The Prague Sounds Festival is the most prestigious music festival in Autumn bringing first-rate artists in jazz, electronica, contemporary classical, and avant-garde hybrids with an international scope for performances in both classical music venues and off-the-grid spots for its more adventurous twists. It strives to focus on new or younger artists, but esteemed musical veterans are also given devoted space.
The opener is saxophonist Branford Marsalis, from New Orleans of the Marsalis clan. Brother of trumpeter Wynton, and trombonist Delfeayo, and son of pianist Ellis Marsalis, Jr., he was leader of the Tonight Show band with Jay Leno in the 1990s. Branford blends pop musical styles across generations. He has composed soundtracks, including for Spike Lee’s films, and has played a stint with the Grateful Dead. He also has classical recordings, as a soloist and with orchestras that include his quartet; at this stage, Branford has the stature of a jazz doyen, who plays his music his way and across the spectrum.
The most adventurous collaboration is Moor Mother and billy woods. Woods is a maverick storyteller/rapper active since 2003, born in Washington D.C., but partly raised in Zimbabwe in revolutionary times there. Woods on the mic breezes above beats that often creep at the speed of snails; Woods and Moor Mother (from Philadelphia) collaborated in 2020 for Brass, and her tough street poet and activist attack is a strong match. Their Brass sound is at times unsettling, brash and relentless.
McKinley Dixon is yet another American rapper, from Richmond, Virginia and his album Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (2023) is his most recent and to be performed in Prague. It is a conceptual album of the artist’s rebirth, or seeing the light to change a way of life toward positivity, with references to Black American literature (Toni Morrison), and jazz as key throughout the history of Black American culture.
The Grammy-winning experimental vocal ensemble, Roomful of Teeth, (again from the US), is the highlight for contemporary classical aficionados. This group is influenced by the artist-sound vocalist Meredith Monk, then practically all ethno-folk vocal traditions across the world, so Alp yodeling, Tuvan throat-singing, Bulgarian Women’s Choir, Sardinian cantu a tenore, or opera can be fit into any of their compositions. Probably the only vocal-style they would not do is doo-wop, which is too bad.
Nubya Garcia, saxophonist, represents a newer and younger generation from the London jazz scene. Nubya has a new album Odyssey, and on this one she has toned down her funky reggae-influenced jazz to a conceptual approach, serving it seems as a rebirth of herself and her music to a higher level by including orchestrated strings-arrangements and including collaboration with Esperanza Spaulding. It has earned rave reviews from The Guardian, and Pitchfork for her most ambitious effort to date.
Another group from the UK is Abel Selaocoe Chesaba and the Manchester Collective. Abel Selaocoe is a classically-trained cellist from South Africa, who studied music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He also performs as griot with African musicians for a trio, Chesaba, and this formulation combined with a female string quartet and others form the Manchester Collective. It is an exceptional crossover of classical music, traditional African folk music and free improvisation.
For Czech contributions, the legendary protest-folk singer Karel Kryl will have a tribute with pop artists, the Czech, David Koller, and Slovak, Richard Muller. Kryl (1944-1994) was a poet, guitarist, and artist in the vein of Bob Dylan, meaning critical of idiocy in the government. He emigrated to Germany in 1969, in protest of the Communists, then after the Velvet Revolution, he returned with high hopes for the newly democratic era; however, he soon became critical of the state of things under Havel. So as a true protest singer, his legacy has relevance not only for the past but in current times.
The newest generation of Czechs and Slovaks has an evening curated by Slovak pop vocalist Katarzia. This has Lash & Grey, from Bratislava, who play jazz-folk and a soulful pop with Kristína Mihalová (i.e. Kristin Lash), and guitarist Jakub Grey; Nika, a soft jazz-pop-folk singer; and Johanela, who began as a busker, but collaborated with top Czech musicians for her debut album (sung in English).
The festival concludes with a solo piano recital by a remarkable pianist and vocalist, Tigran Hamasyan, who as a songwriter, traverses contemporary classical, jazz, his native Armenian folk music and its poetry. So, it’s yet another first-rate contemporary music artist, who is best at transcending genres.
The venues for this festival vary from the prestigious Rudolfinum, and the Lucerna Grand Ballroom, to cosier Lucerna Music Bar, Archa+, Divadlo X10, and La Fabrika. For more details about the program including dates and times of the performances, see the website for Prague Sounds. The Festival.
