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Saxophone player, composer and teacher, Prague, Czech Republic


 

Biography

 

1959     August 9th, born in Prague Czech republic

 1972    started to study clarinet

 1979    studied tenorsaxophone and theory of jazz improvisation

               with famous jazz vibeplayer and teacher Karel Velebný 

               in Prague Jazz Conservatory

 1980    started to work with professional jazz groups and big bands

 1981    drafted into Army Art Ensemble for two years

 1983    together with other young jazz musicians found a group Naima,

               which was later three times voted as the best jazz group (1987-89)

               also joined Emil Viklicky Quartet - the leading jazz group 

 1984    worked in United States of America on cruising ship

 1985-8 recorded with Joe Newman and Lou Blackburn

               toured all around Europe with Naima and E. Viklicky Quartet                                        

               worked as a studio musician and played various styles of music

 1993-5 taught jazz improvisation and interpretation on Conservatory of Jaroslav  Ježek in Prague

 1995    found own group, which concentrate on original compositions

               influenced by different styles of contemporary music, not only by jazz

 1996    started to work in comitee of Czech Jazz Society, which is

               trying to help jazz movement in the country (education, informatins,

               competitions); 

 1998    voted as a prezident of Czech Jazz Society              

              composed different kinds music (jazz, film and TV music,etc)

 1999   working with his own quartet, recorded a lot of studio sessions

              ( with EBU Big Band in Canada, with F. Wesley )

 2000   recorded a CD Twinkle with František Kop Quartet 

2016 - ? teaching on Conservatory of J. Jezek in Prague

Bands

1985 - 1992 Naima

1983 - 1984 Peter Lipa & Luboš Andršt Blues Band

1987 - 1989 Emil Viklický Quartet

1986 - 1988 Gera Band

1984 - 1986 Milan Svoboda Big Band

1990 - 1994 Vlasta Průchová

1994 - ?         František Kop Quartet 

1994 - 1996 Binder - Konrád Blues Band

1995 - 2008 Hana Hegerová (skupina Petra Maláska)

1998 - 1999 Sexydancers

1998 - ?        J.A.R.

2004 - ?         Lucie Bílá (skupina Petra Maláska) 

2007 - 2018 Marta Kubišová (skupina Petra Maláska)

Naima - Zdeněk Zdeněk, Martin Šulc, Jaromír Honzák a František Kop

Emil Viklický Quartet - František Uhlíř, Emil Viklický, František Kopa Cyril Zeleňák

Selected Discography

 

1985 Naima (Panton)

1987 Emil Viklický Quartet - Homage To Joan Miró (Supraphon)

1987 Joe Newman - Midgets (Panton)

1987 Luboš Andršt - Plus - Minus Blues (Panton)

1989 Emil Viklický - Za horama, za lesama (Supraphon)

1989 Naima II (Panton)

1990 Naima Live - Session ’90 (Arta Records)

1991 Veleband - Tribute to Karel Velebný (Arta Records)

1991 Vlasta Průchová - Tonight (Arta Records)

1995 Veleband - Hic Sunt Leones (Arta Records)

1992 Naima - Different Colours (Arta Records) 

1994 Dežo Ursiny - Príbeh (BMG)

1995 Binder Konrád Blues Band (Gallup)

1995 Kop, Krampl, Uhlíř & Zbořil - On Cloud IX (Melantrich)

1996 Veleband - Jazzové nebajky… Po letech (Arta Records)

1998 EBU Jazz Orchestra - 100 Years of Duke Ellington (Just In Time Rec.)

1998 Sexydancers - Butchers On The Road (Bonton)

1999 J.A.R. - Homo Fonkianz (Sony Music/Bonton/Columbia)

2000 František Kop Quartet - Twinkle (Arta Records)

2000 Monkey Business - Why Be In When You Could Be Out (Columbia)

2002 J.A.R. - Nervák (Sony Music/Bonton/Columbia)

2003 Monkey Business - Resistance is Futile (Columbia)

2004 Lucie Bílá - Koncert (Supraphon)

2006 J.A.R. - Armáda špásu (Sony BMG/Columbia)

2007 František Kop Quartet - Live (Multisonic)

2010 Hana Hegerová - Mlýnské kolo v srdci mém (Supraphon)

2011 J.A.R. - Dlouhohrající děcka (Sony BMG/Columbia)

2016 Marta Kubišová - Soul (Supraphon)

2016 Michal Kocáb - Abstract (Monitor)

2017 J.A.R. - Eskalace dobra (Warner Music Group)

2021 František Kop Quartet - News of the Past ( Amplion Records)

2022 František Kop - Chillies (Amplion Records)
 

František Kop Quartet - Bady Zbořil, FK, Petr Malásek a Martin Lehký

František Kop Quartet

The František Kop Quartet was founded in 1995 and made its debut at a concert during the Prague Spring Festival. Over the years, it has seen a number of leading Czech jazz musicians come and go (such as Jaromír Honzák, Peter Binder, Jan Knop, Martin Šulc, Robert Balzar, Imran Zangi). 

