CZECH PREMIERE

Ole Morten Vågan – acoustic bass, compositions
Sofia Jernberg – voice
Josefin Runsteen – violin
Eivind Lønning – trumpet
Eirik Hegdal – saxophone, clarinet
Fredrik Ljungkvist – saxophone
Amalie Dahl – saxophone
Espen Reinertsen – saxophone, bassclarinet
Øyvind Brække – trombone
Alex Zethson – piano
Marianne Baudouin Lie – violoncello
Vegard Bjerkan – synth
Håkon Mjåset Johansen – drums
Gard Nilssen – drums

Trondheim Jazz Orchestra is one of Europe's most acclaimed and creative jazz ensembles. Formed in 2000, the orchestra has collaborated on a great number of interesting projects with renowned names on the Norwegian as well as international jazz scene, including Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Erlend Skomsvoll, Eirik Hegdal, Sofia Jernberg, Maria Kannegaard, Kim Myhr, Jenny Hval, Stian Westerhus, Ståle Storløkken, Kristoffer Lo, Marius Neset, and many others. The size and instrumentation of the orchestra vary from project to project; this enables them to work with a wide range of repertoire. At the concert in Hradec Králové, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra will play the music from the Plastic Wave record, composed by renowned bassist Ole-Morten Vågan. He will join a large ensemble comprising the crème de la crème of Scandinavian jazz. As the Czech Republic has never had the opportunity to welcome the elite of that scene in such number, we believe we are going to witness a unique musical experience.

TICKETS

https://www.trondheimjazzorchestra.no/project/ole-morten-vagan

CZECH PREMIERE

Lucia Cadotsch – voice
Otis Sandsjö – tenor saxophone
Petter Eldh – acoustic bass

Benefiting from a rarely seen musical synchrony, the Speak Low ensemble presents a unique way of interpreting classic songs and compositions. Their diverse repertoire spans from pieces by Brian Eno or Rickie Lee Jones to Luciano Berio and Tony Williams. Thanks to the trio’s unique sound, the music comes alive for the new generation of listeners as well as those who have loved and known it for a long time. Lucia Cadotsch challenges all the existing vocal jazz conventions, Ottis Sandsjö weaves together feathery tonal skeins and Petter Eldh combines his technical precision with creativity, which makes him one of the most remarkable bassists on the European scene.

TICKETS

www.luciacadotsch.com

CZECH PREMIERE

Brian Settles – saxophone
Luke Stewart – acoustic bass
Chad Taylor – drums

Polymath bassist Luke Steward, a creative catalyst of the Washington, D. C, music scene, has been called one of the “25 most influential jazz artists” by Downbeat magazine. In Hradec Králové, he will be joined by Chad Taylor, a legendary drummer from Chicago, and Brian Settles, a saxophonist with his own distinct sound. Together, they form a compact trio, performing with almost conversational ease of old friends. Not bound to any specific style, but at the same time well aware of the tradition they are part of, they create music which combines immediate inspiration and deep roots.

TICKETS

Espen Reinertsen (NO) – saxophone
Eivind Lønning (NO) – trumpet

Streifenjunko has been making music together since 2005, and during these years, the members Espen Reinertsen (saxophone, electronics) and Eivind Lønning (trumpet, electronics) have worked closely together to present truly unique and original compositions on more than 200 concerts all over the world. They often perform together in other projects as well, most notably in the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, and also with numerous other recognized artists in the field of experimental music and art. Streifenjunko is supported by Arts Council Norway.

CZECH PREMIERE

Marek Pospieszalski – woodwinds, tape machine
Tomasz Dąbrowski – trumpet
Piotr Chęcki – woodwinds
Tomasz Sroczyński – viola
Szymon Mika – guitar
Grzegorz Tarwid – piano
Ksawery Wójciński – double bass
Qba Janicki – drums

Jazz and contemporary music tradition is well rooted in Poland. As a recognition of that tradition, saxophone player, composer, and producer Marek Pospieszalski decided to put together the pieces of 12 classics of Polish music, pointing to their influence on the country’s current music scene, be it jazz (Pospieszalski himself belongs to the most acclaimed Polish players of the genre), collective improvisation, club music, noise, or sound art. Drawing on the works by Kazimierz Serocki, Bogusław Schaeffer, Zbigniew Rudziński, Zygmunt Krauz, and other composers, the project presents a unique combination of sonoristic music, electronica, and jazz improvisation.

