photo: Juraj Griglák
"MODERN times require a modern concept," says bass and double-bass player Juraj Griglák. He is proving true to his word with his Bassfriends project, which follows an innovative method of performance different from the usual jazz practice of one soloist improvising after another.
Having carried a bunch of bass grooves in his head over the years, Griglák fished them out and set them down as the basis for his band's compositions.
Melody, harmony and arrangements were created on top of the pounding bass rhythms that formed the heart of the compositions.
Griglák's inventive approach has been highly praised by the prestigious American magazine Bass Player. The song Codfish, a track taken from the Bass Friends CD, appeared on the CD Sampler Station, issued by the US magazine Bassics as a recommended novelty, along with compositions from bass luminaries such as Marcus Miller and Ray Brown.
Bassfriends will perform at Bratislava's Summer of Culture Festival within the Jazz Under the Tower series in the Old Town Hall's courtyard. The highly inventive and improvisational team of guitarist Matúš Jakabčic, violinist Stanislav Palúch, keyboardist Juraj Tatár and drummer Peter Solárik accompany Griglák's bass sound.
This week of the festival will also bring the critically acclaimed West Virginia Alumni Windband of 40 musicians who studied at the US university to the Main Square. The programme will feature sax and piano professors.
Prepared by Spectator staff
