Polí5 new jazzy releases

Newest one is cooperation of Czech alternative / prog band STROM STíNU and avant jazz big band BUCiNATORES ORCHESTRA, whose leader and trombonist Jan Jirucha created new arrangements for some Strom stínu songs and added few original compositions. The album (released as CD and bandcamp download with Name your price option, as most of Polí5 releases) will be launched in concert at Prague Jazz Dock on December 22.

Few moths ago was released fifth album by LiMBO, actually Czech / Slovak / Ukraine quartet of Pavel Hrubý - saxes, bass clarinet, František Kučera - trumpet and flugelhorn, Taras Voloshchuk - double bass and Dušan Černák - drums. (Previous history and discography of Limbo is portrayed here). New album is titled Details and unlike earlier recordings, based on spontaneous improvisation and composing in studio mainly, new repertoire was already prepared before recording. Spirit of their original inspiration Art Ensemble of Chicago is still present.

  

Another title from Polí5, HLASkontraBAS by singer RiDiNA AHMED and bassist PETR TiCHÝ, is perfect picturesque example of acoustic versus electronics, as both members of duo are using looper tools. Petr Tichý is one of most in demand bassist of Czech jazz scene and member of NTS trio, while Ridina Ahmed is known for co-operation with Floex on his album Pocustone, longtime solo vocals and experimenting with looping, as heard on her first solo album Hlasem (Amplión Records 2006).

Jazz / rock / alternative







Avant / free improvisation / experimental







https://poli5.bandcamp.com

New album by ViRGiL & STEVE HOWE

Alternativa Festival 2o17

www.alternativa-festival.cz

https://www.facebook.com/pg/festival.alternativa/events/

R.I.P. Marian Varga (1947-2017)

Marian Varga, composer and keyboard player, undisputed genius of Slovak (or Czechoslovak) progressive music, died on August 9, aged 70.


Above is 60 mins wonderful documentary by Slovakia TV from 2010.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marián_Varga

News from Amplion Records

Third album of NTS trio, titled ZappornO, was released as vinyl LP plus digital download (actually in preparation). Produced by Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx.

The abbreviation NTS means the common project of three musicians with different genre background: composer of contemporary art-music and keyboard player Michal Nejtek, jazz double-bass player Petr Tichý and the rock drummer Štěpán Smetáček.

www.ntstrio.com

ARTA Distribution / e-Shop

From earlier Amplion Records releases:



From the album "Phoenix" (Amplion Records 2016)

Michal Nejtek - piano, keyboards
Pavel Hrubý - soprano, alto & tenor sax
Jaromír Honzák - double bass
Daniel Šoltis - drums, percussion

Spontaneous compositions by four Czech jazz & contemporary music masters, recorded August 2015 at Sono Records, Czech Republic. Produced by Alexej Charvát.

From the album "Kompas" (Amplion Records 2015)

Zuzana Dumková - vocals, electric guitar, slide guitar.
Marcel Bárta - tenor & soprano sax.
Josef Štěpánek - steel guitar.
Michal Nejtek - keyboards.
Andrés Ibarburu - bass guitar.
Miloš Dvořáček - drums.

Music, lyrics & arrangement by Zuzana Dumková.

http://www.zuzanadumkova.cz

All Amplion Records albums as CDs, mp3 or flac are obtainable via http://www.arta.cz (search for specific title or label) ... or as usual mp3 at Spotify, Deezer, Google Play, iTunes....

AMPLiON RECORDS fb page

+  PAVEL HRUBÝ - BETWEEN THE LiNES 

International Music Festival Dobršská brána, August 25-26, 2o17

Dobršská brána (aka The Gate of Dobrš) Festival, located in historic village Dobrš (South Czech region, near Strakonice city) is focused on alternative crossfields of folklore, contemporary chamber music and improvisation. All the info about programme, place, accomodation, etc. can be found on Festival website.

www.dobrsskabrana-fest.cz

Friday August 25

16.00 _ Garth Knox – kostel Zvěstování P. Marii
18.00 _ Mantaban3jo – zámek – venkovní pódium
20.00 _ Prázdné hory jsou plné větru a deště – zámek – venkovní pódium
22.00 _ Barry Guy & Maya Homburger – kostel Zvěstování P. Marii




Saturday August 26

11.00 _ John Buckley – lecture – zámek
14.00 _ Petr Tichý – kostel Zvěstování P. Marii
15.00 _ Anna Romanovská – kostel Zvěstování P. Marii
16.00 _ Gabriela Vermelho & Jakub Jedlinský – zvonice / kaple sv. Jana a Pavla
18.00 _ Nils Økland Ensemble – zámek – venkovní pódium
20.00 _ Garth Knox Saltarello Quartet – zámek – venkovní pódium
22.00 _ joint performance of all performers and opportunity to dance – hall of the pub “U Dražných”
17.00 _ Roštovanka – náves

ENiESA meet blue animal

  

Eniesa krstí album MEEET BLUE ANIMAL

V júni 2016 bol pokrstený Eniesin druhý autorský album domoRAJ. Až na jednu skladbu v svahilčine, bol plný slovenských textov a rozprával o domove, raji v duši mladej slovenskej speváčky a skladateľky. 

