Streaming from the Dvořákova Olomouc festival in the Czech Republic, this new project from trumpeter Lukáš Oravec combines the characteristic sound of the artist’s jazz quartet with the orchestral mastery of the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. All arrangements are by Russian conductor Pavel Klimashevsky.
About
The Lukas Oravec Quartet was formed at the beginning of 2012 and its quality immediately caught the attention of jazz experts and enthusiasts. The band has appeared in an extensive series of club concerts and festival performances throughout Europe. LOQ won the top prize and Lukáš Oravec received the best performance award at the Young Faces of Slovak Jazz competition.
In 2013, Music Fund Slovakia released the ensemble’s debut album called Introducing Lukáš Oravec Quartet, which won the Esprit prize for the best Slovak album of the year. 2015 saw Lukáš Oravec’s self-funded release of Piotrology which the quartet produced in collaboration with American saxophonist Vincent Harring and pianist Kálmán Oláh. LOQ’s latest recording to date is Ali, which is the result of the band’s collaboration with the legendary saxophonist Bob Mintzer. CD Ali also won the Esprit award for the best album of 2017.
Lukáš Oravec is a native of Žilina, Slovakia, and a graduate of the Department of Jazz Interpretation at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts. He is also the leader of a Czecho-Slovak formation called Kaunis Five and a member of Gustav Brom’s Czech Radio Big Band, Matúš Jakabčic CZ-SK Big Band and the Bob Mintzer Quintet.
Andy Middleton teaches jazz composition, harmony and saxophone at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He works with musicians such as Billy Hart, Maria Schneider, Richie Beirach, Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Bill Evans, Lionel Hampton, John Abercrombie, Steve Rodby, Scott Colley and Adam Nussbaum.
An internationally renowned pianist of Los Angeles origin, Danny Grisett is now an active member of the New York music scene, where he collaborates with artists such as Freddie Hubbard, Vincent Herring, Marcus Strickland, Steve Nelson, Roy Hargrove, Willie Jones III and others. He is a long-standing member of Tom Harrrell’s project and often plays with the Charles Mingus’ Big Band. He also performs as a soloist with his own trio.
Pavel Klimashevsky is an internationally acclaimed arranger, composer, conductor and double bassist. He studied jazz double bass with the world-famous double bassist Vitold Rek and jazz composition in Jesse Milliner’s class at the University of Music in Mainz, Germany. His music arrangements for the HGM Jazzorchestar Zagreb won the “Porin Music Award” (Croatian version of the Grammys) in the best jazz album of the year 2014 category. Pavel Klimashevsky wrote most of the arrangements for the symphonic project which presents the audience with a selection of compositions from all the albums released so far by the Lukáš Oravec Quartet. In addition, he leads the whole project as a conductor. As a small bonus, the program also includes the famous Air by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged by trumpetist Miroslav Houcal.
The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the foremost and oldest symphony orchestras in the Czech Republic. It is based in the historical capital of Moravia, the city of Olomouc, and has been a leader of music activities in the region for the past 70 years. Its artistic development was directly influenced by distinguished figures from the Czech and international music scene. Namely, they include conductors like Otto Klemperer and Václav Neumann, violinists Josef Suk and Gidon Kremer, or cellist Pierre Fournier.
During the course of its long history, The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra has put together an exceptionally broad, rich and varied repertoire. Its focus is mostly on the grand figures of classical music of the 19th and 20th century. Nonetheless, it also seeks to promote contemporary Czech and worldwide musical compositions, as evidenced by the fact that the Orchestra has performed over 250 new compositions. Moreover, the Orchestra is an authentic performer of Czech classics such as Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Leoš Janáček, and Bohuslav Martinů.
The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra takes pride in having a rich discography under its belt and performing at renowned international festivals both in the Czech Republic and abroad. However, first and foremost, it is a cultural institution and a major contributor to the organization of artistic life in the region of Olomouc. It holds the Dvořák’s Olomouc festival and the International Organ Festival and also organizes a number of educational activities for children and young people.
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