Pódium mladých talentov

On Thursday, October 17, the Jazztikot club will welcome promising musicians as part of the Podium of Young Talents competition, which is an integral part of the festival and its winner will perform on the main stage of BJD 2025 next year .

This year's finalists and promising musicians are:

• Iako Bei – A group that has two albums Pursuits in 1ife: Cortex Labyrinthus (2018) and Pursuits in 2ife: Vortex Fragoris (2023), pushes the boundaries of his genre. Their debut was nominated for the Radio Head Awards in 2019, and since then they have established themselves as a prominent part of the alternative scene. Their unique combination of bass, drums, keyboards and vocals brings progressive rock with a sound that goes beyond the usual templates.

• Lenka Gálisová Quartet – This jazz formation she has already managed to win several prestigious awards, including the Discovery of the Year and the Award for a convincing vocal performance (New Faces of Slovak Jazz 2020). Their debut album V Znameni Návrat (2023) brings sensitive interpretations of jazz standards and compositions by icons such as Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Chick Corea. The Lenka Gálisová Quartet is also known for its performances at important festivals.

• Peter Palaj Quartet – This band combines original compositions and jazz standards. Peter Palaj is a graduate of the Janáček Academy and has two albums to his credit - News For Peter (2019) and Second Avenue Stroll (2024). His work combines technical skill with deep musical emotion, and the band belongs to the established names of the contemporary jazz scene in Slovakia.

• Andrej Farkaš Quartet – He is a young talent of the Slovak jazz, comes with a new album Andrej Farkas Quartet feat. Sandor Molnar, Krisztian Pecek Lakatos & David Hodek(2024). The album moves in a post-bop style, with modern jazz influences and the legacy of big names like Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker. Andrej's energetic and sophisticated performance makes him one of the most promising young artists of contemporary jazz.