner‘s and Strauss‘s orchestral compositions arranged for solo piano.

Nikol Bóková has received numerous awards from the professional community and is recognized as an emerging figure on the Czech music scene and internationally.

Line-up:

Nikol Bóková – piano, Martin Kocián – double bass, Michał Wierzgoń – drums

The project was founded by double bassist and composer Klára Pudláková as part of her master’s program at the Jazz Department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU). The original lineup consisted exclusively of string instruments, and in its next phase, wind instruments were added to the ensemble.

 

The creative principle behind Maomah is the development of original compositions rooted in classical music, enhanced through improvisation and rhythmic freedom inspired by jazz. With a double bass and three violins, the group adheres to the principles of composition, while also embracing the skills and experiences of the musicians to explore free improvisation. As a result, Klára Pudláková’s compositions—described by her as a musical mystery—sound unique with each performance. The musical expression and dynamics are not dictated by sheet music but by the mutual interaction of the musicians in the moment. This approach is reflected in the current lineup, where the original string ensemble (double bass and three violins) has been expanded to include wind instruments (saxophones, clarinet, and trombone).

Klára Pudláková is a quintessential representative of today’s young generation of musicians, who rarely limit themselves to a single genre. She navigates a wide spectrum of styles, blending them and refusing to play by conventional rules. This versatility is evident not only in Maomah, which is closest to classical music in her portfolio, but also in the alternative folk project Avokaduu with Anežka Matoušková, as well as in other ventures that touch on jazz and improvised music, such as Uthando, Pudlax, and her duo with saxophonist Michal Wróblewski.

Line-up:

Klára Pudláková – double bass, Jana Havláková – violin, Milan Jakeš – violin, Anna Romanovská – violin, Michal Wróblewski – saxophon, Štěpán Janoušek – trombone

The founder and leading figure of the group Helicopets is Polish guitarist and composer Adam Baran, a young musician with a wide range of influences who stands out as one of the most promising Polish creators in the realm of jazz-inspired music.

 

Adam grew up listening to Björk, Radiohead, and The White Stripes. In his twenties, he pursued jazz education, graduating from the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. During this time, he became deeply influenced by albums from John Coltrane, Tomasz Stańko, and Bill Frisell, which guided his interest toward improvised music—a passion he has since fully embraced.

In addition to founding Helicopets, a group where he experiments with improvisation, electronic sounds, and unconventional arrangements (featuring guitar, bass guitar, bass clarinet, percussion, and electronics), Adam collaborates with alternative bands like Patrick the Pan and Swiernalis, as well as singer Alicja Szemplińska. He has also worked both in the studio and on stage with legendary jazz musician Michał Urbaniak, blues virtuoso Roman Puchowski, and many others.

Adam Baran is well known for his tireless concert activity, performing in clubs and at major European festivals. He has appeared at events such as Budapest’s Sziget Festival and Katowice’s Off Festival. In 2024, his band Helicopets was selected by celebrated trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær to compete in the finals of the Jazz Juniors Competition, where they received a special award. As a result, in 2025, Helicopets will embark on a European tour.

Line-up:

Adam Baran – electric guitar, Panilas – bass clarinet, Józef Biegański – percussion, electronics, Piotr Zygma – bass guitar

On the Czech music scene, guitarist and composer David Dorůžka has long been a prominent figure, with each of his albums receiving close scrutiny. This will undoubtedly be the case for his latest release, When the Child Was a Child, which will be launched at a concert during JazzFestBrno and is being released by Bivak Records.

 

Dorůžka’s “Polish quartet,” featuring pianist Piotr Wyleżoł and other top-tier, experienced musicians, has been enriched by years of international collaboration. Musically, the new album returns to a purely acoustic sound, blending jazz tradition with elements of folk music, delivering a lyrical expression that distinguishes it from Dorůžka’s previous album, Andromeda’s Mystery, which explored rock influences. Nevertheless, fans can still expect surprises on When the Child Was a Child. One highlight is the participation of young harmonica player Nicholas Patu, who not only contributed to the recording but will also join the quartet as a guest at their Brno concert. In addition to original compositions, the repertoire promises a surprising interpretation of a piece by American multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens.

