The Sound of Music 2024

Libor Šmoldas, Milan “Angelo” Novák

A "small" photographic pot-pourri of my music year in the republic…

Please keep in mind, this is my vision, my feelings, my very subjective opinion, no matter the headline. 😉 I only like good or very good music and with that I can honestly state that the year 2024 was a good music year in the Czech Republic. I of course saw very much what I knew I liked, playing it safe so to say. And yet there was a place for new bands, new artists of which some was just a WOW experience and what I will definitely start to follow in the future, I only need more days in the week. I will try to make a short photo summary of the music year 2024, so look at the pictures. And yes, not everything I saw or heard was to my satisfaction, quite normal I should think? I had a few disappointments also, but why should I waste time on them?

Lucky us…

I often feel blessed living in the Czech Republic, a country with an unbelievable amount of skilled musicians considering the size of the population, yes I know, not all are even Czech by birth even if they live here, drawn here by the environment I guess. 😉 And just like in many other countries they don’t get the precision they deserve, this is a very international phenomenon, but at least I will try and change that. Why? Because I like good music like I already mentioned and I never understood why you have to cross the stream to get the water. Said all that, I will admit that I ran into a few international artists that I’m more than glad I didn’t miss. Now, my original plan was to do a list of the artists you or I should have in mind if we want to go out and treat ourselves, all with a few comments on the side. But, it would have turned into a novel that nobody wants to read, books are for different entertainment, so again, look at the pictures.

Worth visiting

The Czech Republic and Prague especially have an admirable amount of music clubs of which the majority are supporting the domestic musicians. Places like (in alphabetic order):

(Clicking straight on the name of the club you get to the clubs picture pot-pourri if you don’t want to scroll your way down)

Ateliér 57; (in Beroun), high class concerts once a month in an absolutely unique environment that you will not find anywhere else in the whole republic, and their own music festivals in the summertime, great and fast bus and train connections from Prague.
Bastion; a little special place for music served with an amazing view of Vyšehrad, music very randomly but worth a visit.
Jazz Dock; has the most versatile music offering in the capital, and also many international artists. And not to forget, in the summertime, Jazz on the Roof, an outdoor event happening every Saturday, is a really great and relaxed way to spend your afternoon, I highly recommend it!
U Malého Glena; a classical jazz club in the basement like in the old day’s. Probably the smallest club in town, high class artists, and a great atmosphere.
U Staré paní; also a classical underground jazz club with an interior from days gone, has a great variety of artists combined with a great atmosphere.

Bits and pieces; Like you can deduce from the name, pictures from here and there in the world of Czech music. 🙂

These are all places worth visiting if you want to have yourself a night out on the town. These places hold a high standard in their repertoire and very moderate ticket prices, especially if you stick to the domestic menu. They are also places favoured by the local inhabitants as the musicians!
There are of course many more places to go for good music, and not to forget the yearly outdoor festivals, and, and, and… But as a short guidance this will give you a good start.
And all this looks more than good for 2025 to come… 🙂