Michael Arbenz – piano
Thomas Lähns – double bass
Florian Arbenz – drums

The talented Swiss piano trio VEIN originating from Basel collaborates with one of the best jazz big bands from Scandinavia, in a joint project called Symphonic Bop. Their performance will feature exclusive versions of VEIN’s compositions from their two latest projects The Chamber Music Effect and VEIN plays RAVEL, reconstructed for the sixteen-player Norrbotten Big Band. The size of the orchestra makes the music wonderfully dynamic and energetic. VEIN’s music crosses between modern jazz, classical music and composed jazz standards. Themes are masterfully being abstracted and put back together in novel rhythmic juxtapositions. Both traditional aspects and a denial of jazz roots mix together. The main features of their music are almost anarchic improvisation, spontaneity, freshness and a diversion from the academic rigidity of classic templates.

www.vein.ch

Strom stínu:
Jan Chaluš – drums
Martin Volšický – guitars
Tomáš Zahoř – bass

Bucinatores Orchestra:
Dora Barová – cello, voice
Jan Jirucha – trombone
Štěpán Janoušek - trombone
Jiří Genrt – tuba
Mikoláš Chadima – alto saxophone
Marcel Bárta – tenor saxophone
Jakub Doležal – tenor saxophone
Petr Harmáček – trumpet
Miroslav Hloucal – trumpet
Oskar Török  – trumpet
Jiří Šimek – electric guitar
Rasťo Uhrík – double bass
Daniel Šoltis – drums

A unique Czech project of collaboration between the Prague rock band Strom stínu and a jazz big band of fourteen called Bucinatores Orchestra. The music of the alternative rock trio Strom stínu changes in the newly created compositions and becomes incredibly energetic and immersive. Bucinatores Orchestra is a modern jazz big band of fourteen of the most creative Czech musicians of mid and young generations, conducted by the trombonist Jan Jirucha. The band’s music radiates energy, invention, confidence, freshness and joy. Their unusual instrumental combination with no harmonic instruments creates a fascinating sound dominated by an excellent wind instrument section. Bucinatores notably features a legend of Czech alternative Music, Mikoláš Chadim, who plays alto sax and a vocalist-cellist Dora Barová.

http://www.stromstinu.cz/band.html

John Dikeman (US) – tenor saxophone
Tobias Klein (DE) – alto saxophone
Jasper Stadhouders (NL) – electric guitar
Gonçalo Almeida (PT) – bass
Philipp Moser (DE) – drums
Michal Wroblewski (CZ) – baritone saxophone
Marcel Bárta (CZ) – tenor saxophone
Jiří Genrt (CZ) – tube
Jan Přibil (CZ) – trumpet
Didrik Ingvaldsen (NO) – trumpet
Richard Šanda (CZ) – trombone

The international group Spinifex from Amsterdam teams up with the most creative Czech jazz musicians of mid and young generations to create a special project for the JGTT festival. Spinifex Maximus is a big band of eleven musicians featuring exclusively at this year’s JGTT. Their music is incredibly intense and presents an original mix of modern jazz, musical avantgarde, trash metal and HC. The highly diverse musical combinations break down established styles and genres. Its most prominent features are mathematically precise rhythmical structures and detailed compositions, extreme changes in beat, explosive improvisations, unexpected melodic turns, exquisite solos and strong grooves. The quintet and the powerful wind instrument section of Czech players work as one organism, drawing listeners in from the first beat.

www.spinifexmusic.nl

Nate Wooley (USA) – trumpet
Lotte Anker (DK) – alto saxophone
Felix Henkelhausen (DE) – double bass
Dré Hočevar (SL) – drums

This international quartet of an American trumpetist Nate Wooley will be performing for the first time in the Czech Republic. Nate Wooley is one of the most interesting and original trumpetists of present day. He has performed in bands and big bands in Oregon where he was born since 13 years old. In 2001 he moved to New York where he became one of the greatest musicians of the Brooklyn independent music scene. He flawlessly moves between traditional jazz, free improvisation, classical music, noise and new music. In the past Wooley has collaborated for example with John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Fred Frith or Evan Parker. He will be performing with his not-so-easy-to-pronounce quartet Knknighgh which innovatively combines free jazz and creates a surprising blend of new music.

