Albis Jazz Band,
Ústí nad Labem
Czech Republic

The group came into existence in 1975, initially as a band playing traditional jazz, better known as Dixieland. Its original line-up even included a banjo player at that time but no piano. As early as the following year, the ensemble took the stage at the cultural institute of the Czechoslovak embassy in Berlin, and - for the next two years - participated in numerous festivals, shows and relevant events.

From 1987 certain members of the ensemble were gradually replaced. A complete rhythm section was added and the brass was supplemented with an unusual line-up consisting of a trumpet, a clarinet and two trombones. This set-up influenced the band's sound, lending to it a very interesting timbre, and enabling it to produce varied harmonies of which the ensemble's arranger and group founder, Karel Matějka, has always taken full advantage.

 In the course of the band's existence, a vast number of players have been alternated, but the essential line-up of each section, thanks especially to consistent leadership by Karel Matějka, has remained constant, as has the band's image and its continuously high performance standard.

At present, the group plays in a new formation, namely with a bass trumpet, a melophone, and a tenor saxophone, which allows additional harmonic variations. The banjo has been replaced with a player using a gibson guitar, which, to some degree, better fits the contemporary swing conception.

The orchestra, under its current leader Václav Novák, can be counted as the top class Swing and Dixieland ensemble in Northern Bohemia. The places and events which the band has visited up to now, in order to participate in various festivals and shows, are, for example: Carlsbad, Loket, Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Žilina, Pražské jazzové dny (Prague Jazz Days), Salón tradičního jazzu (Saloon of Traditional Jazz), etc. In the years 1994 - 1996, the group also undertook a number of tours abroad; and during these the musicians performed in numerous clubs and at events held, for instance, in Germany and Austria. The ensemble has recorded for radio and has even appeared on several different TV shows.

Albis Jazz Band - in recent times supported by the Albis Culture Centre - is one of the few founding groups of the renowned jazz club in Ústí nad Labem known as Painter's Corner where they have given benefit concerts together with many famous musicians, fabled not only in Europe but throughout the world. The group also assisted in organizing of domestic festival 'Dixieland na Labi' (Dixieland on Elbe) and regularly arranges meetings with its loyal and enthusiastic jazz audience, the so-called 'Jazz Pubs', where the band appears alongside more or less celebrated musicians. With respect to frequent introduction of new instrumentalists and vocalists, the ensemble is now preparing to update its repertoire. It has even ruminated about establishing an occasional Big Band, which would afford great performing opportunities to a wide range of outstanding jazz players from the Ústí region.

The Albis Jazz Band are:

Václav Novák (leader) - trumpet, bugle
Pavel Jeřábek - piano
Karel Matějka - trumpet, vocal
Vlastimil Jurčík - clarinet, tenor saxophone
Zdeněk Grosman - trombone
Jiří Kolouch - guitar, banjo, vocal
Jiří Hoření - bass guitar, vocal
Emil Vraspír - drums
Jana Havlová - vocal