Už po roku prichádza Eniesa s ďalšími skladbami spojenými pod titulom Meet Blue Animal. Všetky nápady vznikli v novom košickom štúdiu Undergroove Records v blízkej spolupráci s členom Eniesinej kapely Le´Murs, Palkom Jeňom, ktorý album spoluaranžoval, produkoval a nahrával. Prináša na tento modrý album modernejší zvuk, ktorý preniká k viacerým poslúcháčom. „Meet Blue Animal je o mojej ceste do Košíc, o tom ako som sa presťahovala späť do svojho rodného mesta, naspäť k svojim koreňom, z ktorých vychádza väčšina mojej inšpirácie. Rovnako ako môj život v poslednom roku, tak aj moja tvorba je v poslednej dobe intenzívne rozlietaná do všetkých smerov.“ 

Tvorba na Meet Blue Animal je rozmanitejšia, ďalej od stredu a jemného flowu, ktorý charakterizoval predošlý album. Skladby sú buď smutnejšie a temnejšie alebo veselšie a tanečnejšie ako na domoRAJi. Album charakterizuje väčší počet nástrojov, ktoré tentokrát okrem tvorcov obsluhovali viacerí hostia ako Peter Tomko (Marián Čekovský, Los Massakeros,...), Peter Tóth (Observatórium P. Tótha, Los Massakeros), Tomi Beneš (Jazzabell, Bobova diéta), Jozef Zima (Peter Bič Projekt), Braňo Valanský (The Swines), Matej Lazár (Jazzabell, Cha Bud), Stano Palúch (Miloraj), David Kollar a Martin Geišberg. 

„Modrotvor - modrý tvor, modrý tapír je pre mňa mystický zver, ktorý charakterizuje môj momentálny stav, pocit. Tak zniem v posledných dňoch, týždňoch, mesiacoch a cítim sa vo svojej koži zas sama sebou. Som prekvapená, kam až sa nám pri tvorení podarilo zájsť a veľmi sa teším na to, kedy privítame modrého tvora vo svete, do ktorého vyrazí modrou sfarbiť vaše ušné svety." 

Meet Blue Animal pokrstí viac miest a viac umelcov, čo ho vyprevadia na cestu do sveta. (Promo text - Flame Bar)

www.eniesa.net

oh eniesa....

MoonJune Records Jazz free sampler and other treats

Free sampler comprising 25 tracks from MoonJune rich catalogue



and more:

MICHEL DELVILLE guitar, Roland GR09, loops, stylophone, electronics, samples 
TONY BIANCO drums, percussion 
ANTOINE GUENET keyboards, synth, acoustic piano

Tony Levin:- Stick and Voice, Markus Reuter:- Touch Guitars® AU8, Soundscapes, Keyboard, Pat Mastelotto:- Acoustic and electronic Drums and Percussion, Mel Collins:- Saxophones, Flute 



Tali Atzmon - Vocals, Jenny Bliss Bennett - Viola de Gamba, Violin, Flute, Vocal, Gilad Atzmon - Bass Clarinet, Soprano sax, Accordeon, Yaron Stavi - Double Bass, Frank Harrison - Piano, Enzo Zirilli - Percussion 



Double CD by Balinese guitarist Dewa Budjana, featuring TONY LEVIN, GARY HUSBAND, JACK DEJOHNETTE with special guests TIM GARLAND, DANNY MARKOVICH, GUTHRIE GOVAN, SAAT SYAH, UBIET, RISA SARASWATI and CZECH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.



