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A romp in the park

At Stromovka, cool sounds for a hot summer
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By Tony Ozuna
For The Prague Post
July 25th, 2007 issue

Photo by Gary Wallis
A tip of the bowler from saxophonist Courtney Pine, who brings his hard-blowing jazz crusade to town.
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Music in the Park

When: July 27 and 28
Where: Stromovka Park
Tickets: 750 Kč for both days, available until July 26 through Ticketpro; 650 Kč for one day, 850 Kč for both days at the venue
For a complete schedule, check www.
innervisions.cz

In just its second year, Music in the Park has established itself as a perfect reason to stay in Prague for the weekend. This year’s lineup features a strong balance of local and international acts playing blues, rock, jazz, country, soul, rhythm and blues and more.
The main attraction is Saturday’s headliner, Lauryn Hill, originally of the mid-’90s band The Fugees, who became a star after the release of her critically acclaimed 1998 solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She will be performing solo, so expect a performance that is raw, passionate and as personal as her MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 recording from 2002.
Blood, Sweat & Tears, one of the biggest North American pop acts of the late ’60s and ’70s, is the other main attraction Saturday. The group rode the charts with an upbeat blend of blues, rock, pop and jazz, sometimes with a Latin tinge. The current lineup does not include David Clayton Thomas, the signature vocalist on some of BS&T’s most popular songs such as “God Bless the Child” and “Spinning Wheel.” Nowadays the group is led by Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, though its repertoire still includes most of the big hits. BS&T has been revived on a number of excellent club remixes recently, so this shouldn’t be a performance just for old fogies and hippie throwbacks.
Friday’s headliners aren’t such international stars, though they are heavy enough. Bringing his unique brand of New Orleans–style rhythm and blues, pianist and singer Dr. John should be one of the biggest crowd-pleasers. Though he represents positively warped pop blues of the psychedelic era, Dr. John is a perfect complement to Friday’s other headliner, Courtney Pine.
Playing both tenor and baritone saxophone, Pine has been a jazz crusader for a new generation of jazz fans in the United Kingdom, and even around Europe, hosting a popular radio show on BBC 2 called “Jazz Crusade.” At its best, his music is a merging of hard-blowing free jazz (most influenced by John Coltrane) with London underground club music, primarily drum ’n’ bass. His more accessible songs merge jazz with world music, pop, reggae, funk and that groovy soul most championed by the British mods. Pine’s singular sound grooves, struts and blares high above most jazz outfits, and Prague is very lucky to have him on this bill.
Other international acts include two American bluesmen of a new breed: Popa Chubby from New York City, who plays contemporary blues mixed with hip-hop, soul, rock and funk grooves, and Otis Mark Taylor from Denver, Colorado, who plays a stricter and leaner northern blues that has won him much critical acclaim in recent years.
For country and bluegrass music lovers — a sizable group in the Czech Republic — the 11-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder should be a special treat.
The acts on the bill from Slovakia and the Czech Republic include Jana Kirschner, a former Slovak beauty queen, Czech rebel-rocker Lenka Dusilová, Dan Bárta & Illustratosphere and the Prague-based Yellow Sisters, a four-woman a capella force that has emerged as one of best new acts on the Czech scene.
Along with the wide range of music on several stages, there will be a tent for film screenings (courtesy of MOFFOM, the Music on Film/Film on Music folks), an “ecological area” for children, horse rides, roller-skate rentals and an informal jam-session stage where visitors can play with some of the participating musicians in the festival.
Weather-wise, this has been a good summer to escape from the heat and heart of the city. But in the shade of Stromovka Park, it should be easy to forget that you’re in Prague and relax to some fresh, cool sounds.

Tony Ozuna can be reached at features@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (25/07/2007):

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