On her new album; trumpetist and composer Štepánka Balcarová; the recipient of the Andel Award for the best jazz album of 2022; delves deep into human emotions. She quotes her recent experience of becoming a mother as her main source of inspiration: “Certain emotions receive a totally new dimension with motherhood. I used to think I knew what it meant to be angry or indignant; for example; and was able to rationalize such emotions; draw relevant consequences and thus come to term with them. With children; however; one often finds oneself in situations that don’t allow for such distancing. This immediacy affects both negative and positive emotions. I’ve come to see them in an entirely new light.” In the eight compositions comprised in her new album; Štepánka represents eight basic human emotions; as they have been defined by American psychologist Robert Plutchik: joy; trust; fear; surprise; sadness; disgust; anger and anticipation. A concert programme based on the concept of Emotions was premiered in 2022. Štepánka Balcarová recorded the album with a Czech-Polish quartet featuring Nikola Kolodziejczyk (piano); Jaromír Honzák (double bass) and Grzegorz Maslowski (drums). The same line-up also collaborated with her on the album Life and Hapiness of Julian Tuwim (Animal Music 2017) and the live album Štestí (Happiness; Radioservis 2022) which includes orchestral versions of the repertoire for which Štepánka Balcarová received the Andel Award.

The legendary husband-and-wife duo-Irena and Vojtech Havlovistarted to work togetherin the mid-80s andsince the very beginning have hada very unorthodox approach to bothhistorical and modern compositional techniques and interpretative procedures. Graduallythey created their typically unclassifiable, multi-layered sound and stylethat is howevereasily discernableand appreciated by audienceseven far beyond the bordersofthe CzechRepublic. Their music is poetic, meditativeand inspired by non-Europeanculturesas well asminimalism. They recorded and released several very original CDs which earned themacclaim both at home and abroad. They have been appearing in concert across the CzechRepublic, Europe, Canada, the USA as well as Africa and Japan, thanksto the collaborationwith avant-garde artists Petr Nikl and Jana Svobodova. Irena dna Vojtech Havlovi are alsowriting music forshort and featurefilms, documentariesand theatre (film Little Crusader byVaclav Kadrnka was awarded by the Czech Film and TVAcademy for the best film score). Intheir music, they are using various musical instruments-cello, piano, viola da gamba, bells, tibetian bowls and others. On their newalbumFour Handsthey bringnew compositions for4 hand piano and organ. The album �s release will be accompanied by several videos andtouring in the Czech Republic and abroad.

LENKA DUSILOV�, a six-time winner of the Czech Music Academy Awards, is one of the most original presences on the Czech music scene. Nine years after the release of her previous solo album and six years after she recorded her last album with Baromantika, LENKA DUSILOV� comes with a new long-awaited album, REKA ("River"), which introduces a new sound, a new team of musical partners and a number of personal themes. The album originated in collaboration with the producer PETR OSTROUCHOV who had also initiated, for example, the successful award-winning album of Vladim�r Mi��k, "Jednou te potk�m" from last year. The sound has been significantly determined by the presence of the beat maker and electronic wizard AID KID (a member, among others, of Zv�re jm�nem podzim and the Kittchen project, the latter in collaboration with Jakub K�nig). Multiple layers of sound have been created by mixing experienced performers from various genres, including jazz, pop and electronic music. In one of the tracks, LENKA DUSILOV� has been joined by MONIKA NACEVA and IVA BITTOV� with whom she has appeared recently. The overall sound of the album is characterized by the variety and density of sounds, moods and effects, including sound-on-sound looping and vocal layering. "The title of the album - simply RIVER (REKA) - metaphorically reflects the dynamism and fluid characteristics of a system which is influenced by it's surroundings - the terrain, weather and natural and human-induced events in the landscape. This is what all "rivers" have in common and what makes them unique as well," explains LENKA DUSILOV�.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Treetop is the eponymous debut album by the contemporary chamber jazz trio of Berlin based accordionist Vojta Drnek, Prague based trombonist Richard �anda and Bratislava based double bassist Michal �elep. Their diverse repertoire reflects many aspects of Treetop's musical journey, spanning from jazz influences or folklore inspiration to contemporary musical concepts as well as pieces by Bart�k or Grieg which are also part of the album, presented on it in new arrangements. Most of the album's repertoire is nonetheless penned by Vojta Drnek and Richard Sanda. Besides their own tunes, it also includes an arrangement of Charlie Haden's "Silence" and one Czech folk song. The unusual setting of the band is the result of a unique synergy and musical and personal understanding between the three musical personalities. They inspire each other and the cooperation between the three "leaders" is very natural and fluid. The album's release has been preceded by the single and video release of Richard Sanda's composition "Flower She Loves the Most".

Recorded in NYC, where Mr. Pivec now resides, “The Green Card Album” showcases keyboardist Ondřej Pivec as composer, player, arranger and producer. His American experience markedly steers the new album's sound in the direction of r-'n'-b, gospel and “black” pop; Mr. Pivec considers it his “bidding farewell to jazz”. This album features a number of American instrumentalists and singers, with only one Czech represented – saxophonist and fellow NYC- transplant Karel Růžička, Jr..

Though he is better known as a caricaturist and author of cartoons (regularly published throughout the last three decades by most of the major Czech daily newspapers), he has alongside developed a very colorful music career which stands miles apart from his work in humor. He has three albums under his belt as singer and songwriter and has authored scores of songs and lyrics on various aspects of the world disclosing his own take on life. In the poetry of his lyrics and the simple melodies of the songs, Kemel comes across as either an introverted solitary performing on the guitar or accordion or as a charismatic front man of his own band in which actor Vladim�r Javorsk� has also played a central role. Kemel's new album VLC� STOPY (Wolf Trail) originated out of a first-time collaboration with producer Petr Ostrouchov and Blue Shadows band who also have met on Vladim�r Mi��k's two latest albums. Besides Ostrouchov, who has co-authored some of the album's repertoire, it features guitarist Josef �tep�nek, double bassist Jarom�r Honz�k and drummer Martin Nov�k, as well as guest-vocalists Vladim�r Javorsk� and Marie Puttnerov�. Kemel's new album brings a collection of authentic songs and uncomplicated stories with are endowed, however, with overreaching meanings and implications, all in a lively and riveting performance by a group of experienced studio musicians.

Classical Music

This year, the outstanding Czech pianist and composer Karel Ru�icka (1940-2016) would celebrate his eightieth birthday. To mark this occasion, Animal Music releases, four years after the artist's death, the last album recorded by Ru�icka in 2010, which never came out during his lifetime. The recent discovery of the recording amounts to coming upon a precious treasure. In it, Ru�icka returns to the sphere of solo-piano recording in which he first excelled in his album "Zahrada radosti" (The Garden of Joy) in 1981. "Garden of Silence" presents an astounding medley of moods in pensive and playful pieces by Ru�icka which confirm his remarkable gift for melodies and his reputation as an unsurpassable performer and improviser

An album of original compositions and arrangements by Czech born, Copenhagen based saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Lubos Soukup. Mr. Soukop's jazz quartet is supplemented by classical wind and string musicians, including the Epoque String Quartet. Mr. Soukup is a member of multiple ensembles, including Points and Inner Spaces. The Inner Spaces album 'Light Year', released on Animal Music, was awarded the prestigious Czech Andel award for best jazz album, 2012.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music