Libor Šmoldas ()
Libor Šmoldas is a Czech jazz guitarist.
His concert activity spans four continents and world capitals New York, Washington, Sydney, Beijing, Istanbul, Vienna, Berlin, Denver, Milan, Philadelphia, Brisbane, Melbourne and London. With his quartet, he was the first Czech jazz band to tour the USA and regularly returns there, as well as on annual concert tours to Australia and other countries. Among the world clubs where he performs are the legendary Pizza express, Smalls, Iridium, Blue Note, Dear Head Inn and Bennetts Lane.
In the Czech Republic, he has played over two thousand club concerts, leading festivals such as Prague Spring, Prague Proms, Brno Jazz Fest, Bohemia Jazz Fest, Strings of Autumn and Janáček’s May, and collaborated with top Czech jazz artists including Ondřej Pivec, Robert Balzar and David Dorůžka. He has played and recorded with world-class musicians such as George Mraz, Jeff Ballard, Sam Yahel, Bobby Watson, Adam Nussbaum, Brian Charette and Jay Anderson. Libor has won many awards, such as the Best Jazz Composition of 2014 and the Angel Award for Jazz Record of the Year with the Organic Quartet. He teaches at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory in Prague and at international workshops in England, Germany, Greece, Italy and Australia. He has released nine albums under his own name and many more as a collaborator.
Russ Spiegel ()
Russ Spiegel is a composer, arranger, and an accomplished guitarist, bandleader, writer, and musicologist. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and continued his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He earned a master's degree in jazz performance from the City College of New York and a doctorate in jazz composition from the University of Miami Frost School of Music as a Henry Mancini Institute Fellow. Russ currently teaches at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.
