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Libor Smoldas

Libor Šmoldas was born on February 17, 1982 in Olomouc, but has lived in Prague since his childhood. He devoted himself to music at an early age, starting with the recorder and trumpet, then beginning to play guitar when he was twelve. After initial forays into rock and blues he began to take an interest in jazz, mainly due to his fascination with the recordings of Charlie Parker. At sixteen he was already appearing in Prague jazz clubs with the blues band of American singer Phil Speat, as well as at Sunday jam sessions at U Malého Glena. He took guitar lessons from Josef Kůstka, Luboš Andršt, Zdeněk Fišer and Petr Zelenka. After finishing primary school he attended the Evropská High School of Music in Prague before being admitted to the jazz guitar department of the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory as a student of Jiř�- Šindler in 2001. Two years later he transferred into the Conservatory’s newly-opened Post-Secondary School, which is directed by Jarom�-r Honzák. There he studied under Petr Binder, Josef Štěpánek and David Dorůžka; after graduating he himself became a professor of guitar, ensemble performance and rhythm training.

In 2005 he went to Freiburg to audition for a scholarship to the prestigious American conservatory, the Berklee School of Music. Although he was awarded a scholarship, he decided to remain in Prague. That same year he played in Brazilian Mood, the band of Polish-Cuban singer Yvonne Sanchez, opening for Billy Cobham on a tour of Turkey and Cyprus. He performs regularly with organist Ondřej Pivec and his Organic Quartet at numerous European festivals, including Cheltenham, Sibiu, Kishinev, Prague Spring, Jazz Brno, Athens, Phillips Jazz Festival Prague (winning the Phillips Festival award in 2005) or Getxo Jazz Festival (winning the award of the audience). Together with the quartet, he recorded the albums Never Enough (2007) and Don’t Get Ideas (2006), the latter of which won the 2006 Anděl award for Best Czech Jazz Album and was widely praised in both the Czech and international press. (AllAboutJazz, Hammondbeat USA, Music Web International, Harmonie, Lidové noviny). With the Libor Šmoldas Trio he performs mostly his own music, although the ensemble also accompanied American trumpeter Bob Montgomery at his 2007 concert in Prague as well as British trumpet player Steve Fishwick. The trio was also chosen to perform at prestigious festival Young Prague in 2007. The first CD of this group "On The Playground" was released in august 2007. Since 2006 he has also been performing with his wife, singer Vendula Šmoldasová (Zeur�-tia), whose repertoire consists primarily of Brazilian bossa nova (CD Zeur�-tia, 2008, features top Polish musicians Lukasz Zita and Michal Tokaj). Currently Libor has been leading his own quartet with basist Josef Fečo, drummer Tomáš Hobzek and pianist Petr Beneš. However the quartet's repertoir consisting mostly of Libor's original music was recorded by another line-up in New York: Gerge Mraz, Jeff Ballard and Sam Yahel (CD "In New York On Time" 2010). Since 2010 is Libor a member of the blues band Groove, led by great organist Jan Koř�-nek.

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3
Album Review

Libor Smoldas Quartet & Bobby Watson: Intuition

Read "Intuition" reviewed by Edward Blanco


One of Europe's rising young jazz star is Prague-based guitarist/composer and educator Libor Smoldas who unveils his fifth album as leader with the highly accessible Intuition featuring an all-Czech Republic quartet with alto saxophonist great Bobby Watson appearing as guest. Recorded at the end of the group's Czech tour, the album is in a sense, a follow up to their 18 Days, 2000 Miles (New Port Line, 2012) project coming out of the band's U.S. tour in 2012. Blending a ...

2
Multiple Reviews

Libor Smoldas: Intuition and Dreamtime

Read "Libor Smoldas: Intuition and Dreamtime" reviewed by Chris Mosey


Libor Smoldas is one of the best jazz guitarists the Czech Republic has produced in recent years. He plays extremely fluent, straight ahead music in the Jim Hall tradition, with overtones of Kenny Burrell. He is more relaxed, less intense than his contemporary, David Doruzka, best known of the current crop of Czech jazz guitarists. Smoldas smiles a lot when he plays. On graduating from the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, unlike Doruzka, ...

161
Album Review

Libor Smoldas Quartet: Live At Jazz Dock

Read "Live At Jazz Dock" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Czech guitarist Libor Smoldas doesn't buy into the idea that music is simply meant to be a product for commerce. While Smoldas peddles some of his recorded wares like the rest of the performing musicians out there, his third album--Live At Jazz Dock--is actually free for the taking for anybody who wants to visit his website and download it. His self-admitted goal is “simply to get the music to the widest audience possible," and this would seem to be the ...

391
Album Review

Libor Smoldas: In New York On Time

Read "In New York On Time" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Guitarist Libor Šmoldas is a known entity within the Prague jazz scene, but In New York On Time should help him to significantly expand his fan base beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. While Šmoldas has largely worked with Czech musicians in a variety of groups, including his trio and quartet which focus on his music, the Organic Quartet and vocalist Zeurítia's Brazilian project, he used a recent visit to New York to record with some of the finest ...

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“One of the fastest-rising talents on the Prague jazz scene.” The Prague Post

“ From beginning to end, “In New York On Time” proves to be a masterful display of compositional creativity, group interplay, and musical integrity..... The excitement from the musicians is palpable. “

-All About Jazz, NYC

“ CD “In New York On Time” should help to significantly expand Libor Šmoldas' fan base beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. “

-All About Jazz

Primary Instrument

Guitar

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Intuition

New Port Line
2013

buy

Live At Jazz Dock

Animal Music
2011

buy

In New York On Time

Animal Music
2010

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Videos

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