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JazzFest predstavuje Bereza&Kotlar Project feat. Sam Knight (SK/UK)
JazzFest presents Bereza&Kotlar Project feat. Sam Knight (SK/UK)
Event by: Trenčín 2026, JazzFest SK
Location: mCafé Gallery, Gagarinova 3, Trenčín
Tickets: Get tickets
About event
Jazz friends, every aspect of our inner selves is a manifestation of a complex array of feelings, thoughts, physical manifestations of our bodies and their interrelationships. Based on our basic needs, we put these expressions of context into our communication, into our behavior, and we naturally look for all other ways or tools to express ourselves or something between us even more precisely and comprehensively. The harmony of musicians forming one beautiful whole, the idea of uniting generations on the canvas of a picture, or the art of connecting different units into a context is what we call, at least here at JazzFest, culture. The playful feeling we experience when listening to American jazz, the delicious composition of the Polish jazz scene with respectable seriousness, or the minimalism and insight that motivates us to visions of the future in Scandinavian jazz is what makes us better people. In general, each of us has something unique there.
Bereza & Kotlar Project is precisely the representative of the combination of these ideas and styles with an emphasis on a strong international aspect. Their music is incredibly motivating, creates new ideas and opinions. With a guest appearance by the saxophone genius of his time, Sam Knight, their compositions take on the flavors of the Carpenters, Elton John, Queen, Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan and Chopin.
Dear friends, as part of JazzFest 2024, we are proud to announce that the musical group Bereza&Kotlár project feat. Sam Knight will perform on 7/11/2024 at 19:30 in Trenčín in our home port mCafé. This performance is even more enticing that the group will come to the market at the end of 2024 with the debut album of a new project on the Slovak jazz scene: Bereza & Kotlar Project! It is being prepared by the Hlava XXII publishing house and is releasing the first single from this album, which is called Melina. The author of the composition is Pavol Bereza, who plays guitar, Ludo Kotlár - piano, Robert Vízvári - bass guitar and David Juraj Raši - drums.
The musical group was founded in 2022 based on the joint idea of Lud Kotlar and Pavel Bereza, as they have played a number of concerts together in various other bands ranging from the pop to the jazz scene. This very fact plays a significant role in the fact that the compositions that will be heard at the concert have an unmistakable character influenced precisely by their multi-genre and inspired by Scandinavian jazz, traditional Roma music and of course the American jazz tradition.
A few sentences about the authors:
Sam Knight:
A devoted musician, Sam Knight was inspired by his parents' music collection, which included The Carpenters, Elton John, Queen, Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan and Chopin. He started learning the piano at the age of four, but soon turned his attention to the saxophone, setting his career path at the age of ten.
His musical journey began at the Saturday School of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama ( RWCMD), followed by two formative years at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. In 2014, Sam enrolled at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where he specialized in jazz saxophone and graduated with 1st Class Honors in 2018.
During his studies, Sam collaborated with prominent artists of the London vibrant music scene, with Giuseppe Pucciarelli, Felix Rabin, Ester Wiesner, Elephant Talk, among others, and was also a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He also co-produced the soft-rock band The Goodbye Look. Sam's musical journey extends beyond performing to include writing, recording, producing and teaching music. He often goes on international tours, where he charms audiences all over Europe and Mexico.
Pavol Bereza:
He was already a member of many musical groups and projects during his university studies. He has many recorded CDs as well as film music. As a member of several projects, he participated in many jazz and cross over festivals, not only in Slovakia but also around the world: Bratislava Jazz Days, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018 BHS festival, 2013 JazzFest Brno, 2014, 2016 Izmir European Jazz Festival, 2016 Euro Jazz Mexico, 2017 Morelia Jazztival, Michuacan - Mexico, 2017 Guatemala Jazz Festival, 2017 Czecho-Slovak Jazz Festival Přerov, 2018 Jazz Fest Wien, 2018 Livre Paris, 2019. In addition to working with Slovak and Czech artists, he collaborated with names such as: Bill Evans, Benito Gonzales, Felipe Fournier, Rick Bailey, Alex Mercado, Kevin Mahogany, Gustav Brom Big Band, and others. In 2017, he released his own CD called Intuition. This CD was nominated for the best Slovak jazz album of 2017 at the Radio Head Awards and won the award for the best Slovak jazz CD at the Esprit Jazz Awards.
