Record Reviews

DOROTA BAROVA ~ ILUZJA ANIMAL MUSIC 073 (Barcode: 8594155991365) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album as a leader by Czech vocalist / cellist / songwriter Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, recorded with guitarist Jakub VejnarFind albums by this artist and bassist Miroslav ChyskaFind albums by this artist, who play on six of the album’s ten tracks. The album presents ten original songs, all composed by Barova except one composed by pianist Beata HlavenkovaFind albums by this artist, who also sings and plays on that track. The remaining three tracks are performed by Barova, using multitracked vocals and cello. Barova wrote the lyrics to four of the tracks, four other were written by Polish journalist and lyricist Teresa DrozdaFind albums by this artist and the last two by Polish poet Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiFind albums by this artist. All the lyrics are in the Polish language and Barova sings them in Polish, crediting her love of that language to her Mother, who is Polish (although Polish and Czech languages have many similarities and both belong to the Slavic languages group, they are also quite distinct). The music is an obvious example of my beloved Jazz & Poetry idiom, and is definitely one of the finest examples of this Artistic genre that landed on my desk lately. Thy music is uniquely beautiful, full of intrinsic lyricism, but also quite complex, multilayered and intricate, despite the fact that it utilizes a limited instrumental range. The excellent sound recording (Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist again) enables listening to each and every little nuance, which this album is absolutely packed with. The album is full of ingenious trickery, using unconventional instrumentation and a complex multilayered combination of vocal and instrumental tracks, which turn the seemingly limited, almost minimalist range into a brilliant kaleidoscope of sounds, all fitting together brilliantly. Barova utilizes her vocal and instrumental abilities to the max, achieving an unprecedented harmoniously coherent result. Combined with the excellent lyrics, the overall result is simply irresistible. Overall this album is a wonderful example of intelligent, sensitive, inventive and highly aesthetic music making, which offers a distinctive statement, breaks new ground and challenges the listener both emotionally and cerebrally. Thank you, my Lady, for sharing your talent with us and Godspeed in future endeavors!

Updated: 06/03/2021Posted: 06/03/2021

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BEATA HLAVENKOVA ~ JOY FOR JOEL ANIMAL MUSIC 011 (Barcode: 8594155997930) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2009 This is the 3rd album by Czech Jazz pianist / vocalist / composer Beata HlavenkovaFind albums by this artist, which she recorded in the US with Canadian trumpeter Ingrid JensenFind albums by this artist and American musicians: saxophonist Rich PerryFind albums by this artist, pedal steel guitarist Dave EasleyFind albums by this artist, Australian (resident in US) bassist Matt ClohesyFind albums by this artist and drummer Jon WikanFind albums by this artist. Czech vocalist Lenka DusilovaFind albums by this artist adds vocalese on two tracks. The album presents nine tracks, all of which are original compositions by Hlavenkova, arranged by her. The album was mixed by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist, and offers, as always, a splendid sound quality. The music is wonderfully melodic and lyrical, and the arrangements make a perfect use of the small ensemble, which offers excellent soli and coherent performances all the way through. The vocal parts, or more correctly vocalese, are treated as another instrument and enhance the aural effect in a most appropriate way. Despite the presence of American musicians, the album offers a distinctly European ambience and feel, which of course is one of its many charms. I have been quite taken by surprise by the fact that I completely missed Hlavenkova’s presence on the Czech Jazz scene up until now, and I am happy this has been now remedied by her, by sending me some of her albums. Overall, this is a truly beautiful and musically perfectly balanced and refined album, which I have missed at the time of its release. Elegantly packaged and released on my favorite Czech records label, Animal MusicFind albums on this label, run by Petr OstrouchovFind albums by this artist, it is now a proud part of my collection. Thank you Beata, for the initiative to contact me and of course for the wonderful music!

