Double bassist František Uhlíř celebrated his life’s jubilee last year. It was a great occasion to release his record called Story of my life. Of course, the global pandemic thwarted an on-stage celebration of his jubilee. But this fall it can finally happen! A unique septet, with no shortage of foreign guest players, will retell Uhlíř’s story through his own compositions.
František Uhlíř belongs to a generation of players known as the “Czech Bass School”. He was born into a family of musicians as the grandson of a bandleader and the son of a musician, music teacher, composer and bandleader of a jazz big band. He studied piano and played organ in Vladimir Volf’s big beat rock n roll band as a 13-year-old. While studying at the State Conservatory in Brno, he played in the orchestra of Janáček’s opera, the Brno Philharmonic and his father’s jazz quartet.
During his military service in the AUS Symphony Orchestra, he was a co-founder of the jazz quartet (E. Viklický, F. Uhlíř, J. Dušek, J. Růžička) which won the “European extraordinaire” award two years later at the International Jazz Festival in Přerov. Uhlíř himself received the award for the best solo performance. A year later, he became a member of the new SHQ of Karel Velebný and he played mostly in a chamber trio without percussion. By this time, he had totally mastered the double bass and started to compose. His artistic career is astonishing, as he collaborated with prominent Czechoslovak jazz groups and musicians such as Emil Viklický Quartet, Laco Deczi Cellula International, Jiří Stivín Quartet, Karel Růžička, Jana Koubková, Zuzana Lapčíková and Peter Lipa.
A celebration of the jubilee of one of the most important Czech double bass players and who was able to build on his successful Czechoslovak career in Swiss exile. On a unique evening, he will be congratulated by saxophonist Scott Hamilton and singer Jan Smigmator, among others.
Vincenc Kummer graduated as a double bass player from the Brno Conservatory and, as a student, played in many jazz ensembles, including Gustav Brom’s Orchestra. Soon after graduating he moved to Prague and performed with Laco Deczi, Karel Velebný, Jan Hammer, Jiří Stivín, Eva Olmer, Vlasta Průchová, Karel Růžička as well as Emil Viklický. He was a member of the orchestras of Karel Vlach, Ferdinand Havlík and Václav Hybš and accompanied Karel Gott for ten years in the Orchestra of Ladislav Štaidl. Since 1981, Vincent Kummer had been living in Switzerland for 25 years, where he could collaborate on stage with many international jazz legends such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Slide Hampton, Scott Hamilton, Nat Adderley, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and dozens of others. After returning to his hometown, Brno, he is still an active musician and the member of the local jazz scene and has never stopped composing and arranging.
As one of Kummer’s congratulators, saxophonist Scott Hamilton, came to New York as a 22-year-old and did not succumb to the influence of the contemporary idols, Coltrane and Shorter. On the contrary, he continued to cultivate a swing way of playing and accordingly chose his bandmates. Warren Vache and Ruby Braff played the cornet with him, he did “a battle” with tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips, accompanied singer Rosemary Clooney and was a member of similarly traditional all-star bands. He also played with Sinatra and Bennett.
Jazz and swing singer Jan Smigmator, a part of the 21st century music scene with a nobility of his own, embodies the legacy of swing kings such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Mel Tormé, Karel Hála and the exceptional Tony Bennett.
Vincenc Kummer is not a musician who stays in his generational bubble and is currently working with a generation of younger musicians. He acts as a repository of highly-valued experience for them and they act as another source of inspiration for him. Quite a functioning musical chemistry. Judge for yourself.