David Dorůžka first made his mark on the Czech music scene during his teenage years. After studying at Berklee College of Music, he gained experience in New York and Paris. He debuted in 2004 with the album Hidden Paths, which earned him his first—and certainly not his last—Anděl Award. Over the years, he has collaborated with prominent musicians from the Czech Republic, Europe, and beyond, including world-class drummers like Jorge Rossy and Jeff Ballard. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential creators of the Czech jazz middle generation.

Line-up:

David Dorůžka – guitar, Piotr Wyleżoł – piano, Michał Barański – double bass, Michał Miśkiewicz – drums, & special guest Nicholas Patu – harmonica

The ideal band for 2025. A phenomenal cocktail of styles that fans of various musical expressions can agree on. It’s no coincidence that the band already has two Grammy Awards and three more nominations to its name.

Canadian band BadBadNotGood is a dual entity. On one hand, they are an instrumental trio; on the other, a production team – and they excel in both areas. As producers, they primarily operate in the hip-hop sphere, having collaborated with major figures such as Tyler, The Creator (who significantly helped kick-start their career), Kendrick Lamar, Ghostface Killah, and Charlotte Day Wilson.
The instrumental group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinski. In 2016, frequent collaborator and saxophonist Leland Whitty joined the band, while Matthew Tavares gradually stepped back from being a full-time member and, since 2020, has remained more of a „man behind the scenes.“ Though they met while studying jazz at Humber College in Toronto, it was actually their love for hip-hop that brought them together. However, their taste in music is vast. Beyond the aforementioned styles, they have backed R&B singer Frank Ocean and even recorded a cover of the English indie rock band My Bloody Valentine for their second album. Clearly, they are driven by music itself –whatever they find inspiring – while genre labels remain secondary.
This attitude extends to their relationship with jazz, a genre they are often associated with – perhaps simply because they are an instrumental band and master their instruments exceptionally well. Leland Whitty once commented: „All we‘re really trying to do is create something unique and honest. We don‘t belong to any particular category, nor do we follow any tradition or anything like that.“ Alexander Sowinski added: „We approach music with a jazz background, and we use the jazz language when composing. But we don’t consider ourselves top-tier musicians in that genre, nor do we see ourselves as its innovators. Jazz has its own history and evolution, and maintaining it requires certain prerequisites, including hours of daily practice on an instrument. That was never our approach – we’ve always been more interested in production, recording, and the conceptual creation of music rather than perfecting our solo performance. We simply see music as a whole, rather than as a puzzle of instrumental parts.“
It took BadBadNotGood some time to connect with audiences through their original, always progressive, and genre-defying music. But today, after six successful albums, they are widely recognized as some of the most forward-thinking visionaries shaping the future of jazz fusion.

The mere fact that an African American concert harpist leads a trio could, in theory, be enough to consider The Brandee Younger Trio a truly unique formation. But that would be a superficial judgment. It’s not just about the unusual sound—it’s about genuinely unique music.

 

Now forty-one years old, Brandee Younger has taken music seriously from a very young age and shaped her education around it. She first studied harp performance and music management at the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut, and later earned a Master of Music degree from New York University. Early in her career, she had the opportunity to collaborate with jazz giants such as Pharoah Sanders and Jack DeJohnette, as well as hip-hop and R&B stars like Lauryn Hill, The Roots, and John Legend.

A key turning point in Brandee Younger’s career came with an invitation from saxophonist Ravi Coltrane to perform at a memorial concert for his mother, Alice Coltrane—one of the first artists to successfully incorporate the harp into jazz music. Another milestone came a few years later, when her composition Hortense was featured in a concert documentary about Beyoncé.

