Rudy Linka (born 29 May 1960) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

guitarist from the Czech Republic. From 1975–1979, he studied classical guitar as a teenager at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...

and learned jazz through his mentor,

Karel Velebný Karel Velebný (17 March 1931 – 7 March 1989, Prague) was a Czech jazz musician, composer, arranger, actor, writer and music pedagogue. Velebný was one of the founders of modern Czech jazz in the second half of the 20th century. Biography At ...

. After travelling to Germany in 1980, he defected to the West in Sweden. In the first half of the 1980s, he studied composition and classical guitar at the Stockholm Music Institute. While in Sweden he began his collaboration with American double bassist Red Mitchell. In 1985 he moved to Boston and attended the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. The following year he moved to New York City, where he studied at

the New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

for Jazz and Contemporary Music with John Abercrombie,

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received ...

, and

Arnie Lawrence Arnold Lawrence Finkelstein (July 10, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York – April 22, 2005 in Jerusalem, Israel) was an American jazz saxophonist. Career Lawrence studied clarinet in his youth before switching to saxophone. He played from age 12 in clu ...

. He studied privately with guitarists Jim Hall and

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the ...

and before leading his own group. Linka has performed and recorded with

Jon Batiste Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, ...

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier be ...

Gil Goldstein Gil Goldstein (born November 6, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American jazz pianist and accordionist. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and he was nominated 8 time Biography He began studying accordion at age 5 after noticing it in The Lawrence We ...

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the ...

, Bob Mintzer, John Scofield, John Abercrombie,

Kenny Wollesen Kenny Wollesen (born 1966) is an American drummer and percussionist. Wollesen has recorded and toured with Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, John Lurie, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, and John Zorn. He is a foun ...

, and

Marvin "Smitty" Smith Marvin "Smitty" Smith (born June 24, 1961) is an American jazz drummer and composer. Marvin Smith was born in Waukegan, Illinois, where his father, Marvin Sr., was a drummer. "Smitty" was exposed to music at a young age, receiving formal musica ...

on labels such as Timeless,

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

, and

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

. In 1998 he was voted one of the ten best guitarists by the readers of ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine Linka is the founder and artistic director of the

Bohemia Jazz Fest Bohemia Jazz Fest is an annual jazz festival in the Czech Republic. It was started in 2005 by Czech-born jazz guitarist Rudy Linka. The festival travels to different historic squares in cities throughout the country during the month of July, begi ...

which takes place every July in the Czech Republic.

Discography

* ''Rudy Linka Quartet'' (1991) * ''News from Home'', (1992) * ''Mostly Standards'', (1993) * ''Live It Up'', (1994) * ''Czech It Out'', (1995) * ''Always Double Czech'', (1997) * ''Emotions In Motion'', (1999) * ''Just Between Us'', (2000) * ''Every Moment'', (2001) * ''Simple Pleasures'', (2002) * ''Trip'', (2005) * ''Lucky Southern'', (2006) * ''Jazz Collection'' * ''Beyond the New York City Limits'', (2006) * ''Songs'', (2008) (with

and

) * ''Re:Connect'' (2013) (with Kenny Wollesen, Larry Grenadier, and Jon Batiste) * ''Acoustic & Electric'' (2015)

References

External links

* Czech guitarists Male guitarists 1960 births Living people Musicians from Prague Czech jazz musicians Czech exiles Czech musicians {{jazz-guitarist-stub