Luboš Soukup Quartet ()
Lubos Soukup Quartet is an international band playing original modern jazz. The bandleader and exclusive composer is the Czech-Danish saxophonist and clarinettist Lubos Soukup. After leaving his home country and living and playing in Poland, Soukup settled down in Copenhagen, where he found like-minded musicians. They band has worked together since 2011. They strive for playing music that speaks to music lovers beyond the jazz inner circle. The band has released three albums – Beyond the Borders, Through the Mirror (feat. horns section of DR Big Band and Epoque string quartet), and Země (The Earth) featuring Lionel Loueke. The last two albums were voted the best Czech jazz albums of the year in the annual music expert survey run by the Czech Jazz Radio.
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.
