Emil Viklicky, Miroslav Bukovsky, John Russell Mackey
Biography Emil Viklicky, Miroslav Bukovsky, John Russell Mackey
Emil Viklický
Emil started to play piano in quite early age. His grandfather Victor Wiklitzky had brought from Vienna concert grand piano “Hoffbauer” as a wedding gift for his musically gifted bride. Emil was born in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), where in 1971 he graduated from Palacky University with a degree in mathematics. While a student he devoted much time to playing jazz piano. In 1974, he was awarded the prize for best soloist at the Czechoslovak Amateur Jazz Festival, and that same year he joined Karel Velebny's SHQ ensemble. In 1976, he was a prizewinner at the jazz improvisation competition in Lyon, and his composition “Green Satin” (Zeleny saten) earned him first prize in the music conservatory competition in Monaco, where in 1985 his “Cacharel” won second prize in the same competition.
In 1977 Emil was awarded a 4 year's scholarship to study composition and arrangement with Herb Pomeroy at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He then continued his composition studies with Jarmo Sermila, George Crumb and Vaclav Kucera. Since his return to Prague he has been directing his own ensembles (primarily quartets and quintets), composing and arranging music and - since the death of Karel Velebny - working as director of the Summer Jazz Workshops in Frydlant. He has also lectured at a similar workshop event in Glamorgan, Wales. Between 1991 and 1995 Viklicky was President of the Czech Jazz Society, and since 1994 he has worked with the Ad lib Moravia ensemble, whose performances combine elements of Moravian folk music, modern jazz and contemporary serious music. In 1996 the ALM ensemble undertook a highly successful concert tour of Mexico and the United States.
As a pianist, Emil often performs in international ensembles alongside musicians from the U.S. and other European countries. Back in 1983-89 Emil worked with the Lou Blackburn International Quartet, the Benny Bailey Quintet, and American multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson. He has made frequent appearances in Finland (with the Finnczech Quartet and in particular with Jarmo Sermila) and Norway (with the Czech-Norwegian Big Band and Harald Gundhus) and has performed in the USA, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (at the North Sea Festival) and elsewhere. The editor of Rolling Stone Jan Wenner wrote of Emil that “It was a delightful surprise to see such first-class, top-of-the-line jazz in Prague.”
Emil has become noted for his unique synthesis of the melodicism and tonalities of Moravian folk song with modern jazz. As English critic Euan Dixon wrote in 2005 “Emil Viklicky is one of those European jazz pianists who successfully incorporated elements of his indigenous folk culture into jazz”.
As composer Viklicky has attracted attention abroad primarily for having created a synthesis of the expressive elements of modern jazz with the melodicism and tonalities of Moravian folk song that is distinctly individual in contemporary jazz. Besides this, however, he also composes 'straight-ahead' modern jazz as well as chamber and orchestral works that utilize certain elements of the New Music, and at times his music requires a combination of classical and jazz performers.
Emil also composes incidental and film music and has produced scores for several full-length feature films and television series. Throughout the 1990s he has devoted an increasing amount of time to the composition of contemporary classical music for a great variety of instrumental combinations ranging from small chamber ensembles and electronic instruments to symphony orchestras and choruses. Viklicky's work has gained him quite a number of prestigious awards. These include second prize in the 1985 Monaco jazz composition competition (for "Cacharel"), the 1991 Film and Television Association prize for music for animated films, second prize at the 1994 Marimolin contemporary music competition in Boston (for "Tristana"), a 1996 Prague award for electroacoustic music (for "Paradise Park"), a 1996 Czech Music Fund prize for use of folk music in art music, and first prize in a 2000 international OPERA composition competition in Prague (for the opera Phaedra). In 2009 Emil recorded CD “Sinfonietta – Janáček of Jazz”, for VENUS Records, Japan,with George Mraz – bass, Lewis Nash – drums. Another cd for VENUS followed in 2011: “Kafka on the Shore”. This cd got Nissan prize for "The best sound CD in Japan". In 2011 Emil received “Medal of Merrit” from Czech president Vaclav Klaus for lifelong music achievements.
Miroslav Bukovsky
born in Czechoslovakia, Miroslav graduated with Honours (Absolutorium) from Leos Janacek State Conservatorium in Ostrava. Arriving in Australia in 1968 as a refugee after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Miroslav has had a long and established career as one of Australia's leading jazz trumpeters, composers and educators. He was one of founding teachers of the first Jazz course in Australia at the Sydney Conservatorium in 1975.
Miroslav furthered his studies in the USA in 1981-82 in New York, LA and Indiana University, including private studies with William Adam, Dave Baker, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker and Bobby Shew. He has performed and recorded with a variety of groups and orchestras, including Marcia Hines, Ginger Rodgers, Debbie Renolds, Bob Bertles, "Moontrane", the Bruce Cale Orchestra, Sydney Conservatorium Orchestra, KMA Orchestra, the Freeboppers, Renee Geyer, Daly-Wilson Big Band, Monica and the Moochers, Eurogliders, Australian Crawl, Jimmy Barnes, Jump Back Jack, Carl Orr, the Mighty Reapers, Ernie Watts, the Australian Art Orchestra and more recently with John Riley and Benny Maupin. His ARIA winning band Wanderlust performed extensively at many major European and Asian festivals since 1995. He toured major festivals with TPI in Asia and USA.
Miroslav was instrumental in forming Ten Part Invention with John Pochee and Roger Frampton in 1986 and is still active as a composer and a player in this band. He formed Wanderlust in 1991. In 1999 he joined the Jazz faculty at ANU School of Music where he has taught trumpet, composition, arranging, and improvisation.
John Mackey
received a classical scholarship on saxophone at age 12 to attend the top music school in Perth W.A., Churchlands Senior High School. Upon a highly successful graduation from the music school in 1987 John attended Edith Cowan University in Perth to study and obtain a BMus in Jazz in 1990.
John specialises in advanced improvisation techniques and efficient practice techniques focusing on time management issues that face every student, motivational tools, including setting and achieving realistic goals and the power of positive reinforcement from the lecturers view point. This in turn helps the student realise their full potential without unnecessary mind barriers stemming natural growth as a musician as well as a person. John believes in setting project based work from an early stage so as to prepare the student in advance for later years, when academic expectations are greater. This has produced enhanced results due to extra focus on their craft.
John has been performing professionally since the age of 14, nationally and internationally. He has appeared on many national television shows including Hey Hey Its Saturday as well as the Sunday program.
John resided in Sweden for three years 1991 - 1994 and used this a base to travel and perform extensively throughout Scandinavia, Europe and the U.S.A. John conducted several masterclasses in Sweden and Houston Texas. John has performed with many Jazz legends including BB King, Ray Charles, Johnny Griffin, Lee Konitz, Jim McNeely, Kenny Werner, Al Cohn, Mike Nock, Nat Adderley, Roy Hargrove, George Shearing and many more.
John resided in Sydney Australia upon his return from overseas in 1994 until 1999. He moved to Canberra in mid 1999 and still performs regularly in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
