Jazz Dock goes To the Roots
Last night the absolutely packed Jazz Dock was honored by legends in Czech music life, Jan Spálený & A.S.P.M. (Jan Spálený (p.,tr), Filip Jeníček (dr), Michael Gera (tr), Filip Spálený (tu.b.) and special guest Ondřej Kabrna (ac)). Jan himself who is among many considered to be one of the fathers of Czech blues has been around the block not one time, but a few times, and the band A.S.M.P. (English translation: Amateur Association of Professional Musicians) has its birth back in 1984 and Jan of course as a frontman for the band.
You don’t build a history that long unless you have something special to offer, and they had! Just the set up on the stage, accordion, tuba, six string bass etc. is not at the first sight connected with The Blues, but it was last night. With a very balanced mixture of their own tunes and covers and Jans charismatic hold of the audience they gave us a night to remember. At the same time this was also a style sample of professionals’ individual skills, all harmonized to a perfect end result.
The Individual Skills
I have never been a big fan of the accordion but Ondřej Kabrna, the special guest of the evening made me change my mind, it was just a big WOW, this was really not the polkas I remember from my childhood, which shows only how restricted my music knowledge is. Filip Jeníček on the drums, elegant and gestureless, I don’t think he missed a single note during the two sets? Michael Gera and his trumpet, has also a long history in the world of music and a very long history with Jan Spálený & A.S.P.M. If you want to know why, go and listen. You wont be dissapointed. Filip Spálený and his tuba, not the easiest instrument to carry along but he handled it just as the full blooded professional he is, I don’t think I ever heard so intense solos played on a tuba before. Filip compensates the tuba with the six! string bass, an instrument where only the true experts move on to five strings from four! 🙂 And as you can guess, there were no complaints about the solos on the bass either! 🙂 And the maestro himself, Jan Spálený multi-instrumentalist who is responsible for most of the band’s own songs. He knows his audience and what they expect from him and the band, and he delivers!
A night to remember and a night with much more than The Blues, crossover would be more appropriate, maybe, if it’s important. For me it was what I hoped for, good music and entertainment. Thank You Jan Spálený & A.S.P.M.