http://natewooley.com
http://drehocevar.com
http://www.lotteanker.com

Ákos Szelevényi – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, percussion instruments
Péter Ajtai – double bass
Áron Porteleki – drums, viola
Szilveszter Miklòs – drums

A Czech premiere of a Hungarian saxophonist and composer Ákosh Szelevényi and his quartet, a key band of today’s (not only) Hungarian progressive jazz. In 1986, when he was 20 years old, Ákosh S. emigrated to France as a result of the communist regime. He started to perform in the sphere of jazz, experimental and rock music, working with the world-known choreographer Josef Nadj and with the band Noir Désir. He formed a variable musical group called Unit, which combines structured music compositions with elements of free jazz, Hungarian folklore, and improvisation. In the last two years Akosh S. has been active in the Budapest jazz and improv scene. His latest Unit consists of two drum sets and a double bass and includes the most eye-catching young musicians of Budapest.
 
https://akosh-s.bandcamp.com

Liudas Mockūnas (LT) – saxophone, clarinet
Christian Windfeld (DK) – drums

The phenomenal Lithuanian musician Liudas Mockūnas who specialises in wind instruments and the Danish drummer Christian Windfeld cooperate to create an exciting musical dialogue and explore the limits of improvisation and combinations with free jazz, classical music and folklore. Liudas Mockūnas is a prominent persona of contemporary Lithuanian jazz which overlaps with free jazz, free improvisation, modern jazz or classical music. In playing saxophone he uses his original techniques including, circular breathing, overtones, percussive techniques and multiphonics. The percussion artist Christian Windfeld uses a variety of different techniques and continues to develop new innovative approaches to percussion instruments. This is the first time the duo will be performing in the Czech Republic.

www.christianwindfeld.com

Małgorzata Hutek – voice
Štěpánka Balcarová – trumpet
Luboš Soukup – saxophone, clarinet
Robert Fischmann – flutes
Nikola Kołodziejczyk – piano
Jaromír Honzák – double bass
Grzegorz Masłowski – drums

This Czech-Polish sextet is led by a trumpetist and composer Štěpánka Balcarová and a charismatic Polish vocalist Małgorzata Hutek. The musicians use poems by one of the most important modern Polish poets of the first half of the 20th centrury, Julian Tuwim. Apart from M. Hutek, the sextet includes other Polish artists: a rising star of Polish jazz piano music Nikola Kołodziejczyk and drummer Grzegorz Masłowski. The Czech part of the band has a saxophonist Luboš Soukup, a flautist Robert Fischmann and Jaromír Honzák, a legend of Czech jazz bass. In 2017 the band released an album called Life and Happiness of Julian Tuwim, (in cooperation with Animal Music publishing) which was nominated for the Anděl music awards in Jazz & Blues category.

www.mhutek.pl
www.stepankabalcarova.cz

Mike Parker (USA) – double bass
Damian Niewinski (PL) – drums
Mateusz Palka (PL) – piano
Slawek Pezda (PL) – tenor saxophone
 
The renowned bassist Mike Parker is originally from New York and is based both in Europe and in America. In his new quartet he has joined with young jazz mans from Poland to develop a creative combination of jazz and funk, classical and avantgarde music, drum and bass with jazz improvisation. Parker’s quartet’s compositions evoke a mix of Charles Mingus and Radiohead, Maurice Ravel and Led Zeppelin, John Coltrane and David Bowie. The final product is fresh and unpredictable, with a sense of liveliness and a share of electrifying energy.

http://www.mptheory.com

Jiří Slavík – double bass
Martin Novák – drums
David Dorůžka – guitar

The new trio of Jiří Slavík, Martin Novák and David Dorůžka is partly a continuation of the work of one of the most prominent character of Czech jazz, guitarist David Dorůžka. In addition, it also builds on the compositions and musical ideas of the bassist Jiří Slavík. The fresh trio is a collaboration of musicians who have extensive experience and a relentless passion for creativity. They often do not know themselves where their next concert will take them.

