Prague Proms festival

Václavů-Mácha Quartet

Wednesday Jul 06

Is a new group set up in mid 2014 made up of players in their prime. In terms of style they fall within the mainstream of modern jazz, drawing their inspiration from the legacy of fifties and sixties greats and boasting a repertoire predominantly made up of classic arrangements with a bop and hard-pop feel including bossa nova.
The members of the ensemble have been on the jazz scene for many years, including roles in leading groups and participating in a range of national and international festivals not to mention featuring on a range of albums. One distinctive feature of guitarist Radek Václavů’s playing is that he never uses a pick, relying instead on his hands – something which is strikingly manifested in the higher octaves and gives a clear nod to W. Montgomery.
The pianist Stanislav Mácha is not only renowned for his virtuosity but also his unmistakeable lyricism – in his case blended with natural blues sensitivity as one of the many planes of his musical expression. To list his musical accolades to date would require far more space than we have available here. Aside from several previous and current projects, he has been part of the R. Balcar Trio for many years, having accompanied Dan Bárta, played with the Czech Radio Big Band, plus performed with the likes of N. Simion, C. Handy, J. Abercrombie and many more.
And the biography of double bassist Ondřej Štajnochr is no less impressive, also extending into the domain of classical music (aside from the Prague Conservatoire, the J. Ježek Conservatoire, he also studied at the Akademie für Alte Musik in Dresden), where he regularly performs as part of a great many prestigious ensembles from the Czech Republic and abroad.  In the field of jazz, he has worked with a considerable number of artists including K. Peplowski, M. Welzel, R. Mitchell, T. Bruckner, J. Kubera etc. and on home turf in groups such as the J. Vejvoda Trio, Karel Růžička Q., E. Viklický Trio, Swing Q and others.
Drummer Tomáš Vokurka is likely the best proponent of his own dictum. Play with precision but make sure your gaze is tilted towards the future.  He unequivocally ranks among the most inspirational players capable of climbing to the greatest heights of subtlety, dynamics and tension. He is frequently sought after by musicians of other genres and has performed with the likes of I. Sanchez, R. Trossman, M. Flemr etc.