Prague’s Unknown Musical Oasis

Jupiter can be the second stop, but the first one must be Divadlo Inspirace. Tucked away inside the Liechtenstein Palace building on Malostranské náměstí in Lesser Town, this theater serves as a stellar stage for students of the Faculty of Music and Dance of the Academy of Performing Arts (HAMU).

 

More importantly, it acts as a much-needed counterbalance to Prague’s established and many times predictable music clubs. Thursdays here are usually dedicated to the rising stars of Czech jazz during their weekly jam nights, but last night was something different entirely.

 

Last night, the stage belonged to the Vojtěch Prochážka Experimental Band.

 

The group brought a staggering 10-person lineup to the stage—intellectually categorized as an avant-garde jazz tentet with a unique, double-rhythm section. Featuring a massive bottom end of three bassists (two double bass, one electric) and two drummers, the configuration sounds fancy on paper, but what really matters is how it sounded live: incredibly good.

 

Drawing from an eclectic repertoire that cut across diverse styles and genres, the one-hour concert offered something for everyone. It served as yet another masterclass in the immense talent this country possesses, reaffirming why I consistently call Prague the capital of European jazz. The depth of the local musical education system brings brilliant color to that allegation.

 

Listening to this lineup, it was hard to believe these players are still students; the performance was remarkably mature and exceptionally skillful. While the band was led by pianist Vojtěch Prochážka, an assistant professor at HAMU, he wasn’t the whole explanation. The remaining nine members—Jan Hejduk, Mateo Garcia, Taras Voloshchuk, Pavel Zeman, Jaroslav Kovařík, Tomáš Zelený, Jakub Eben, Jan Bára, and Nicolas Gatto—all played like seasoned pros. This was a true cohesive band, not a professor lecturing his students.

 

It took me nearly seven years in this jazz capital to discover Divadlo Inspirace. After last night’s performance, you can be sure I’ll be back faster than an upbeat.