Updated: 21/03/2026Posted: 21/03/2026

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BEATA HLAVENKOVA ~ MONODIE 2.0 NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 788792505957) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is an album by Czech Jazz pianist / vocalist / composer Beata HlavenkovaFind albums by this artist, recorded with vocalist Martin ProkesFind albums by this artist, bass clarinetist / vocalist Vojta NydlFind albums by this artist, Russian (resident in Prague) guitarist Kirill YakovlevFind albums by this artist, Slovak trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, bassist Ratislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and the Pavel Borkovec String QuartetFind albums by this artist. The album includes fourteen tracks, all composed by Hlavenkova and arranged by Matej KroupaFind albums by this artist, which include texts / poetry by JQrFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Janek RuzickaFind albums by this artist), Jan SkacelFind albums by this artist, Vladimir HolanFind albums by this artist, Ljuba StiplovaFind albums by this artist, Hana ProskovaFind albums by this artist, Emily DickinsonFind albums by this artist and the late Czech President / poet / playwright Vaclav HavelFind albums by this artist, whom I had the honor and pleasure to meet in person a few times. The attached booklet includes English translations of the original texts in Czech language. The album is of course a Jazz & Poetry project, although the music amalgamates both Jazz and Classical Music elements. The melodic substance is all insanely beautiful, lyrical and deeply melancholic, and as such perfectly fitting the carefully chosen poetic layer, which includes both contemporary and classic Czech poetry, except for the Dickinson poem, which is in similar mood and frame of mind. The vocal and instrumental performances are all exceptional, and despite the complexity and intensity of the entire enterprise, it offers a wonderful sense of continuity and clarity. Of course, as usual with projects involving texts in languages other than English, the immediate concern is the language barrier, which stands between a listener not familiar with the language in question and the textual layer of the project. I have already stated repeatedly, that for true music lovers, the language barrier becomes quite secondary in presence of the universality and the power of great Art, and certainly allows a full acceptance and enjoyment of this and many other similar albums, despite the language barrier. In many respects, this album is a quintessential summary of Hlavenkova’s Artistic journey, which she carefully and consistently developed during the last two decades. She is certainly “doing her own thing”, crossing genres and carefully avoiding fads of fashion, which is never an easy path. Overall, this is a wonderful album in every respect, carefully put together, brilliantly performed and despite the reflective subject matter, which mirrors the sad state of humanity, it is still able to be a balm on our soul. I am happy to know you, Milady, and thank you for your immense talent!

Updated: 31/03/2026Posted: 31/03/2026

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JAROMIR HONZAK ~ FACE OF THE BASS ANIMAL MUSIC 025 (Barcode: 8594155995134) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 - 2011 Released: 2011 This is the sixth album by Czech Jazz bassist / composer / bandleader Jaromir HonzakFind albums by this artist recorded with keyboardists Beata HlavenkovaFind albums by this artist and Michal NejtekFind albums by this artist, saxophonist / clarinetist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist and drummer Roman VichaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine pieces, four of which are original compositions by Honzak, two are original compositions by Nejtek, one is an original composition by Hlavenkova and the final two are Honzak’s arrangements of Pop songs. Two of the tracks feature string orchestra arrangements. The music is beautifully recorded at SONO Records studio by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist. The album has a unique atmosphere, quite different from most of Honzak’s recorded legacy, being perhaps his most Fusion oriented work to date. It is still very much rooted in Jazz of course, but the synthesizer soaked sound and the choice of material gives the music a more contemporary feel, definitely way more accessible to a wider and perhaps younger audience. But the music is, as always, wonderful from start to finish and so are the performances. The double keyboards sound, electric and synthesized, inspires a somewhat reminiscent aura of the early Weather Report at its best. Honzak bass is always at the very core of the music, leading it steadily and keeping things in perfect balance. Honzak proves again his versatility as a composer and arranger, capable of playing around with moods and emotions, like only very few other musicians can, always preserving his aesthetic integrity, regardless of the stylistic proximity of the music at hand. The arrangements of the AbbaFind albums by this artist song “Dancing Queen” or the electronics / house hit “Poor Leno” by RöyksoppFind albums by this artist are a schoolbook example of his ability to play with the original melody like it was made of plasteline. Overall this is another superb album in Honzak’s impressive discography, which never ceases to amaze, surprise and delight. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 24/02/2021Posted: 23/02/2021

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