Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International
Jazz pianist and composer Emil Viklický, who has just turned 75, has led his own groups as well working with some major domestic and international names in the genre: Ema Olmerová, Iva Bittová, Bill Frisell, Miroslav Vitouš and many more. He even did a project with Václav Havel. Viklický, originally a maths graduate, is known for his connection to folk music and has also worked in the modern classical field and composed operas and film and TV scores. The Czech jazz great spoke about his colourful career on a visit to our studios.
I presume pretty much all jazz pianists must begin as children doing classical piano? Was that your case?
“In a way, yeah, because there was a piano at home – a grand piano. So I was banging on it.”
See the rest here.
Author: Ian Willoughby