JAZZFESTBRNO

The project's leader, pianist Jon Cowherd, graduated from the renowned Loyola University New Orleans, where he was taught by none other than Ellis Marsalis, the founding father of one of the most influential jazz families. It was at Loyola that Cowherd met drummer Brian Blade and together they formed The Fellowship Band — a band that continues to this day, has released a number of excellent albums and won numerous awards.

Julius Rodriguez showed undoubted musical talent from his early New York childhood and began playing the piano, which remains his main instrument to this day, at the age of just four. He soon became a student at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music and later at the equally renowned The Juilliard School, where he perfected both jazz and classical playing techniques, which determined him not to limit himself to just one or the other, so to speak. In addition, his loves included other genres, especially gospel and hip hop, which further enriched his eclectic approach to creation. As a teenager, he became a sought-after backing musician on the New York scene, playing alongside such names as Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove.

This duo brings together two of the most acclaimed artists in contemporary jazz. Brad Mehldau is one of the most lyrical and visceral contemporary pianists. Throughout his career, Mehldau has been acclaimed by fans and the professional public, and has received numerous awards – both as a bandleader for his own projects and as a collaborator with such big names on the contemporary music scene as Pat Metheny, Renee Fleming, Chris Thile and Joshua Redman.

This duo brings together two of the most acclaimed artists in contemporary jazz. Brad Mehldau is one of the most lyrical and visceral contemporary pianists. Throughout his career, Mehldau has been acclaimed by fans and the professional public, and has received numerous awards – both as a bandleader for his own projects and as a collaborator with such big names on the contemporary music scene as Pat Metheny, Renee Fleming, Chris Thile and Joshua Redman.

The band itself describes itself as a vocal-based group, but the singer is missing from the stage. He is replaced by original recordings that keyboard virtuoso Tom Schneider layers, bends and compresses in real time, as if it were a game with a building block. The exhibition of intangible voices is complemented by bassist Valentin Link and drummer Hendrik Havekost. The rhythm section draws on the legacy of dirty funk and R&B, the resulting sophisticated dark fusion is a re-melted dance legacy of the Berlin metropolis.

Peter Bernstein – guitar, Bill Stewart – drums

They have been playing together for more than three decades, and although the trio of Hammond organ, guitar and drums knows a lot about jazz history, it was they who created a unique and organic sound that has become a symbol of sophisticated and groove-filled jazz. Their music is full of telepathic interaction, deep harmonies and unbridled improvisation.

Libor Šmoldas – guitar, Mikuláš Pokorný – piano, Tomáš Baroš – double bass, Jesse Simpson – drums

While still a student, he was a member of the first very important band of his career, namely the Organic Quartet led by organist Ondřej Pivec. In 2007, he debuted with his solo album On The Playground.

Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Isaiah Sharkey combines funk ferocity, jazz depth and R&B emotional intensity in his seductive original music. Once described as a child prodigy, today he is appreciated for his versatility, ability to find strength in simplicity, teamwork and the ability to establish immediate contact with the audience.

Isaiah Sharkey – guitar, Maurice Fitzgerald – bass, Jeremy “Tim” Tribitt – keyboards, Eric Johnson – drums

Marquis Hill's music is sophisticated, deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, but at the same time he constantly seeks new connections with hip hop, R&B and soul. He was born in 1987 in Chicago, one of the main centers of the music world - electric blues was born here, played a key role in classical and modern jazz and has a strong hip hop and electronic scene. Lukáš Oravec is a Slovak trumpeter, composer, arranger and teacher, who is one of the most prominent figures in the Central European jazz scene. He is known for his goal-oriented approach, penetrating tone and technical skill. He leads several of his own projects and is one of the most active jazzmen in our region. His quintet is usually made up of top Slovak and Czech jazz musicians who are able to interpret Oravec's compositions with the appropriate dynamics and sensitivity. He often invites foreign guests to his bands to raise the interpretation of his original compositions to a world level.

Shai Maestro showed extraordinary musical talent from an early age, and it is no wonder that at the age of fifteen he received a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, which is not at all common at that age. He soon became part of the international jazz scene, where he drew attention primarily as a member of the trio of double bassist Avishai Cohen, with whom he played for five years and recorded four albums. The drummer of the trio was the equally famous Mark Guiliana. This experience provided the Maestro not only with invaluable concert and studio training, which helped him enter the consciousness of jazz audiences around the world, but also helped him define his own musical vision.

Glanc – Petr Nohavica has made his mark on the Czech music scene not only as the leader of his own projects, but also as a sideman in bands across genres, such as Winterspring (Allison Wheeler Quartet), B/Y Organism, Bardo, Tour Guide Blonde or Drifter Days (Tom Smith / Daniel Bulatkin). He also collaborated with other artists, such as Lukáš Oravec, Luboš Soukup, Robert Balcar, and Tal Arditi.

One of the most followed British bands, their sound freely crosses jazz with a number of other genres - and their audience response is based on this. Few people can easily match a die-hard jazzman with an electronic party goer and a rocker.

Musically, New Jazz Underground capitalizes on what they learned in the basics of their craft. Their music is swinging and blues, but it is built on purely contemporary improvisation and, most importantly, energy. And they are definitely not stuffy introverts – just the titles of their songs like “when you a sad boy but you swingin’”, “modern jazz but good” or “giant steps is not music” suggest that in addition to great music, we will also have a lot of fun with them. The creation of flui was initiated by Jaromír Honzák as a space for a slightly different musical world than the one he enters with his quintet. “We want to reach for the music that is so much all around us easily and without thinking,” says Honzák. “With every sound, try to make the channel through which it flows to us passable.”