Oran Etkin: An interactive concert for children

Awaken the musical talent in your child. Grammy award-winning Israeli-American jazzman Oran Etkin is set to return to the Czech Republic for the sixth time, with his interactive concert for children aged 3 to 10. The show has become a traditional cornerstone of “Mladí ladí dětem” – an educational programme organised by the Mladí Ladí Jazz international festival.

The interactive concert is based on the unique Timbalooloo method, helping children to perceive music through their own imagination. The method uses fun games, stories and songs to awaken the musician inside of everyone. The children actively participate in the concert and are not required to have any musical knowledge or play any instrument.

“Children are capable of using the language of music fluently, without having to know the rules of grammar,” Oran Etkin adds. The uniqueness of Timbalooloo also lies in the choice of music: rather than playing children classics, the band plays jazz songs by Herbie Hancock, as well as African, Brazilian or Indonesian music. Children need to be shown new things.

How does Oran Etkin know what works with children?

Before breaking through to his rich musical career, Oran Etkin worked as a teacher – hoping to pass on his musical knowledge to the next generations.

“My sister is ten years younger than me, which gave me the opportunity to observe the thinking and behaviour of children since I was a child. Later on I started teaching them rhythm, imagination and a sense of melody. These need to be introduced at an early age, before they even learn to speak,” said Oran Etkin in his interview with the Czech Radio. He quickly understood that his presentation must be based on stories. After years of experience he knew exactly how to do it.

In his stories, the clarinet is the main hero. It even has it’s own name – Klára, and surname – Net, which both combine to “clarinet”.

The new album for children “Finding Friends Far from Home”

In 2019, Oran Etkin released his new album “Finding Friends Far from Home”, which was created all around the world. The record includes the Czech musicians who formed Oran’s band at the Mladí ladí jazz performance in Prague. Following that path, the album was always recorded with local musicians – like in China, Zimbabwe or Japan. The album is available online or available to purchase at any of the events.

The interactive concert is designed for children aged 3 to 10, and is led in English language with Czech translation. The concerts will take place in Brno, Nymburk, Děčín, Prague, Ostrava and Olomouc.

Jazzbit: Matteo Bortone ClarOscuro{IT}

Únorový Jazzbit je tady!

Matteo Bortone ClarOscuro (IT)

Matteo Bortone ClarOscuro k nám dorazí z dálných končin slunné Itálie. Čistě italské trio se představí v čele s kapelníkem Matteo Bortonem, pianistou Enricem Zanisim a Emanuelem Maniscalcem na bicí. Bortoneho hudební vize spočívá v kreativním vytváření rozmanitých kontrastů, neomalených témat, dlouhých a složitých skladeb nebo naopak krátkých kompozic. Vzniká tak nevyzpytatelná hudební nálož dávající důraz na témbr a kolektivní splynutí.

Szabó & Turcerová & Maceček (CZ)

Trio vzniklo v roce 2017 na československých hranicích ve složení Michaela Turcerová (saxofon), Petr Maceček (bicí) a Štefan Szabó (kytara). Jejich repertoár obsahuje převážně originály, ale i jedinečné aranže jazzových standardů. „Koncept tria ignoruje žánrové škatulkování. Výsledkem je živá a komunikativní hudba s nezanedbatelným podílem improvizace, ale zároveň zřetelným plánem na vytvoření jedinečné nálady v každé jedné skladbě,“ prohlásil o nich Vilém Spilka, hudebník a umělecký ředitel JazzFest Brno.

Vstupné do 26 let 150 Kč, nad 26 let 250 Kč. Jednotné vstupné na sezení 380 Kč. Při zakoupení vstupenky na sezení již není nutné rezervovat místo.

Oran Etkin{US}

Support: Chocofly

Oran Etkin is a jazz hotshot from New York, fabulous clarinet player and also a Grammmy Award winner. As he absorbs music themes from Africa, Far East, Europe or Israel, Etkin’s birthplace, his palette of harmonies and motives contains a vast range of musical traditions.

It can be said that its Oran Etkin who has been pioneering “world music” in the very sense of the term. Oran Etkin will serve fresh portions of jazz frenzy seasoned with swing rhythms together with his improvised Czech band.