Although Brandee Younger’s name had appeared in album credits since the mid-2000s, and she had been releasing her own records on small independent labels since her 2011 debut Prelude, her breakthrough into the major recording world came in 2021 with the album Somewhere Different, released on the prestigious Impulse! label. From that album came her first Grammy nomination, in the category of Best Instrumental Composition, for the piece Beautiful Is Black. Brandee Younger was notably the first African American woman ever nominated in this category. Her next and most recent album, Brand New Life, was released in 2023, again under the Impulse! label.

Brandee Younger is regarded as a pioneering force in bringing the harp into modern jazz and hip hop. She passes on her experience as a teacher at several universities, through masterclasses she regularly conducts, and, of course, through her live performances.

This band is considered an all-stars ensemble on the Czech music scene. Like its namesake from television, Muff can be mischievous and a bit unruly—and it can also ignite the stage like the famous guitar effect pedal of the same name.

 

Muff was formed in 2000, but it wasn’t until a decade later that they released their debut album. The lineup consists of five distinctive musicians who create a collage on the border of jazz and rock, wrapped in a light haze of psychedelia interwoven with electronics and samples. These top-tier Czech instrumentalists come together in Muff primarily for the joy of making music free from any rules, showcasing their musical sophistication and sense of humour. All of this is evident not only at their concerts but also across their four released albums to date.

The leader of Muff is a saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Marcel Bárta, also known for his work in many other projects, including the highly acclaimed jazz group Vertigo. Keyboardist and sound wizard Jakub Zitko founded and led the legendary mini-bigband NUO and, among other things, is the “right-hand man” of singer Aneta Langerová, co-authoring her songs and producing her recordings. Bassist Jakub Vejnar, besides his work with Muff, can be heard in various jazz and rock projects, including the successful band November 2nd, which won the 2023 Anděl Award for Album of the Year. Guitarist Jiří Šimek leads his own project, Electric Madness, and like his bandmates, participates in numerous musical ventures. The same is true for drummer Roman Vícha, a sought-after studio drummer who plays with both jazz and rock musicians and is a permanent member of singer Ewa Farna’s backing band.

You have to admit—getting such a busy group together is a feat worthy of a Nobel Prize for logistics!

Marcel Bárta – saxofon, Jakub Zitko – klávesy, Jiří Šimek – kytara, Jakub Vejnar – baskytara, Roman Vícha – bicí

Whatever form of art comes from Iceland, it is always somehow “different.” This holds true for literature, film, and visual arts, but perhaps most strikingly for music. And certainly for the quartet ADHD.

 

While some bands rush headlong into the unknown with every new album, ADHD continually expands and deepens the territory they have reliably cultivated. They insist on recording all their albums live to capture the magic of their concert cooperation—a kind of all-encompassing ritual where a Viking-like natural approach meets contemporary technology. They don’t distract listeners with elaborate album titles either. Since their 2009 debut—which was recorded two years after the band’s formation, simply titled ADHD, and awarded Jazz Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards—they have released each subsequent album with just a sequential number. By last year, they had reached a total of nine entries in this minimalist series.

A journalistic bon mot claims that ADHD’s live performances demonstrate how the people of a remote island in the north of the planet managed to survive all those long centuries: they simply generated energy from within themselves. It’s no wonder that ADHD’s music fascinates not only jazz enthusiasts, who admire the sophisticated structure of their compositions and their brilliant musicianship, but also rock audiences, who value the aforementioned indomitable energy above all, and even fans of modern dance music.

Óskar Guðjónsson – saxophone, Ómar Guðjónsson – guitar, pedal steel, bass, Tómas Jónsson – piano, keyboards, Magnus Trygvason Eliassen – drums

A singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, Michael Mayo seemed destined for a vocal career on the borderlines of jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, and soul. More precisely: it was his family environment that set the course. What other path could he have taken when, during his childhood, his parents—his father a saxophonist and his mother a singer—were performing with Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Luther Vandross?