TICKETS

CZECH PREMIERE

Anne Quillier – piano, composition
Damien Sabatier – baritone saxophone
Pierre Horckmans – bass clarinet
Vincent Girard – acoustic bass
Guillaume Bertrand – drums

Hirsute present a microcosm of fresh soundscapes full of inventive progressions and surprises, of one’s inner musical journey, reflecting the turbulent adventures of everyday life, while staying in the spheres. Each composition tells a story, and it is up to us what we find in it; there’s no need to worry about the exact meaning – it is just a little cry for musical freedom. Hirsute baffle us by playing with film melodies and timbers. Their solos never serve just as a means to an end, but form parts of a story. Their music is vibrant, untamed, and individual.

TICKETS

Kamil Piotrowicz (PL) – casio, organelle, make noise 0-coast synthesizers, grand piano 
Jacek Prościński (PL) – drums

HAŁVVA is a duo run by the most interesting musicians of the young improv and electronic music Polish scene: Kamil Piotrowicz and Jacek Prościński. They met each other in 2016 and started to develop unique Hałvva's language; The music is a consequence of free improvisation that transforms into open forms and diverse compositions. They design extreme sonic surreality of distorted structures, glitches, rhythmic cubism and emotional harmonies.

Helge Sunde (NO) – conductor
Benny Brown (D) / Oskar Török (SK) / Štěpánka Balcarová (CZ) – trumpets
Jan Jirucha (CZ) / Robert Hedemann (D) – trombones
Andrea Šulcová (CZ) – flute
Marcel Bárta (CZ) / Luboš Soukup (CZ) / Jonas Brinckmann (D) – saxophone
Małgorzata Hutek (PL) – voice
Epoque Quartet (CZ) – string quartet
Robert Balzar (CZ) – acoustice bass
Vít Křišťan (CZ) – Fender Rhodes
Kamil Slezák (CZ) – drums
Tomáš Sýkora (CZ) – electronics
Zbyněk Oudys (CZ) – light design, video

Seven seminal names of the Czech music scene created, in collaboration with remarkable Norwegian composer Helge Sunde, a more than hour-long immersive fusion of live music, light, and visuals. The consistent cycle of shorter compositions is inspired by powerful photographs by Norwegian artists. Sunde, known as a trombone player, leader of the progressive Denada Ensemble, and an influential and sought-after tutor, has been supervising the process in-person as well as remotely, guiding it, and then contributed to it as the eighth composer. For the performance, a part of the brass section will be substituted with a string quartet, a singer, and live electronic music. The collective of composers consists, apart from Sunde and bandmaster Štěpánka Balcarová, of Luboš Soukup, Vít Křišťan, Jan Jirucha, Martin Brunner, Tomáš Sýkora and Jan Mazura. For the first time since the establishment of the project, the elaborate light design and especially the projection of photographs will contribute to the final impression as much as the music.

TICKETS

This project was supported by the Iceland / Liechtenstein / Norway grants EHP 2014–2021

WORLD PREMIERE

Kristýna Švihálková (CZ) – pitched percussion, percussion
Ian Mikyska (CZ) – string and wind instruments
Štěpán Janoušek (CZ) – trombone, vocals
Jan Pudlák (CZ) – piano, keyboards
Amalia Dahl (NO) – saxophone

This year we decided to follow up on the festival’s successful project The Shape of Jazz to Come. Five young musicians will meet in Hradec Králové at the beginning of the festival, to rehearse the authorial repertoire which will be premiered on Saturday evening. Four Czech artists will be joined by an exceptional Norwegian saxophonist and composer Amalia Dahl. Kristýna Švihálková is an extraordinary representative of the new generation of Czech contemporary music, a brilliant improviser and composer employing a range of media in her compositions. Interdisciplinarity forms also an important part of the work by Ian Mikyska, an established Czech composer, multi-instrumentalist and theatre director. Štěpán Janoušek is one of the most talented musicians on the Czech scene, his scope spread among diverse activities. Jan Pudlák is an exceptional jazz pianist and composer, inspired, among other influences, by the tradition of Western art music.

TICKETS

Emil Viklický – piano
Pavel Hrubý – bass clarinet

A few years ago, a renowned pianist and composer Emil Viklický joined forces with multiinstrumentalist Pavel Hrubý, a long-established name on the Czech jazz scene, to record an album. Since then, the two have been performing on a regular basis: you can enjoy their performance in the acoustically unique environment of the Petrof Gallery. Lyricism and rich melodic arches meet an extraordinary, telepathy-reaching musical connection.