Concerts with Oran Etkin are basically a tradition within the Mladí ladí jazz festival. The Prague show will take place on April 10th at Jazz Dock.

Chocofly

The gigs of the Prague band Chocofly always have a proper groove. Their latest EP, entitled “Arnold”, features three fusion jazz songs: Arnold, Nomad and Black City. Each of the tracks reflect a different spectrum of moods – from clean to funk to minimalistic passages inspired by the eastern traditions.

James Holden{UK} & Wacław Zimpel{PL}

Support: Himalayan Dalai Lama

James Holden and Wacław Zimpel met in the summer of 2018 in a London studio, where they experiences several unique improvisation sets. You can hear the amazing results live on April 5th in Palác Akropolis.

We already heard the results, thanks to a super secret SoundCloud playlist, and can’t wait for the live performance. In studio, the boys were apparently like in trans – creating a track a day. The results sound like lyrical dialogues between and alt clarinet and modular synthesisers, sinking into the unique sense of the moment.

The Holden & Zimpel duo will profess their love to all hypnotics at a live event in Prague. The new material should be released during the first half of 2020.

James Holden

James Holden is a musical visionary, mathematics graduate at the Oxford university and founder of the Border Community label (eg. Leafcutter John, Luke Abott, Nathan Fake).

It was many years ago that he thought deeply on what is important in EDM. He ended up taking the opposite and peculiar path, following the “do it yourself” motto. He enjoys working with manually made synths and his work is nowhere near conventional.

Wacław Zimpel

Wacław Zimpel is Polish clarinet player, well-known in the Czech Republic for his freejazz improvisations. It is one of the greatest Polish talents of the century. He has won prestigious Polish awards such Paszport Polityki or City of Poznań Artist Prize.

Wacław Zimpel is to release his new album Massive Oscillations on January 31, with the lead track ‘Sine Tapes’. The record was mixed with James Holden, who Zimpel says “added his magic touch”. Listen below.

Himalayan Dalai Lama

Analogue synths, drum machines and a seamless fusion with modern technology and live instruments. That’s Himalayan Dalai Lama. It’s poetry with no words, yet full of euphoric beats and dreamy atmospheres – transforming live audiences into one big dancing orgasm.

They have been active since 2014, releasing a new EP entitled “Hyper Real” at the end of 2019. The record was created somewhere between Prague and Brno, as a reflection on today’s society and it’s turning of senses towards the online world.

The Lesson GK{US}

Support: Jay Delver

With The Lesson GK, every day is a weekend. We swear. This band has roots in the NYC underground hip-hop scene and is made of renowned musicians, who have worked with artists & bands such as Snarky Puppy, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, Thundercat, Reggie Watts, SZA, Iggy Azalea, Lupe Fiasco or Run DMC. Cool line-up, huh?

The Lesson GK smoothly combines elements of experimental hip-hop, jazz, funk and progressive soul, ultimately creating an exciting sound – smooth as a Swiss watch with life-long warranty!

According to fans, their concerts are life-changing. They are church services with rap. Unforgettable nights full of magic, making you feel like home on marvellous planet where every day is a weekend.

Tuesday, 7th of April, will be one of these weekends – The Lesson GK will be performing at Rock Café on the Národní boulevard in Prague.

Jay Delver

The Brno-based musical elements, Jay Delver, are lovers of 70s pop. Their captivating tunes are inspired by the rhythmics of funk, the beat of rock and the freedom of improvisation. Regardless of trends, they connect history and present in a personal and unique manner. In the Radio Wave Startér show, their single “Piece of Love” was immediately labeled as a “radio hit”.

Jazzbit: Martin Brunner Band + TRIPlay

První Jazzbit roku 2020 je tady!

Martin Brunner Band

Pianista a skladatel Martin Brunner se spojil s povolanými hudebníky – Romanem Víchou (Muff, kapely Ewy Farné), Tomášem Fuchsem (kapela Jany Kirschner) a Rastislavem Uhríkem (Vertigo, kapela Jany Kirschner) – a vytvořili těleso s výrazně rockovějším zvukem než bylo u Martina Brunnera zvykem. Společně překračují hranice hudebních žánrů a jako hráči s jazzovým vzděláním a velkými zkušenostmi, nejen ze světa rocku a popu, se vracejí k hudbě svého mládí, avšak s citem a nadhledem. V říjnu 2019 pokřtili své nové album Levels of Life a my ho máme nyní možnost slyšet na lednovém Jazzbitu v Jazz Docku.

