Czech Jazz WorkShop Prague 2023

Student's comments:

Jaromír Honzák (CZ)

acoustic bass

Bassist and composer Jaromír Honzák was born in Litoměřice, Czech Republic in 1959. He began his musical studies on the piano at the age of six and on the double bass at age 14, and graduated from the Conservatory of Teplice in 1982. After completing two years of then-mandatory military service -- luckily spent in a prominent army band in Prague -- Jaromír quickly became a versatile and sought-after bassist, performing with virtually all of the major figures of the Czech jazz scene.

Jaromír co-founded the group Naima, which fast became one of the most significant Czech jazz groups of the 1980s. Throughout the years he has appeared with international artists such as Art Farmer, Phil Wilson, Don Friedman, Alan Praskin, Giovanni Basso, Amina Claudine Myers and Victor Lewis. He has performed at a number of international festivals including Sea Jazz Helsinki, Ingolstadter Jazztage, Leverkusener Jazztage, the Jazz Jamboree Warsaw, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

In 1989 Jaromír was awarded both Berklee and Fulbright scholarships to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he studied with Bruce Gertz, Hal Crook, John La Porta and Rick Peckham, and performed with fellow students Jorge Rossy, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roy Hargrove, Mark Turner and Chris Cheek.

Since returning to the Czech Republic in 1990, Jaromír has documented his work as a bandleader, bassist and composer in seven recordings: "Getting There Together" (1995, PJ Music); "Earth Life" (2000, Cube Metier); "Present Past" (2003, Indies); "A Question To All Your Answers" (2007, Animal Music); "Little Things" (2009, Animal Music); "Blood Sings" (2012, Animal Music) and "Uncertainty" (2014, Animal Music).

On his recordings Jaromír collaborates with a range of international artists, including Kuba Stankiewicz, Piotr Baron, Michal Tokaj, Lukasz Zyta, Christian Rover, Jorge Rossy, Chris Cheek, Sissel Vera Pettersen, Jon Falt, Antonin-Tri Hoang, David Dorůžka, Vít Křišťan and others.

Jaromír’s recordings and compositions have been awarded numerous prizes both in the Czech Republic and abroad. His CD's "Uncertainty", "Little  Things", "A Question To All Your Answers" and "Present Past" were each awarded the "Angel" prize for the best Czech jazz recording of the year. In 2009, album "A Question To All Your Answers" won 3rd place at Instrumental Jazz Album category of the Just Plain Folks Award.

His tune "Constant Struggle" is featured in the European Realbook (Sher Music).

Presently, Jaromír leads his own quartet / quintet and a group called Face of the Bass. He is a member of the Eben Brothers band and Iva Bittová's group Čikori. He colaborates with many jazz artists in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Jaromír leads the jazz department at the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU), where he is active as a teacher of bass and improvisation.

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