marek novotný quintet/trio
Repertoár složený výhradně z autorských skladeb na pomezí jazzu a vážné hudby, které jsou převážně koncipovány jako rozsáhlejší písňové kompozice.
marek novotný
Composer, arranger & pianist
In 2007 Marek Novotný received his PhD in music theory. Also in 2007 he received the Norwegian Government’s scho¬larship for jazz piano studies at the University of Stavanger – Norway. From 2002–2008 was in position of assistant professor at the department of music University of J.E.Purkyne (CZE). In 2010, Marek finished his masters in jazz composition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst – USA, where he received a full scholarship under the tutelage of Grammy award winner Jeffrey Homes.
During the last 10 years Marek was a member of many music projects and ensembles such as Feng – Yün Song, (along with the Trio PUO he toured China and competed at the music festival in Chang – Sha/CHINA and received the main prize). He cooperated also with such musicians as Marcel Bárta, David Dorůžka, Ridina Ahmedová, Gabriela Vermelho, Tomáš Hobzek, Petr Tichý, Luboš Soukup, Petr Dvorský, Tomáš Herian, Martin Novák, and Martin Zbrožek. (In USA): Aubrey Johnson, Carl Clemens, Paul Lieberman, and Bob Weiner. After graduation at UMASS (USA) he worked with American film composer Alexander Janko (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Man on the Moon). During his days in New York he studied with one of the greatest living piano players, Fred Hersch. Marek toured Germany, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, USA and China with his various projects. Marek’s compositions could be placed somewhere between worlds of jazz and classical music. Czech and World folklore music is also another source of inspiration for him. Marek wrote many compositions for all varieties of music ensembles. Not only for jazz combos, but also for big band, vocal ensemble, saxophone quintet, studio orchestra, and string quartet. He graduated with his “Summer Suite” consisting of five movements for reduced symphonic orchestra. After coming home to the Czech Republic, he immediately connected with the Prague jazz scene and established his jazz quintet including one of the best and unique musicians found in Czech.
The quintet performs only Marek’s original compositions. Leading figure of the band are young international stars David Doruzka on guitar and Marcel Bárta on saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet. Petr Tichý (double bass) and Tomáš Hobzek (drums) together form the amazing rhythm section.
marcel bárta
Sax, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Czech saxophonist, clarinetist, improviser, composer and visual artist, born in 1974 in Marianské Lázně (The Czech Republic). After studying classical music at the Conservatory in Pilsen, majoring in clarinet, he got his first engagement as a jazz alto saxophonist in contraband Milan Svoboda, who was accompanied by the number of known jazz musicians such as James Moody (USA), Tony Lakatos (Hungary), Victor Mendoza (USA) Namyslowski Zbigniew (PL). In the same period, he performed in the band Radek Krampl Fantasy Vibe, Gustav Brom Big Band, founded his own formation Muff and became a permanent member Zuzana Dumková Band.
Also collaborated: Andrea Keller (Australia), Rich Perry (USA), Ingrid Jensen (Canada), Demian Cabaud (Argentina), Neil Ochoa (Venezuela), Michal Tokaj, Lukasz Zyta, David Dorůžka. In 1995 he won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music. Marcel Barta played and recorded, among others, Gustav Brom Orchestra, with Kontraband Milana Svobody, or the singer Zuzana Dumková, Vladimir Václavek, Gumbo, Lanugo, Batteries, Toxique, Trina, Theater Vizita, David Dorůžka, Tara Fuki, Karel Ruzicka, Jaromir Honzák …
He participated in the incidental music for theatrical performance NUDE ANTS – André Jolles and Irina Andreeva (Teatr Novogo Fronta). In 2005 he participated in the band Open Sextet (Beata and Patrik Hlavenka) competition at the prestigious Montreaux Jazz Festival where he won first prize.
Currently a member of bands: NUO (CD: NUO – Arta 2004 DIXIE AND THE GANG – Amplion 2007), Zuzana Dumková Band (BALANCE – Ampilon 2007), Projekt Z, Face Of The Bass, Tomáš Hobzek Quartet, Vertigo Quintet (VERTIGO QUINTET – Amplion 2005 LIVE U STARÉ PANÍ – Ampilon 2006, VERTIGO QUINTET & DOROTA BAR – Animal Music, 2008), MUFF AND DoMa Ensemble in a duo with a singer and violoncellist Dorota Barová.
tomáš hobzek
Drums
In 2004, Tomas Hobzek started his studies at Prague College of Jazz under the leadership of Jaromir Honzak and step by step became part of the Prague jazz scene. He was a member of the David Doruzka Trio, Organic Quartet, Vojtech Prochazka Trio, Roman Pokorny Trio, and the Christian Rover Trio with whom he accompanied hammond player Rhoda Scoot at the jazz festival in Hamburg in 2006. As a member of the David Doruzka Trio he competed in the international jazz competition in Spain – Getx (2005).
The same year he won the competition of Phillips international jazz festival with the Organic Quartet. One year later he was awarded by the academy of popular music a prize in the category Jazz and Blues. During the autumn in 2007, Tomas left for New York City, where he took private lessons with the drummer Kendrickem Scottem (Herbie Hancock, the Terence Blanchard band) and recorded the album “Overseason” together with hammond player Ondřej Pivec, Jake Langley (guitar) and Joel Frahm (sax). In 2008, Tomas was invited to two prestigious international jazz festivals with the Organic Quartet. The first festival took place in Athenas, and the second one in Getx (SPA) where the band was awarded by the audience the prize for the best band of the festival. In the spring of 2008, Tomas established his own quartet where he also develops his composition ideas. With his band Tomas traveled to Germany (Dresden) and Bulgaria (Sofia). Tomas debuted with his first solo album “Stick it Out” together with New York pianist Dan Tepfer and Holland sax player Cyril Oswald.