The ensemble's repertoire is based on compositions by František Kop, which encompass a wide stylistic range rooted in contemporary modern jazz.Currently, the quartet possesses exceptional playing and compositional potential, with another composing interpreter, pianist Petr Malásek, contributing significantly to its high level and stability. Bassist Martin Lehký and drummer Pavel "Bady" Zbořil, with their technical prowess and musicality, contribute to creating an atmosphere of balanced partnership within the quartet. All the soloists also exhibit an analytical perspective, which allows them to rationally assess and potentially adjust both spontaneous creativity and more extensive compositional plans. The František Kop Quartet has undertaken numerous international tours, for example to Sweden, Greece, China, the Federal Republic of Germany, Jordan, and France. 

 

Recordings:

2000 František Kop Quartet - Twinkle (Arta Records)

2007 František Kop Quartet - Live (Multisonic)

2021 František Kop Quartet - News of the Past ( Amplion Records)

František Kop

After the usual training at the Elementary Art School (LŠU), he studied under Karel Velebný at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. From the early 1980s, he collaborated with leading jazz ensembles. During his basic military service in the Army Art Ensemble, he co-founded the group Zelený kvartet, which later, under the name Naima, won the award for the best domestic jazz band of the year three times in a row from 1987 to 1989. He gained further professional experience in Emil Viklický's quartet, playing with American soloists like Joe Newman and Lou Blackburn. He was also involved in commercial engagements with Leon Slezák's orchestra, accompanied Hana Hegerová, played in the Binder-Konrád Blues Band, was part of the contemporary music group Agon, and engaged in his pedagogical work, among other activities. In 1995, he founded the František Kop Quartet, which debuted in the Prague Spring festival program that same year and released the highly acclaimed album "Twinkle" in 2000.

From 1997 until the present, he has been part of the funk-rap ensemble JAR. He is a member of Petr Malásek's group, with which he accompanies pop singer Lucie Bílá. After a brief period in the jazz department of the Academy of Performing Arts, he began teaching at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory in 2016, focusing on saxophone playing and jazz improvisation.

 

 

Petr Malásek

A significant Czech composer and pianist who has composed music for nearly two hundred films, TV series, theatrical plays, and productions. His repertoire is extensive. Although his heart seems to lean most towards jazz, he also excels in classical, popular, film, and stage music.

Petr Malásek started playing the piano at the age of four. After completing elementary school and conservatory, he studied at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (composition under Jiří Pauer and Václav Riedelbauch from 1985 to 1990).. 

His roots extend into a renowned musical family. Besides his beautiful film music, he gained fame by accompanying famous figures in Czech pop music, including Hana Hegerová, Marta Kubišová, and Lucie Bílá. As a pianist, he has been a member of the František Kop Quartet, a jazz ensemble composed of leading Czech jazz personalities, for twelve years. He contributes both as a performer and composer to their work.

 

 

 

Martin Lehký

He studied at the conservatory in Prague, focusing on bass guitar at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. He collaborated with numerous domestic and foreign jazz performers. Currently, he also teaches at KJJ and is a member of the group that accompanies Lucie Bílá and Marta Kubišová.

 

 

Pavel "Bady" Zbořil

 

In 1985, he completed his studies in percussion at the conservatory in Plzeň. He is a sought-after player and studio musician. He has collaborated with artists like Jiří Mráz, Benny Golson, Hank Jones, and Roy Hargrove. He has been a long-standing member of the JAR group and performs in the backing bands of Lucie Bílá and Marta Kubišová. Since 2000, when the František Kop Quartet recorded the album "Twinkle" for Arta Records, he has been part of a stable lineup alongside pianist Petr Malásek and bassist Martin Lehký. The ensemble emphasizes original composition, crafted by František Kop and Petr Malásek. In 2021, the František Kop Quartet released the album "News Of The Past" (Amplion Records), showcasing the band's contemporary musical style, oscillating between structured composition and jazz improvisation.

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