 

Michael Mayo had excellent role models from the cradle. When singer Gretchen Parlato visited his high school, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and showcased some of her vocal magic, the decision was made: Michael would become a professional singer. He continued his education at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in jazz vocals, and in 2015, he became the third singer ever admitted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now the Herbie Hancock Institute) at the University of California, Los Angeles. He could not have asked for better teachers: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Dianne Reeves.

And his relationship with Herbie Hancock didn’t end with the classroom—Hancock also took him on tour, an honour that in the jazz world is akin to a knighthood. Besides that, Mayo sang on several albums by drummer Nate Smith, was a member of the R&B band Shrek Is Love—which reinterpreted themes from the popular film series about the iconic green ogre—and collaborated with Kneebody, Moonchild, and Jacob Collier.

Michael Mayo made his solo debut in 2021 with the album Bones, produced by Eli Wolf, known for his work with Al Green, Norah Jones, and The Roots. Mayo even invited his two parents to participate in the recording—a fitting tribute to the good genes they passed on. He showcased the full extent of his abilities in the track Stolen Moments, where, in the style of Bobby McFerrin, he layered over 250 (!) of his own vocal tracks into a stunning arrangement. His most recent album, Fly, was released last year, cementing his status as a truly anointed singer and one of the brightest contemporary stars of jazz and vocal music at large.

One of the main stars of the autumn part of JazzFestBrno has been among the most important jazz—and beyond—instrumentalists, producers, and composers since the 1980s. Major figures like trumpeter Miles Davis and singer Luther Vandross entrusted him with their music.

 

Marcus Miller is one of those musicians blessed with innate musical talent, nurtured from childhood in a musically inclined family. He studied classical clarinet, but over the course of his life, he also mastered keyboards, saxophone, guitar, and of course, his number one instrument: the bass guitar.

For many years, Marcus Miller worked as an acclaimed sideman in New York recording studios, an experience that served as a profound musical education for him as a musician, producer, and composer. At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, he was also a member of the house band for Saturday Night Live, America’s most-watched television show. The list of artists he has supported is nothing short of impressive, including Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Frank Sinatra, and George Benson. He collaborated extensively with saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., recording six albums together in the 1980s, and with soul singer Luther Vandross, with whom he recorded no fewer than a dozen albums—many of them produced by Miller and often featuring his songwriting contributions. As a longtime collaborator with saxophonist David Sanborn, Miller helped shape fifteen of Sanborn’s albums during the 1980s and 1990s. A chapter unto itself was his work with Miles Davis: Marcus Miller was instrumental in one of Davis’s major “resurrections,” producing the Tutu album and writing its title track, which has since become a Davis standard. Miller also produced Davis’s subsequent albums Music from Siesta and Amandla, and contributed as an instrumentalist to three Davis albums preceding Tutu.

Given this extensive résumé, it might seem that Marcus Miller sacrificed his own solo career for the benefit of others, but that is not the case. Interestingly, at the beginning of the 1980s, his solo debut was primarily vocal: on his first two albums, he presented himself mainly as a singer and songwriter, and only secondarily as an instrumentalist. This approach, however, was never repeated, and on his later albums, vocals appear only sporadically. It is in instrumental music that Marcus Miller’s true strength lies—a fact confirmed by his Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for M² in 2001. Fourteen years later, his album Afrodeezia was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

An American drummer of the middle generation, Makaya McCraven is one of those musicians who convincingly shows the world that modern contemporary jazz—especially the kind meant to appeal to a younger audience—cannot exist without hip hop.

 

Although he was born in Paris, he grew up from the age of three in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. With a jazz drummer father and a Hungarian-born singer mother, McCraven inherited strong musical genes, and it’s no surprise that by the age of five he was already playing drums seriously in his father’s percussion ensemble. His path began to shift during high school: on one hand, he and a group of friends formed a band to accompany his mother’s singing, rooted in Hungarian folk traditions; on the other, he initiated the creation of Cold Duck Complex, a band that skillfully blended jazz, hip hop, and politically charged rap lyrics. The group cited activist ensembles like The Roots and Rage Against the Machine as their main influences. During their existence from 2002 to 2009, they released four albums and performed countless gigs, becoming a popular attraction on university campuses.

