🎹 Beroun Live Music: From Ateliér 57 to Ronnie Scott’s

This time around, the best jazz club in Prague—the one in Beroun —welcomed some truly extraordinary international guests. Ateliér 57 was honored to host the highly celebrated Bokani Dyer Trio, featuring Bokani Dyer (piano), Timothy Norton (bass), and Dominic Egli (drums). This modern Afro-jazz powerhouse is currently in the absolute thick of an incredibly tight, ambitious global tour supporting their magnificent new studio album, Traditions, which just dropped on October 1st. The record beautifully explores what happens when rich musical heritages are transported into entirely new eras and spaces.

As I mentioned, their schedule is relentlessly tight. The entire tour kicked off in Washington, D.C., at the prestigious Annual DC JazzFest at The Wharf, and boasts stops at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the legendary Ronnie Scott’s in London, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and, of course, Ateliér 57 right here in Beroun last night. I took a peek at their full itinerary, and calling it “tight” is a massive understatement—I’m beginning to think these brilliant musicians don’t actually require food or sleep!

Considering their grueling travel tempo, I was utterly amazed by the sheer depth of energy they gifted to us. Even though the setlist leaned heavily into the rich interpretations featured on Traditions, the music was served entirely the Bokani Dyer way. That means completely tossing out standard American jazz formulas and instead focusing on a vibrant, massive tapestry of global musical lineages.

The tempo for the entire concert was highly intensive, packed with just as many explosive individual flights as moments of incredibly close, tight-knit togetherness. I was also deeply impressed by how remarkably melodic both sets turned out to be. It was entirely different from what I was perhaps expecting, which served as a wonderful reminder to always approach anything new with an entirely open mind. Never speak before you truly know—whether it’s music or basketball (sorry about the Knicks, ). < inside joke!

I don’t think there is any further need to preach about the sheer technical skill each member of this lineup possesses. If your tour calendar explicitly hooks Monterey, Ronnie Scott’s, and Ateliér 57, the world already knows your quality is at the absolute highest tier possible.

I will say this much: the Bokani Dyer Trio’s new release, which just saw the light of day on October 1st, is something you all need to check out. The tunes we witnessed live last night make this a record you absolutely must get your hands on. At the moment, it is only available via streaming platforms, but both you and I—who consider ourselves true music purists—will undoubtedly be picking up the physical version the second it drops. After all, that is always the single best way to support the music and the musicians we love, right?

All in all, it was another profoundly pleasant evening at Ateliér 57. I don’t know where Jesse keeps pulling these world-class performances from to bring them to Beroun, and honestly, I don’t really care—as long as he keeps doing it!

Thank you, Ateliér 57 and the Bokani Dyer Trio!