01. Afterdark
02. Dolphine Dance
03. Eleanor Rigby
04. Peacocks
05. Solitude
06. Windmills Of Your Mind
07. 1Q84
08. Double Moon
09. The Boy Named Crow
10. Kafka On The Shore
11. Entering Stone
12. Miss Saeki Theme
13. Windows

Emil Viclicky - Piano;
Josef Fetcho - Bass;
Lewis Nash - Drums;
Jitka Hosprova - Viola (10);
Jana Sykorova - Mezzo soprano (12).

Readers of contemporary fiction will immediately realise that Czech pianist Emil Viklicky's latest release is inspired by a novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, himself connected with Prague courtesy of his having received the Kafka Award there in 2006. The album contains seven Viklicky originals with suitably Murakami-connected titles ('The Boy Named Crow', 'Miss Saeki Theme' etc.) and six non-originals from the worlds of jazz (Herbie Hancock's 'Dolphin Dance', Duke Ellington's 'Solitude', Jimmy Rowles's 'Peacocks') and popular music (Paul McCartney's 'Eleanor Rigby', Michel Legrand's 'Windmills of Your Mind') so tellingly referenced in Murakami's works. It's not strictly necessary, however, to be familiar with the Japanese writer's oeuvre (though it helps) to appreciate the sheer intensity and virtuosity of Viklicky's playing throughout this powerful and affecting album.

Supported by a fiercely interactive rhythm section (bassist Josef Fetcho, drummer Laco Tropp) and guest appearances by viola player Jitka Hosprova and mezzo soprano Jana Sykorova, Viklicky showcases all his considerable pianistic gifts on this rich and varied set: a technical proficiency that has led to his being compared with everyone from Oscar Peterson to Bud Powell, a familiarity with not only the entire post-bop jazz tradition but the sixties rock and pop music whose importance to contemporary Czech politics was chronicled by Tom Stoppard's 2006 play Rock'n'Roll, an emotional depth rooted in Moravian folk music which has led to his being called 'the Janacek of Jazz'.

Dynamic and textural subtlety lie at the heart of Viklicky's greatness, but his irresistible propulsiveness, improvisational fecundity and sheer energy are what immediately impress on this excellent album, which comes strongly recommended. --- londonjazznews.com

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01. The Forlorn Peach Tree
02. When I Walked
03. A Bird Flew Over
04. Gone With Water
05. In The Mists
06. Touha
07. My Lover is Leaving Me
08. Fanoshu
09. Sweet Basil
10. She Was Walking Meadow
11. Jenufa Act2.Scene 8
12. Sinfonietta

Emil Viclicky - Piano
George Mraz - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums
Laco Tropp - Drums (on Sinfonietta)

Folk melodies have inspired many jazz musicians around the world to meld the improvisational and rhythmic flairs of jazz with local traditions to create something new. We have seen Toshiko Akiyoshi do so with Japanese folk songs and Jan Lundgren with Swedish melodies. Emil Viklicky of the Czech Republic (b. 1948) stands out among them as an adapter of Moravian songs to jazz.

Described by one critic as "the Janacek of jazz," Viklicky has extensively studied the music and methods of Leos Janacek (1854-1928), one of the four great Czech composers along with Smetana, Dvorak and Martinu. He has studied at Berklee School of Music and his individualistic piano style is informed by Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans and Bud Powell. On this Japanese debut CD, Viklicky uses Janacek's and his own compositions--all based on or inspired by Moravian songs--as vehicles for his unique adaptation and improvisation.

Supporting him in a trio format is his countryman, long-time collaborator and bass virtuoso George Mraz, and first-rate drummer Lewis Nash. This is a truly unique blend of music: the mood is often melancholic and languid, the harmonies are subtle and complex, and melodies strikingly beautiful. The levels of musicianship and interaction are extremely high. It may not appear exciting at a casual glance, but attentive listeners will be richly rewarded. Recommended! --- eastwindimport.com

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Okno (Window):
1. Trochu Funky (The Funky Way) 6:06
2. Zase Zapomneli Zavrit Okno (They've Left The Window Open Again) 4:32
3. Siesta. 5:43
4. Jumbo Jet. 6:13
5. Boston. 5:11
6. Pisen Pro Jana Hammra (Song For Jan Hammer) 6:44
7. Jeste Jednou Slunce (Once Again Sun) 4:51
8. Kveten (Maytime) 4:25

Dvere (Door):
9. 70. Vychodni (East 70th Street) 5:16
10. Asi By To Tak Slo (C'est-Ce Que Ca Peut Bien Etre) 3:19
11. Podzim (The Fall) 5:18
12. Jed Dvacitkou (Take A Streetcar No. 20) 3:49
13. To Jsou Veci (Those Are The Things) 3:40
14. 43 Joy Street. 3:28

Musicians:
Emil Viklicky: Keyboards, Synthesizer (Oberheim & Arp Omni), Electric Piano (Fender Rhodes), Clavinet (Hohner), Piano
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Kermit Driscoll: Bass Guitar
Vinton Johnson: Drums
with:
Jan Beranek: Violin (tracks: 6)

To find Czech pianist Emil Vicklicky playing synthesisers and Fender Rhodes in a funk/fusion band alongside guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Kermit Driscoll and drummer Vinton Johnson is less surprising when the time (1979) and the circumstances– he’d just completed a year at Berklee during which he met and jammed with Frisell in Boston – are taken into account.

Viklicky, although now justly celebrated as a masterful post-bop acoustic pianist with a penchant for Moravian folk music, also has a jazz-rock past: he played in the style with a band called Energit in the 1970s. Here, on fourteen tracks (taken from two albums, Window and Door) of Viklicky originals, plus one by Driscoll and a closer by Frisell, the quartet romps joyously through a programme of jaunty funk, very much of its time (one track even features ‘jive’ talk), but still enjoyably compelling today.

Driscoll (alternating between spurting funkiness and sonorous Jacoesque electric bass as required) and the dynamic Johnson lay down a fearsome but flexible beat, and Viklicky and Frisell fire off a series of skipping, dexterously played solos – overall, this is a relatively uncomplicated, even 'good-time’ recording redolent of a period when jazz met ‘the groove’ and simply had a good, relatively unselfconscious time doing so. --- londonjazznews.com

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