Ľudovít Kotlár:
A renowned jazz pianist who after completing his studies in Katowice and at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts, he collaborated with Lukáš Oravec and Grammy award winner Wayne Escoferry during the recording of his debut album entitled "Hangin'" (2018). which was nominated for several awards at home and abroad. He has many jazz albums as a sideman, he is also a sought-after pianist for pop projects. This musician also has a career as a pop singer, where he composed and interpreted various songs, including "Nespoznávam" or "Tak mi svieť", which are broadcast on Slovak radio stations. stations. He is a permanent member of several well-known musical ensembles: SOLE, Ludo Kuruc Band, Lukas Oravec Orchestra, he was a member of Gustav Brom's Big Band, Monika Bagárová's band, Igor Kmeť jr.
Róbert Vizvári:
During his studies he was selected for an international orchestra in Salzburg, as a solo double bassist, where he worked under the direction of Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Leopold Hager and members of the Vienna Philharmonic. Since 1996 he has been a member of the SF orchestra and since 2004 the first player of the double bass group. In 2000, he won the prize of the Hoffmeister - Musikverlag publishing house for his interpretation of the Sperger Sonata at the international double bass competition in Germany and the second prize at the international double bass competition in Kromeríž. In May 2011, he performed a concerto for double bass and orchestra in the historic SND hall with SF. of the jazz-funk band "Finally", in which world-class artists such as Eric Mariental, Gary Bias, Eric Valentine and Steve Lukather work. In 2010, they recorded their debut album "My Space".
David Juraj Raši:
He is one of the most sought-after Slovak drummers, producers and educators who studied drums at the Kunst Universität Graz under the guidance of the American drummer Howard Curtis. In addition to excelling as a musician, he is equally recognized as a composer and leader with his self-titled project, with which he released his debut album called 'P.S. I Love Me' for N.E.B.O. Raši is also the drummer in the Tibor Feledi Kairos Quintet, which was awarded the Radio_Head Award for their debut album "Common Playgrounds" (2018) in the "Jazz Album of the Year" category.
Bereza & Kotlar Project is precisely the representative of the combination of these ideas and styles with an emphasis on a strong international aspect. Their music is incredibly motivating, creates new ideas and opinions. With a guest appearance by the saxophone genius of his time, Sam Knight, their compositions take on the flavors of the Carpenters, Elton John, Queen, Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan and Chopin.
Dear friends, as part of JazzFest 2024, we are proud to announce that the musical group Bereza&Kotlár project feat. Sam Knight will perform on 7/11/2024 at 19:30 in Trenčín in our home port mCafé. This performance is even more enticing that the group will come to the market at the end of 2024 with the debut album of a new project on the Slovak jazz scene: Bereza & Kotlar Project! It is being prepared by the Hlava XXII publishing house and is releasing the first single from this album, which is called Melina. The author of the composition is Pavol Bereza, who plays guitar, Ludo Kotlár - piano, Robert Vízvári - bass guitar and David Juraj Raši - drums.
The musical group was founded in 2022 based on the joint idea of Lud Kotlar and Pavel Bereza, as they have played a number of concerts together in various other bands ranging from the pop to the jazz scene. This very fact plays a significant role in the fact that the compositions that will be heard at the concert have an unmistakable character influenced precisely by their multi-genre and inspired by Scandinavian jazz, traditional Roma music and of course the American jazz tradition.