TRIPlay!

Progresivní uskupení jedněch z nejtalentovanějších českých muzikantů současné mladé generace – Kryštofa Tomečka, Jana Uviry a Marka Urbánka, vzniklo celkem nedávno. Zvuk tohoto tria je vnímán jako originální nadžánrová fúze, jejíž repertoár je tvořen převážně autorskými skladbami všech členů, kteří se etablovali nejen jako vyhledávaní sidemeni po boku významných českých i zahraničních hráčů, ale všichni jsou zároveň leadery svých vlastních projektů.

Vstupné do 26 let 150 Kč, nad 26 let 250 Kč. Jednotné vstupné na sezení 380 Kč. Při zakoupení vstupenky na sezení již není nutné rezervovat místo.

Madison McFerrin{US}

Support: Kristina Mihalova & Jakub Sedivy

Madison McFerrin is an independent singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. In December, she released her new EP “You + I”, produced by he older brother Taylor McFerrin. Their father, the legendary Bobby McFerrin, definitely has something to be proud of!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy right in her DNA

Her music could be described as soulappella (soul + a cappella), or perhaps as soul of the future. Obviously, DNA plays an important role, since Madison comes from a musical royalty.

Madison McFerrin was born in 1991 and is the daughter of singer Bobby McFerrin – 10 time Grammy award winner & author of massive hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. And her grandfather Robert McFerrin Sr. was the first black man to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Madison herself went to the most prestigious and largest jazz school in the world – the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She decided to be a singer hen she was only 5 years old. At home, she was raised on the music of Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Eryka Baddu or Hiatus Kaiyote. But of course, when she was 11, her favourites included Britney Spears and ‘N Sync.

Make A Cappella Great Again

Madison’s first EP, called “Finding foundations: Vol. I” was released in December 2016. That’s when she first introduced her unique approach to a cappella and soul. Her very first solo show was sold out and The New York Times noted that she “shows wonderful vocal dexterity”.

In 2018, she released her second EP – “Finding Foundations: Vol. II”. Pitchfork magazine proclaimed: “Madison McFerrin is making a cappella cool again”.

Madison can do it alone

In the more current days, Madison McFerrin released her new fully produced EP called “You + I”. The record features her first non-a cappella songs and was produced in cooperation with her brother, DJ and beatboxer Taylor McFerrin.

It was an important personal and artistic experience for her. “I’m really looking forward to becoming my true artist self. I’m definitely getting closer and closer every day. The beautiful thing about being an artist is you can always change,” says Madison McFerrin.

Madison McFerrin concerts are fresh take on one-woman shows. On stage, she operates with only her voice, a piano and a looper. She is therefore her own vocalist, her own singer and instrumentalist.

Snoop Dogg: **“Oh wow, this is f*!#ing horrible”**

The very fist single off the new EP was titled “TRY” – a reaction to widespread criticism and negative comments on her interpretation of the national anthem at a 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign rally. The backlash of her performance included comments from Snoop Dogg, which were even featured in the music video for the single. Watch it below.

It was this very experience that pushed Madison McFerrin to record her first solo records and book her first performances. All we can say is that her music has proved all her critics wrong, and not only them. See what the buzz is about on April 18th at Jazz Doc.

Kristina Mihalova & Jakub Sedivy

Singer Kristina Mihalova and guitarist Jakub Sedivy belong to the up & coming generation of talented Slovakian musicians. Whoever may have seen them live must surely know that a bright future awaits both of them.

Recently, they have based themselves in the Slovakian capital Bratislava, where they create intimate music for large stages. At the end of 2019, they celebrated two career milestones in just a few days – first, they won the young talent competition at the Bratislava Jazz Days, then they were selected to support one of the biggest jazz stars on earth, Dianne Reeves. Previously, they performed alongside names such as Stanley Clarke or Candy Dulfer.