Makaya McCraven studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he was a member of the university’s jazz orchestra, but ultimately left school before graduating, as his musical career led him to Chicago. There, he played with various bands and became a sought-after studio musician. In 2012, he made his solo debut with the album Split Decision, but gained wider recognition with its follow-up, In The Moment, which led to an extensive European tour and an invitation to collaborate with one of the most influential contemporary American jazz musicians, Kamasi Washington. McCraven’s profile grew not only among listeners but also among critics—he was named both Best New Producer and Best New Drummer in the 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll.

Today, Makaya McCraven has nothing left to prove. He has firmly established himself in the top league of jazz musicians in their forties, and his latest album, In These Times—a project he worked on for seven years across five different studios—secured him a place among the elite roster of Nonesuch Records, one of the most prestigious labels not only in jazz but in music overall.

In recent years, Nate Smith has become one of the most closely watched and influential drummers of his generation. This is not only because, alongside his other work, he has focused on creating a series of viral videos that have garnered millions of views. He is simply remarkable in every respect.

 

The now 50-year-old Virginia native started playing drums at the age of eleven, initially drawn to rock and funk. A turning point came at sixteen, when he heard Album of the Year, the famous 1981 recording by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He began to take jazz drumming seriously, though he also studied design and other artistic disciplines. His first major opportunity came when he performed with Betty Carter at the legendary Blue Note club in New York. This launched a remarkable era of collaborations with top-tier artists, through which he built a portfolio many would envy.

In 2003, the renowned bassist Dave Holland invited Nate Smith to join his quintet, and as a member he recorded two albums: Critical Mass (2005) and Pathways (2009). Around the same time, he began working closely with saxophonist Chris Potter, recording four albums with him between 2006 and 2015. His discography also includes individual recordings with stars such as Patricia Barber, Randy Brecker, Takuya Kuroda, and even Czech musician Karel Růžička Jr., with whom he recorded the album Grace & Gratitude for Animal Music.

Nate Smith never confined himself strictly to jazz boundaries, and the more experienced he became, the more he expanded his scope. That’s why his name can be found on albums by Paul Simon, Brittany Howard (lead singer of Alabama Shakes), and genre-less José James. Interestingly, one of his major non-jazz credits predates his professional drumming career: in 2001, he co-wrote and co-produced Michael Jackson’s song Heaven Can Wait, released on the Invincible album—one of the singer’s slowest tracks ever.

Nate Smith’s solo career also unfolds in this genre-blending, style-crossing spirit. His debut, KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere, earned two Grammy nominations. Speaking about his vision for the album, Smith said: “My goal was to start with the simplest elements—singable melodies with familiar harmonies—and use them to weave stories that felt nostalgic without being overly sentimental.” He received the same number of nominations for his follow-up project, Kinfolk 2: See The Birds. In addition to these well-known albums, he has released three more titles, all marked by a distinctive compositional and instrumental contribution.

At his JazzFestBrno concert, Nate Smith will perform in a trio with James Francies, a keyboardist signed to the prestigious Blue Note label, for which he has recorded two solo albums, and bassist Michael League, the driving force behind the highly successful and popular group Snarky Puppy.

Nate Smith – drums, James Francies – keys, Michael League – bass

One of the greatest living legends of jazz—and one of the most important and influential saxophonists in the history of the genre—celebrated his eighty-seventh birthday this March. Charles Lloyd has, over the course of his career, traversed virtually the entire history of jazz, beginning in the early 1950s when he first stepped onto the professional scene.

 

The Memphis native’s bloodline is a mix of African, Native American, Mongolian, and Irish heritage. However, it was the African American roots that prevailed, and Charles Lloyd began his musical journey with the best foundation: the blues. And not just any blues—early in his career, he accompanied such legendary blues singers as Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, and Bobby “Blue” Bland. In 1956, he moved to Los Angeles, where he absorbed the art of musicianship and “the jazz life” from figures like Ornette Coleman, Billy Higgins, Don Cherry, and Eric Dolphy.

