Kratochvil, Ackerman, Zangi - Jazz Concert

The trio of Martin Kratochvil, Tony Ackerman and Imram Musa Zangi has been a staple of the Prague jazz scene for over 25 years. Their unique sound combines elements of their three native countries (Czech Republic, USA, Iran) with the raw energy of jazz improvisation and the easy familiarity of a half a lifetime of playing together.

Kratochvil was the first musician to bring jazz/rock in Eastern Europe in the early 1970’s, and his jazz/rock group “Jazz Q Praha” still draws big crowds today. He was also the first Czech to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He now divides his time between live music, trekking in the Himalayas, and making films of his adventurous journeys.

Tony Ackerman learned all the current folk and blues styles as a teenager in the Boston area, and honed his guitar skills with several years of classical study. His custom made 7-string guitar provides a rounded, natural sound to complement the grand piano and ethnic percussion.

Imram Musa Zangi plays on a very personal set of congas, bongos, and a whole battery of small percussion instruments to lend not only rhythmic intricacy, but also a great range of ethnic colors, to the group.

The trio who has issued eight CDs and has played at New York’s famous jazz club Village Gate, and at various festivals and concerts in Germany, Austria, Finland, Israel, and elsewhere, comes to Axiothea to present a selection of compositions that go from sweet, melodic openings to highly charged, rhythmically intricate free passages. An eclectic music, which having drawn on so many folk and world music roots as well as jazz, has a way of speaking to people of all ages and musical tastes.

Martin Kratochvil: piano
Tony Ackerman: 7-string guitar
Imram Musa Zangi: percussions

The concert has been organised in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic to Cyprus.