NAJPONK - WHAT'S NEXT (2018)

1. Some Groove for the King (Najponk)

2. Funkallero (Bill Evans)

3. Good Morning Heartache (Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake & Dan Fischer)

4. Blues for Gene (Milt Jackson)

5. Swingin' the Blues (Count Basie & Eddie Durham)

6. Butterfly / trio version (Danyel Gerard)

7. You've Changed (Carl Fischer & Bill Carey)

8. Return Engagement (Horace Parlan)

9. Lotus Blossom (Billy Strayhorn)

10. Lester Leaps In (Lester Young)

11. Ma He's Making Eyes At Me (Con Conrad & Sidney Clare)

12. Butterfly / solo version (Danyel Gerard)

Najponk - piano

Hans Backenroth - acoustic bass (all except 9 and 12), Jiří Slavíček - drums, Barney Kantor - guitar (4, 5, 10)

An exquisite pianist and musician, Najponk is one of the pioneers of mainstream jazz on the Czech music scene. From the bottomless resources of mainstream jazz repertoire he has been picking gems for his own albums. But although his repertoire mainly consists of the so-called “standard” pieces, his recordings are informed by unusual inventiveness and his acute sense of style and rhythm. For each of the albums, Najponk usually invites different collaborators; “What’s Next” has been recorded together with the famous Swedish double bassist Hans Backenroth and Czech drummer Jiří Slavíček.

Klavírista Najponk patří v Čechách k průkopníkům mainstreamového jazzu, z jehož bezedného katalogu vybírá čas od času perly pro svá alba. Jakkoli jeho repertoár tvoří především tzv. standardy, vynikají jeho nahrávky nebývale invenční hrou, dokonalým smyslem pro styl a rytmus. Pro každé album si Najponk zpravidla vybere jiné spoluhráče, nové album „What´s Next“ tentokrát nahrával se slavným švédským kontrabasistou Hansem Backenrothem a bubeníkem Jiřím Slavíčkem.

(Animal Music 2018)