featuring Jodi Proznick, one of Canada’s finest jazz artists.

“When I close my eyes, I see a little girl running around the tables in the Jewish Centre in Prague, avidly helping the curly-haired waitress to serve lunches. Old ladies and gentlemen seated around smile at her and give her a caress occasionally. Above the entrance to the dining hall there is a portrait of Barbra Streisand, who, in 1983, shot the movie Yentl in Prague; the little girl was one of the children extra on the set. At home, the kitchen smells of mom’s delicious pancakes and there is the little girl`s father sitting with a banjo on his knees, surrounded by other musicians. The child sings and dances around them, as if already sensing that singing will be her life calling...”

The Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre,

June 18, 2023 at 7:30 pm, 950 W 41st Ave. Vancouver BC

Petra Ernyei was born in Prague, her mother is Czech, her father was born in England to Hungarian-Slovak parents. She grew up in a musical environment—her father Andrej was a well-known musician and banjoist playing traditional jazz. The beginning of her professional career as a jazz singer started when Petra performed for the first time with her father’s band at the age of 18 at the Sacramento Jazz Festival in California. She sang with big bands (Original Prague Syncopated Orchestra, Prague Swing Orchestra) and in 2008 she established her own “Petra Ernyei Quartet.” Since this time, Petra has been performing on Czech, Germany, England, Austria, Norway, Hungary, Portugal, Bulgaria, Russia and Greece stages. Petra was inspired by the jazz vocalists of the 50s and 60s, a period in which America lived jazz to the fullest. In fact, it was a CD of Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderly that inspired the launch of the JAZZ SIX project. She is also dedicated to the music of Jewish authors. In 2021 she released a CD “This is me” together with guitarist Adam Tvrdy and double bassist Petr Dvorský. The album features Sephardic, Hebrew and jazz songs, processed in original arrangements. In 2020-2022, she gave concerts with the program “Tribute to Jewish authors” in synagogues all over the Czech Republic as part of the “Ten Stars project” which is devoted to the restoration of destroyed synagogues in the Czech Republic.

Adam Tvrdy is a guitarist and composer with a multi-genre and intense expression. In his interpretations and improvisations he focuses on his original musical ideas while respecting traditions and a vocabulary of the musical style being played. Adam studied jazz and classical guitar at the prestigious Prague Jazz School. Adam Tvrdy has a list of experiences and collaborations with some of the top artists from his domestic scene as well as world scene. As a guest member he participated in shows and recordings with the Czech National Symphonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Ennio Morricone in Prague and at Abbey Road Studios in London, recording the original soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. Thanks to more occasional work with the Orchestra (CNSO) Adam played in project like The Beatles Night and the Hollywood Night conducted by Carl David. Another of Adam’s experience with film music was meeting and working with composer and trumpet player Terence Blanchard on his soundtrack for Red Tails.

Jodi Proznick is a Canadian jazz bassist, composer, educator and producer. In 2019, she was named Jazz Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and has been nominated for two Juno Awards. She was also a recipient of the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Awards in 2022.

Jodi Proznick has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and ’09. Her group, the Jodi Proznick Quartet, was awarded the Acoustic Group of the Year and Album of the Year in ‘08 and the Galaxie Rising Star at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in ‘04.

In addition to leading her own group, Jodi has performed with many of Canada’s top jazz musicians, including PJ Perry, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Guido Basso, Oliver Gannon, Dee Daniels, Phil Dwyer, and Laila Biali. She is regularly in demand to perform and record with visiting jazz artists including Michael Bublé, Byron Stripling, Michael Feinstein, David “Fathead” Newman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, Peter Bernstein, Charles McPherson, Seamus Blake, George Coleman, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, Harold Mabern, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotundi, Eddie Daniels, Jeff Hamilton and Lewis Nash.

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