In the mid-1960s, he formed his famous quartet featuring Keith Jarrett (piano), Cecil McBee (double bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums), and found success with the album Dream Weaver. The real breakthrough came with the release of Forest Flower: Live at Monterey (1966), an album considered one of the most significant jazz recordings of the decade. It was among the first jazz albums to sell over a million copies and to be played on mainstream radio stations. Charles Lloyd became, in effect, a pop star of the “Summer of Love,” sharing stages with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Cream, the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane. In 1967, he even toured behind the Iron Curtain, performing at Prague’s Lucerna Hall. Reflecting on that concert, Charles Lloyd later said:
“I remember that time as an incredibly fragile balance between the people and the ruling powers. Music was like a magnet, a signal calling for freedom. It was, in a way, an expression of a claim to freedom. I think because we ourselves head toward freedom each night on our explorations into the world of music, people feel it directly, heart to heart.”

At the peak of his career in the early 1970s, however, Charles Lloyd disbanded his group and withdrew from the wild lifestyle of the music industry to settle in Big Sur, California. He ventured out only occasionally for guest recordings, including contributing to four late-period albums by the rock group The Beach Boys. Lloyd fully returned to the scene more than a decade later with a new group featuring the young, soon-to-be-famous French pianist Michel Petrucciani. After two live albums and one cassette, Lloyd once again retreated to Big Sur, devoting his time to meditation and the study of Indian philosophy. His music has always reflected a leaning toward Eastern musical thinking, deeply connected to his spiritual orientation—often noted as a continuation of the path set by another jazz giant, John Coltrane.

Charles Lloyd’s lasting return to music came in 1988 with a new quartet featuring the gifted Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson. Signing with the iconic Munich label ECM, Lloyd remained loyal to it until 2013. Two years later, he joined the equally prestigious Blue Note label, producing a series of fascinating projects—such as The Marvels featuring country singer Lucinda Williams, offering a unique vision of modern Americana, and a trilogy of trio recordings, each with a different star-studded lineup (including Bill Frisell, Gerald Clayton, and Julian Lage).

His most recent album, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, was released in March last year, recorded with an all-star quartet featuring pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Brian Blade. The album received an extraordinary score of 95 out of 100 on Metacritic, a site that aggregates reviews from critics—an excellent invitation to his upcoming concert in Brno. And indeed, Lloyd will appear in a very similar lineup at JazzFestBrno, with one change: behind the drums, the equally brilliant Eric Harland will take the place of Brian Blade.

Charles Lloyd – tenor saxophone, Jason Moran – piano, Larry Grenadier – bass, Eric Harland – drums

A pianist and composer regarded as one of the greatest jazz talents in the United Kingdom—a claim that is not just a wishful boast, but a logical consequence of his accomplishments so far.

 

Ashley Henry studied at the Royal Academy of Music. After graduating in 2016, he performed with artists such as Jason Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Jean Toussaint, and at the International Piano Trio Festival with Robert Glasper. He was also a finalist in the Unisa International Piano Competition in South Africa.

Henry’s debut album, Beautiful Vinyl Hunter, was released in 2020 and received significant critical acclaim. BBC 6, for example, nominated it for Album of the Year, making it only the second jazz album ever to achieve such recognition. That same year, Ashley Henry was named New Jazz Artist of the Year by France Jazz Magazine.

Ashley Henry’s sound reflects both his London upbringing and his Caribbean heritage. While grounded in his classical music education, he is unafraid to stray from formal training whenever his distinctive music demands it. His intellectual and musical inspirations include James Baldwin and Angela Davis, as well as Ahmad Jamal, George Benson, Geri Allen, and Aretha Franklin.

In 2023, Ashley Henry founded his own label, Royal Raw Music, with the aim of continually advancing and expanding the boundaries of artistic expression and collaboration. The following year, he released his second and most recent studio album, Who We Are. The answer to that question will surely resonate during his November concert at JazzFestBrno.