"The ongoing goal of MoonJune is to support music that transcends stylistic pigeon-holing, but operates within an evolutionary progressive musical continuum that places jazz at one end and rock at the other." 
www.moonjune.com

Respect Festival 2o17, Prague

More info at rachot.cz

Iva Bittová & Čikori - "At Home" album release

Iva Bittová & Čikori have recorded a new album “At Home”. Nine original songs follow up marvellously the legendary album “Bíle Inferno” (i.e. White Inferno) both with the band members and the album’s poetics but also with its song form and the overall sound of the recordings.

 www.indies.eu/en/alba/3399/at-home/ 

 “At Home” includes three songs with English lyrics, which are essential for the album. At Home was written by Linda Gregg, A Paper Cone by renowned London critic, radio editor, occasional lyricist and poet, Ken Hunt. The band Čikori consists of Vladimír Václavek (guitar), Jaromír Honzák (double bass), Oskar Török (trumpet). Antonín Fajt (piano), Hamid Drake (drums) and a few others joined the recordings as guest musicians. The mastering was done by the well respected Dave Cook (e.g. Nick Cave, David Bowie, Alanis Morissette, Radiohead) at the studio AREA 52 in New York. The album is dedicated to Lenka Zogatová and Zuzana Viktorinová in memoriam.

Iva Bittová is one of the most prominent and most respected artists on the Czech alternative, jazz, and world music scenes.

Gary Lucas & Prázdné hory jsou plné větru a deště, Prague, 11.6.2o17

Skupina Prázdné hory jsou plné větru a deště, jejíž název pochází ze staré korejské zenové básně, vznikla v září 2014 jako trio založené hráčem na dechové nástroje Michalem Hrubým (zakladatelem kapel Neočekávaný dýchánek a Kapitán Kajman), finským kontrabasistou Eskem Mäkinenem a fenomenálním americkým perkusistou Hearnem Gadboisem, který koncertoval a nahrával například s Patti Smith nebo Suzanne Vega. Mezinárodní trio postupně doplnili na kvintet japonský saxofonista a hráč na flétnu šakuhači Kenji Seizan Osako a mladá houslistka a hráčka na japonský strunný nástroj koto Anna Romanovská (mimo jiné Orchestr Berg). Kapela se věnuje volné improvizaci na pomezí jazzu a etnické hudby všech zemí, z nichž jednotliví členové kapely pocházejí.

Jako host s kapelou vystoupí americký kytarista Gary Lucas (ex-Captain Beefheart etc.)

Praha, Café Liberal, Heřmanova 6, 11. června, 20:00

FB event

Prague based international quintet Prázdné hory jsou plné větru a deště (Empty Mountains Are Full of Wind and Rain), whose name comes from old Korean zen poem, was founded in 2014 as trio of Michal Hrubý (saxes and bass clarinet), Finnish double bassist Esko Mäkinen (he plays also harmonium, melodica and some pipes) and American percussionist Hearn Gadbois, who played and recorded with Patti Smith or Suzanne Vega. They were later joined by Japanese sax and shakuhachi player Kenji Seizan Osako and Anna Romanovská (member of Contemporary music ensemble Orchestr Berg) on violin and koto. Their freely improvised music is based on elements of jazz and ethnic music from homelands of all members. In concert at Prague Café Liberal, June 11th, they will be joined by ex-Captain Beefheat guitarist Gary Lucas.

Cuneiform Winter 2017 releases

Four times per year, Silver Spring, Maryland based label Cuneiform Records usually releases four new titles of  adventurous music. Latest bunch seems really strong.

Crazy times call for outrageous music, and few jazz ensembles are better prepared to meet the surreality of this reality-TV-era than the antic and epically creative Ed Palermo Big Band. The New Jersey saxophonist, composer and arranger is best known for his celebrated performances interpreting the ingenious compositions of Frank Zappa, an extensive body of work documented on previous Cuneiform albums.

But his fifth project for the label, The Great Un-American Songbook Volumes 1 & 2, is a love letter to the rockers who ruled the AM and FM airwaves in the 1960s via successive waves of the British Invasion. Featuring largely the same stellar cast of players as last year’s gloriously eclectic One Child Left Behind, the 18-piece EPBB lovingly reinvents songs famous and obscure, leaving them readily recognizable and utterly transformed. The first installments in what he hopes to be an ongoing project, these two volumes give a whole new meaning to 'swinging London'.

You can hear demanding vocal or instrumental versions of songs by Cream, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, King Crimson, The Beatles, ELP or Radiohead on this album.

album on bandcamp



Chicago / London Underground presents first meeting of core duo of Chicago Underground Collective, cornet player Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor (both uses also electronics) with prominent London improvisers, pianist Alexander Hawkins and bassist John Edwards, recorded live at Café OTO in London, April 2016. The result named A Night Walking Through Mirrors is an expansive sonic adventure whose every unexpected note and alchemical reaction runs counter to the limited imaginations ruling social media name-calling and clannish provincialism.

album on bandcamp

The other releases are new albums by another Americans, experimental jazz oriented The Microscopic Septet and avant-prog combo Thinking Plague.

more info and music to hear on each title bandcamp page or at www.cuneiformrecords.com

(Created with use of Cuneiform promo materials)