www.jirislavik.com
www.martinnovak.com
www.daviddoruzka.com

Petr Kalfus – tenor saxophone
Marcel Bárta – tenor saxophone
Rasťo Uhrík – double bass
Dano Šoltis – drums

Josef Kolo 7tet is, paradoxically, a quartet consisting of prominent mid-generation artists of the Czech Slovak jazz scene: saxophonists Marcel Bárta and Petr Kalfus, a drummer Dano Šoltis and a bassist Rasťo Uhrík. The absence of a harmonic instrument creates a space for various communication between musicians and dynamic, even eruptive changes in mood. A strong emotion is created by combinations of the polyphonics of tenor saxophones and interactions in characteristic rhythmical sections. Their multi-genre music is fresh and combines compositions with improvisations, creating space for every concert to be an unforgettable experience.

www.petrkalfus.com
www.marcelbarta.com

Kacper Smoliński – harmonica
Kuba Marciniak – tenor saxophone
Piotr Scholz – guitar
Damian Kostka – double bass
Adam Zagórski – drums

The young quintet called Weezdob Collective started playing in 2014 in Poznań, Poland. They only play their own music which mixes composed pieces with jazz improvisation. Their work is a fresh blend of modern jazz, hints of blues, classical music, and Slavic folklore. Melodies are created especially by the tenor saxophonist Kuba Marciniak coupled with Kacper Smoliński’s harmonica and Piotr Scholz’s guitar. Weezdob Collective has received several Polish and foreign awards for young jazz bands.

This jazz funk big band of 22 called KYX Orchestra is likely the most intriguing musical formation of its kind in the region of eastern Bohemia. The band has moved from classic swing and jazz big band music to its own approach which presents unorthodox big band compositions originating in jazz, rock, funk and even film music. KYX have lately been successful in extending beyond being a regional orchestra. They have interpreted and performed Jaromír Hnilička’s famous “Jazzová mše”, worked with the guitarist Radim Hladík and Blue Effect and in 2016 released a musical project using the James Bond theme music in collaboration with the Pardubice Philharmonic.
 
http://www.kyx.cz

John Dikeman (US) – tenor saxophone
Tobias Klein (D) – alto saxophone
Jasper Stadhouders (NL) – electric guitar
Gonçalo Almeida (PT) – bass
Philipp Moser (D) – drums

Spinifex is an international quintet operating in Amsterdam. In this year’s JGTT Spinifex reveals its two sides. The first is a performance building on oriental, especially Sufis traditional music and combining it with compositions methods from jazz avantgarde. Spinifex Soufifex’s music is an expressive mixture of energetic jazzcore and hypnotic oriental melodies. One can notice both the urgency of anarchy and the elegance of jazz rock. The second side to this band will be introduced in Saturdays’ line up under the name of Spinifex Maximus/ The band will perform alongside a further six-player wind instrument section featuring the greatest Czech jazz musicians of mid and young generations.

www.spinifexmusic.nl

Veronika Hložková – voice
Lukáš Petráň – guitar
Jáchym Janypka – bass
Karel Saidl – drums
Jan Kasal – saxophone, clarinet, flutes
Vojta Veselý – keyboard instruments

This band of six from Litomyšl, with lead singer Veronika Hložková, will introduce their diverse vocal-instrumental music. Their style can be described as jazzrock, funkjazz, fusion, soul or rhythm & blues.

Jan Hradecký – trumpet, flugelhorn, sampler
Miloš Junek – guitar
Petr Hudák – bass
Martin Straka – drums, sampler

The JU JU quartet shows a fusion of genres, combining electronic with classical live instruments. The base of their music consists of jazz, drum´n´bass, electronic music or hip-hop.

Another hazz after a week of jazz - for those who don't have enough yet!

Afterparty with music played from vinyls. From bop to fussion and even te newest hits.

Jazz Goes to Kraft!