Písek live music: All good things must come to an end

My real-time Písek jazz live feed concluded right after the Libor Šmoldas Quartet finished taking the park by storm, but that was by no means the end of the festival. As evening fell over Palackého sady, the musical party continued without a safety net. And why not? The summer weather was flawless, the weekend was officially starting, and we had already been treated to hours of brilliant music, pushing the crowd’s energy to a full 110%. The final two bands to take the stage made absolutely no exception to this stellar standard.

 

First up was a lineup beautifully described in the festival program as “music without borders.” This is the Anděl Award-winning international union of Jiří Kotača (trumpet), Alf Carlsson (guitar), Peter Korman (double bass), and Kristián Kuruc (drums). Performing in Písek for their third time, the group clearly relished their reunion with the city just as much as the local spectators did—a mutual affection that was both heard and deeply felt throughout their entire set. Delivering a modern jazz approach rooted in their respective origins, yet drawing on multicultural influences from seemingly everywhere, they showed us exactly why they are such frequent, welcome guests at this festival. While the main spotlight naturally stayed on the delicate, soaring individual performances of Alf and Jiří, I want to personally highlight the rhythm section. Peter and Kristián held the entire act together with flawless, rock-solid teamwork. They were a brand-new, thoroughly positive experience for me—thank you, gentlemen! 

 

Serving as the festival closer, Gavin Skeggs alongside the Otto Hejnic Trio brought the long day of music to a gentle, smooth conclusion. With a setlist built upon the immortal hits of “Ol’ Blue Eyes” their performance was a highly welcome, nostalgic finale for the evening, resonating particularly well with the older generation in the audience.

 

This may have been my first touch with Jazz in Písek, but to quote a famous line: “I’ll be back!” Thank you to the organizers and the City of Písek. Spectacularly nice going!