TICKETS

Ridina Ahmedová – voice
Alice Bauer – voice
Mirka Novak – voice
Markéta Zdeňková – voice
Petr Tichý – acoustic bass
Tomáš Liška – acoustic bass
Ondřej Štajnochr – acoustic bass
Ondřej Komárek – acoustic bass

HLASkontraBAS Octet is an ensemble formed by prominent Czech musicians – four bassists and four vocalists. Stemming from project HLASkontraBAS, the ensemble has expanded, and the compositions have been rearranged to fill the potential that is hidden in a live performance of eight musicians – this provides a powerful and unusual musical experience. At the JGGT festival, the ensemble will present a new repertoire, consisting of pieces written by renowned Czech and foreign composers.

TICKETS

The concert is supported by EHP and Norway grandts.

Nela Dusová – saxophone
Jan Lacina – el. guitar
Klára Pudláková – acoustic bass
Adam Sikora – drums

Band 2in2out fuses traditional jazz with contemporary trends and experiments. As their music is largely based on improvisation, each performance they give is unique. The band's founding members, saxophonist Nela Dusová and guitarist Jan Lacina composed most of the repertoire. With Klára Pudláková on double bass and Adam Sikora on drums, all four musicians belong to the new generation of Czech jazz – all are at the same time already well established in the scene and perform with renowned Czech projects such as Event Horizon or Uthando.

TICKETS

Osian Roberts (UK) – tenor saxophone
Tomáš Baroš (CZ) – acoustic bass
Marek Urbánek (CZ) – drums

The Bopportunists trio revels in exploring the rich repertoire of the groundbreaking compositions that emerged in the 40s bebop era. Their repertoire is focused on the jazz classics by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, John Lewis, and other seminal names from that time. No matter if interpreting the “era surpassing bop tunes that have become worldwide classics” or more obscure, rarely played pieces, The Bopportunists have given their material a unique sound, marked by inventive instrumentation, while staying true to the original style of the music.

TICKETS

Alois Zatloukal – viola, violin
Jan Bára – guitar
Michael Lužný – bass
Filip Tománek – drums

Rusty Cowboys were formed at the faculty of Jazz, HAMU. Coming from different cultural and geographical backgrounds, the four members of the band feel no need to put labels on their music. The attentive listener will however recognize, apart from the all-embracing jazz aesthetics, elements of roots rock, americana, folk, and world music. The band’s repertoire consists mainly of the pieces written by violinist and violist Alois Zatloukal – his powerful, gloomy, but at the same time playful and cheerful melodies are enriched by pedal effects and a stable, yet variable rhythm section. Rather than thrilling technical virtuosity in their solos, expect a deep interconnection of four musicians, attentively listening to one another, in search of a shared sonic ideal.

Jan Hocek will remember the music publicist, festival companion and especially his friend Petr Slabý through his favourite music.

Attend a presentation of legendary Hammond instruments (www.hammond.eu) and Leslie speakers. During the two-hour seminar you will learn everything about them, not only from history but especially from the present. Hammond's in-house player Mr. Dirk Van der Linden from Belgium (www.dirkvanderlinden.com) will be present. The meeting will be conducted in an informal atmosphere with the opportunity to try out the instruments and discuss musical and non-musical topics.

CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS

Kaja Draksler – organ

Kaja Draksler is a Slovenian pianist and composer. After her studies in the Netherlands, she decided to stay in Amsterdam, became active on the improvised music scene, and performed all around Europe. An Amsterdam-based octet, which she formed in 2016, is her main project, she, however, frequently performs solo as well as with a number of international ensembles. She is one of the founding members of the interdisciplinary team I/O and a member of the internationally acclaimed Doek collective. Kaja looks for ways of merging composition and improvisation. Drawing from the Dutch avant-garde jazz heritage, she revels in the idea of erasing the stylistic and historical musical borderlines in search of one’s personal musical expression. We are greatly honored that this well-established and acclaimed musician became our residential artist for this year and will, as a part of her special concert here, premiere her composition for organ.

TICKETS

CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS

Kaja Draksler (SI) – piano, keyboards, percussion, vox
Szymon Pimpon Gąsiorek (PL) – drums, electronics, vox

Copenhagen-based duo Czajka & Puchacz released their first, largely acoustic-sounding album Bivališča in June 2020. It was followed by a los retro-anat-pop single Entscheidung, which came out a year later and was ascribed to their alter-duo Kiebitz & Uhu. Having put out their second album that explores songwriting experiments within the scope of existentialism and the abstraction of everyday life, the two musicians continue combining impromptu songwriting with the elements of the European school of free improvisation aesthetics and musique concréte practices.

TICKETS