In 2009 he received the main prize with the band POINTS at the jazz festival in Getx. Together they toured festivals in Ibiza, Bilbao, and Elorio. After a most successful year, Tomas finished with the jazz competition in Hoeilaart (Belgium) where he gained the second prize as a member of “Points” band.
david dorůžka
Guitar
The 31-years old guitarist David Dorůžka has been active as a professional musician for 16 years already, having played concerts all over the world, collaborated with many of today’s leading musicans, and having spent extensive periods in the cities of New York and Paris after graduating from Berklee of College of Music in Boston. In the past seasons Dorůžka has been busy performing in Great Britain, Norway, France, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Israel. Besides appearing with singer/violinist Iva Bittová, the Swedish band The Stoner, pianist Piotr Wylezol or his own band, Dorůžka also found time to record with stars such as Chris Cheek (USA), Daniele di Bonaventura (Italy) or Aga Zaryan (on her recent CD Looking Walking Being on Blue Note Records, with Dorůžka’s participation both as guitarist and as composer).
Dorůžka’s last solo CD Wandering Song was recorded in Spain and came out in 2010 on Fresh Sound Records (the label for which both Brad Mehldau and Kurt Rosenwinkel recorded their debut albums). The CD features Albert Sanz on Hammond organ and Jorge Rossy on drums. To sum up Dorůžka’s activities in recent years – his first two CDs as a leader both received the “Record of the year” awards in Jazz&Blues Category in Czech Republic (Hidden Paths, recorded in New York in 2003 with Massimo Biolcati and Kendrick Scott, and Silently Dawning, recorded in 2007 with Michal Baranski, Lukasz Zyta and Josefine Lindstrand). Dorůžka is reciepient of numerous awards (“Talent of the year 1994” – Czech Jazz Society Award, Jimi Hendrix award and Wayne Shorter award from Berklee College of Music), in 2000 he was chosen by Pat Metheny as the only guitarist to participate in the prestigious Aspen Jazz Colony in Colorado. Dorůžka has performed in the USA, Canada, Morocco, Israel and in most European countries (Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary). 
The list of musicians he has worked with includes names such as George Mraz, Chris Cheek, Jorge Rossy, Django Bates, Daniele di Bonaventura, Jerome Sabbagh, Tiger Okoshi, Perico Sambeat, Albert Sanz, Rodney Green, Orrin Evans, Kenwood Dennard, Phil Wilson, Greg Hopkins, Fritz Pauer, Iva Bittová, Ida Kelarová and many others..
petr tichý
Double bass
Was born in Jablonec nad Nisou (CZ). The son of flute player and drummer Vaclav T., member of the legendary Czech R.A.Dvorský band. Petr played volleyball as a child but also invested time in his budding interests in music, playing piano, flute, trombone and guitar. It wasn’t until he was a teenager that he became mezmerized by the sound of the bass. During his studies at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory under the leadership of Petr Kořínek, Karel Růžicka and Sarka Dvořák, he made his entry into the Prague jazz scene where he has remained active ever since. In 1997, he received the Berklee College of Music Certificate (Bruno Raberg, Greg Hopkins). Later he studied with his great mentor Jaromír Honzák at the Prague College of Jazz. While there, he studied also with professors Milan Svoboda, Jan Hála, David Dorůžka and Jakub Zitko, before graduating in 2009.
Today, Petr has taken up graduate level studies of jazz bass at the Academy of Performing Arts, Prague. He is pursuing his studies on an electro-acoustic double bass of his own design, constructed by violin maker Jiří Petlach.
In the jazz arena, Petr has collaborated with players and bands such as the Paul Novotny Trio, Peter Curtis, Bharata Rajnošek, the Jiří Kalous Trio, Marcel Bárta, the Marek Novotný Quintet, and his own experimental trio NTS (Michal Nejtek and Štepán Smetáček). His Latin American musical abilities shine in projects like the Vesna Caceres band and Miloš Vacík band. In 2007 he cooperated with the Hradec Kralové Philharmonic (CZ) and in a project with Juan Jose Mossalini and Peter Ružička. Petr is well-known for his mastery as an accompanyist, having collaborated with singers such as Sylvie Krobová, Feng-jun Song & trio Puo, Pavlína Milcová and Peter Binder, Tonya Graves, Jana Šteflíčková and Kůň, and Erisha. Filharmonie Hradec Králové s Juan José Mossalinim a Petrem Růžičkou). 
His versatiliy stretches into Celtic music through his cooperation with bands like Bran and J.Eoin, dance and alternative music with Floex, Alvik, SeventySun and Tonya Graves Band among others, or pop music, with the acoustic project “The best of Pavol Hammel”, Ondřej Škoch – Manon 15 and Nitky. Despite his involvement in such a variety of projects, Petr saves time to exploit his own original compositions through his project “Petr-kontra-tichý-bas” and also together with singer Ridina Ahmedová.
GRAPHIC DESIGN: YVONE BAALBAKI
CREATED BY JIŘÍ BEZEMEK IN WORDPRESS.