Luboš Soukup Quartet ()
Luboš Soukup Quartet is a Czech-Danish jazz quartet of Luboš Soukup.
The bandleader and sole composer is the Czech-Danish saxophonist and clarinetist Luboš Soukup. After leaving his native country to live and play in Poland, Soukup settled in Copenhagen, where he found like-minded musicians. Since 2011, the band has strived to play music that appeals to music lovers outside the jazz circle.
As of 2024, the band has released three albums – Beyond the Borders (2011), Through the Mirror (2013), recorded with the horn section of the DR Big Band and the Epoque String Quartet, and Earth (2017) featuring Lionel Louek. The last two albums were voted the best Czech jazz albums of the year in the annual poll of music experts organised by 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.