A few sentences about the authors:
Sam Knight:
A devoted musician, Sam Knight was inspired by his parents' music collection, which included The Carpenters, Elton John, Queen, Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan and Chopin. He started learning the piano at the age of four, but soon turned his attention to the saxophone, setting his career path at the age of ten.
His musical journey began at the Saturday School of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama ( RWCMD), followed by two formative years at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. In 2014, Sam enrolled at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where he specialized in jazz saxophone and graduated with 1st Class Honors in 2018.
During his studies, Sam collaborated with prominent artists of the London vibrant music scene, with Giuseppe Pucciarelli, Felix Rabin, Ester Wiesner, Elephant Talk, among others, and was also a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He also co-produced the soft-rock band The Goodbye Look. Sam's musical journey extends beyond performing to include writing, recording, producing and teaching music. He often goes on international tours, where he charms audiences all over Europe and Mexico.
Pavol Bereza:
He was already a member of many musical groups and projects during his university studies. He has many recorded CDs as well as film music. As a member of several projects, he participated in many jazz and cross over festivals, not only in Slovakia but also around the world: Bratislava Jazz Days, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018 BHS festival, 2013 JazzFest Brno, 2014, 2016 Izmir European Jazz Festival, 2016 Euro Jazz Mexico, 2017 Morelia Jazztival, Michuacan - Mexico, 2017 Guatemala Jazz Festival, 2017 Czecho-Slovak Jazz Festival Přerov, 2018 Jazz Fest Wien, 2018 Livre Paris, 2019. In addition to working with Slovak and Czech artists, he collaborated with names such as: Bill Evans, Benito Gonzales, Felipe Fournier, Rick Bailey, Alex Mercado, Kevin Mahogany, Gustav Brom Big Band, and others. In 2017, he released his own CD called Intuition. This CD was nominated for the best Slovak jazz album of 2017 at the Radio Head Awards and won the award for the best Slovak jazz CD at the Esprit Jazz Awards.
Ľudovít Kotlár:
A renowned jazz pianist who after completing his studies in Katowice and at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts, he collaborated with Lukáš Oravec and Grammy award winner Wayne Escoferry during the recording of his debut album entitled "Hangin'" (2018). which was nominated for several awards at home and abroad. He has many jazz albums as a sideman, he is also a sought-after pianist for pop projects. This musician also has a career as a pop singer, where he composed and interpreted various songs, including "Nespoznávam" or "Tak mi svieť", which are broadcast on Slovak radio stations. stations. He is a permanent member of several well-known musical ensembles: SOLE, Ludo Kuruc Band, Lukas Oravec Orchestra, he was a member of Gustav Brom's Big Band, Monika Bagárová's band, Igor Kmeť jr.
Róbert Vizvári:
During his studies he was selected for an international orchestra in Salzburg, as a solo double bassist, where he worked under the direction of Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Leopold Hager and members of the Vienna Philharmonic. Since 1996 he has been a member of the SF orchestra and since 2004 the first player of the double bass group. In 2000, he won the prize of the Hoffmeister - Musikverlag publishing house for his interpretation of the Sperger Sonata at the international double bass competition in Germany and the second prize at the international double bass competition in Kromeríž. In May 2011, he performed a concerto for double bass and orchestra in the historic SND hall with SF. of the jazz-funk band "Finally", in which world-class artists such as Eric Mariental, Gary Bias, Eric Valentine and Steve Lukather work. In 2010, they recorded their debut album "My Space".
David Juraj Raši:
He is one of the most sought-after Slovak drummers, producers and educators who studied drums at the Kunst Universität Graz under the guidance of the American drummer Howard Curtis. In addition to excelling as a musician, he is equally recognized as a composer and leader with his self-titled project, with which he released his debut album called 'P.S. I Love Me' for N.E.B.O. Raši is also the drummer in the Tibor Feledi Kairos Quintet, which was awarded the Radio_Head Award for their debut album "Common Playgrounds" (2018) in the "Jazz Album of the Year" category.