“ the unique fusion of folk and jazz”
featuring Paul Rushka and Jesse Cahill
Emil Viklicky : As a pianist, Emil often performs in international ensembles alongside musicians from the U.S. and other European countries. Back in 1983-89 Emil worked with the Lou Blackburn International Quartet, the Benny Bailey Quintet, and American multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson. He has made frequent appearances in Finland (with the Finnczech Quartet and in particular with Jarmo Sermila) and Norway (with the Czech-Norwegian Big Band and Harald Gundhus) and has performed in the USA, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (at the North Sea Festival) and elsewhere. The editor of Rolling Stone Jan Wenner wrote of Emil that “It was a delightful surprise to see such first-class, top-of-the-line jazz in Prague.”
Emil has become noted for his unique synthesis of the melodicism and tonalities of Moravian folk song with modern jazz. As English critic Euan Dixon wrote in 2005 “Emil Viklicky is one of those European jazz pianists who successfully incorporated elements of his indigenous folk culture into jazz”.
As composer, Viklicky has attracted attention abroad primarily for having created a synthesis of the expressive elements of modern jazz with the melodicism and tonalities of Moravian folk song that is distinctly individual in contemporary jazz. Besides this, however, he also composes ‘straight-ahead’ modern jazz as well as chamber and orchestral works that utilize certain elements of the New Music, and at times his music requires a combination of classical and jazz performers.
Viklicky’s work has gained him quite a number of prestigious awards. These include second prize in the 1985 Monaco jazz composition competition (for “Cacharel”), the 1991 Film and Television Association prize for music for animated films, second prize at the 1994 Marimolin contemporary music competition in Boston (for “Tristana”), a 1996 Prague award for electroacoustic music (for “Paradise Park”), a 1996 Czech Music Fund prize for use of folk music in art music, and first prize in a 2000 international OPERA composition competition in Prague (for the opera Phaedra). In 2009 Emil recorded CD “Sinfonietta – Janáček of Jazz”, for VENUS Records, Japan,with George Mraz – bass, Lewis Nash – drums. Another cd for VENUS followed in 2011: “Kafka on the Shore”. This cd got Nissan prize for “The best sound CD in Japan”. In 2011 Emil received “Medal of Merrit” from Czech president Vaclav Klaus for lifelong music achievements.
Paul Rushka: Award-winning bassist Paul Rushka has engaged audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia with his sonorous tone, assured confident pulse, and eloquent soloing since 1997. Active as a performer, composer, arranger, and educator, Paul is a first-call bassist in Vancouver. He has appeared on stage with numerous jazz luminaries, including John Taylor, Joe LaBarbera, Julian Priester, Jimmy Greene, Peter Bernstein, Will Vinson, Mike LeDonne, Danny Grissett, Jeremy Pelt, Brad Turner, Ross Taggart, Lorne Lofsky, Kirk MacDonald, Kevin Dean, André White, Joe Sullivan, Josh Rager, and many more. In 2003, Paul won a Western Canadian Music Award for Best Jazz Album for his work on the Mike Allen Trio’s Dialectic. He is currently on the faculty at the VSO (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra) School of Music.
Jesse Cahill: Jesse has become one of the busiest drummers on the Canadian music scene. He has worked with jazz legends like David “Fathead” Newman, George Coleman, Harold Mabern, Red Holloway, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Charles MacPherson and Bobby Shew. He has also performed, toured, and recorded with many internationally recognized artists such as Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, Vincent Herring, Jim Snidero, Terrell Stafford, Mike Ledonne, Pat Bianchi, Joe Magerelli, Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, Ryan Kysor and George Colligan.
Friday, May 25, 2018 at 8pm, The Revue Stage, Granville Island
Vancouver review by Bill Hood, Highlife Records
It seems that some piano players and composers have a direct line to the traditional folk music in the part of the world that they come from. In addition to Jelly Roll Morton, Ellington, and Mingus you might think of the names Dvorak and Janacek, to say nothing of Bartok and Kodaly. Messing with, while still embracing, traditional music has a long history. Sometimes we call it modern classical music and some times we call it jazz.
As we made our way into the intimate confines of the Revue Stage on Granville Island, on Friday, May 25, 2018, word spread, amongst the assembled crowd, that that sound check had been electric, and that we were in for something special.
When the night was over piano master Emil Viklicky along with his colleagues for this performance – Paul Rushka and Jesse Cahill – had fulfilled all of our expectations, and then some. From the first note – through two sets and an encore – this trio demonstrated the universal power that springs from an ability to respect and embrace traditions, while confidently improvising. The performance on this night slipped smoothly from the St Louis Blues, to Janacek, and then through original compositions based on Moravian folk tunes that spoke of things like Wine, Oh Wine, and a Falling Aspen Leaf.
In short, the evening revealed the past and the future, simultaneously held confidently in the vital palm of a pianist, and his trios’s, hands. These musicians listened, and risked, and played as though they had been together for 20 years, not just 6 hours – breathing in history and inspiration, and breathing out magic. All concerts can only hope to be both this ancient and this fresh. A night for the ages.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Bill Hood /Vancouver, May 27th, 2018/