Jaroslav Jakubovič (born 1948) is a Czech-born Israeli

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

, composer and record producer.

Biography

Born in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, Jakubovič emigrated to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, via

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 1968, as a result of the

Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The ...

. He then enrolled at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

, where he studied composition and arranging. He then married and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he was signed by the prestigious label

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Jakubovič was particularly active as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

in New York in the 1970s and worked with such prominent musicians as

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

and

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

. He returned briefly to the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

in 1998, at the invitation of President Havel, but returned properly only in 2009 to play at the Usti International Jazz and Blues Festival. In 1985, he recorded the instrumental album '' Waiting For Messiah'' featuring jazz adaptations of the songs of

Shalom Hanoch Shalom Hanoch (; born September 1, 1946) is an Israeli rock singer, lyricist and composer. He is considered one of the founders of Israeli rock and modern Israeli music in more generally, both of which have been profoundly influenced by his w ...

. The album was re-issued in 2009. In 2000 he moved back to New York and established a jazz-folk ensemble playing original compositions and covers of well-known songs. His 2009 album ''Coincidence'' was recorded with such well-known jazz musicians as

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was ...

and

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk (Connecticut), Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. Aft ...

. In 2010, Jakubovič appeared at the Red Sea Jazz Festival alongside his son Daniel on guitar. In February 2015, Jakubovič performed the world premier of ''Sara and Avraham'', his concerto for saxophone, piano and symphony orchestra, with the

Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...

at the Smetana Hall in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. The programme for the concert, which was held under the auspices of Gary Koren, Ambassador of Israel in the Czech Republic, also included Jakubovič's variations on ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...

'' by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

, and featured Czech pianist Emil Viklický and conductor Elli Jaffe.

Reception

Reviewing the 2009 album ''Coincidence'' for ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (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 that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' magazine, Shaun Brady said:

The music that Jakubovic has penned for the album also maintains a pop accessibility throughout, with strong grooves and vivid melodies that almost cry out for lyrics to sing along with. (Though the two cuts that do feature vocals are both digressions—" "New York Blues" is just that, a straightforward blues belted by Broadway vet Ula Hedwig, and "Gaudeamus Igitur" is a curious swingvocal arrangement of the old Latin graduation song, too precious by far.) Sixties soul-jazz is the well from which Jakubovic draws his strongest inspiration, the most obvious touchstone being
Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...
’s Zawinul-era output. The
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
-tinged pining of " Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is evoked several times, most notably on the wistful "Good Ol’ Days," which spotlights the fluttery suppleness of the leader’s bari playing. "Say What?" is a fairly conscious echo of " Compared to What" while "Bouncing Czech Dobry" is a
Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s and a cornerstone of the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label, Morgan came to prominence in his la ...
-style burner.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*1978: ''Checkin' In'' – with

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer. His compositions include " Where Is the Love", a Grammy Award winner for the due ...

Hugh McCracken Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally ...

, Buddy Williams, Pat Rebillot, and Jon Faddis, among others (Columbia) *1979: ''Blast'' – Blast with

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951) is an American guitarist and composer. His music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention as part of the band of Miles Davis; he ...

and Ula Hedwig (Columbia JC 36012) *1997: ''Sax'' (''Israeli Love Without Words'') (SISU Home Entertainment), reissued 2007 *1998: ''Sax 2'' (''Israeli Love Without Words''), reissued 2008 *2009: ''Coincidence'' – with

, Phil Markowitz,

George Mraz George Mraz (born Jiří Mráz; 9 September 1944 – 16 September 2021) was a Czech-born American jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and worked with Pepper Adams, Stan Getz, Michel Petrucciani, Stepha ...

, Tom "Bones" Malone and Ula Hedwig (VMM Records: VMM02) *2010: ''Skylight: Extreme World Fusion'' (VMM Records: VMM04) (all songs written and arranged by Jaroslav Jakubovic)

As sideman

*1974: ''Bill Watrous – Manhattan Wildlife Refuge'' –

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 alb ...

(Columbia KC 33090) *1975: ''Bill Watrous and the Manhattan Wildlife Refuge'' – (Columbia PC 33701) *1976: ''Majesty Music'' – Miroslav Vitouš (Artista) *1977: ''Herbie Mann & Fire Island'' –

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

& Fire Island (Atlantic SD 19112)Atlantic Records Discography: 1977
Jazzdisco. Retrieved 24 July 2013 *1978: '' Boys in the Trees'' –

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

(Elektra 6E-128) *1978: '' Live at Montreux'' – The Atlantic Family (Atlantic SD 2–3000) *2005: ''Losing Time'' – Daniel J *2012: ''Live At Last'' –

(Friday Music FRM-29000)

Compilations

*2003: ''Muzicã De Relaxare 3'' (with Francisco Garcia (guitar) and Stefan Nicolai (panpipes): Albert Hit Factory – 0010308–4, cassette, Romania)

References

External links

Jaroslav Jakubovič
at AllMusic.com
Jaroslav Jakubovič
at IMDb.com * , in concert at the Prague Presidential Palace, at the invitation of the

President of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic, constitutionally defined as the President of the Republic (), is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The presidency has largely bee ...

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...

* , in concert at the Prague Presidential Palace, at the invitation of the President of the Czech Republic * : music: Jaroslav Jakubovic; lyrics: Ula Hedwig; directed/edited: David Jakubovic * published by David Jakubovic {{DEFAULTSORT:Jakubovic, Jaroslav Living people 1948 births Israeli jazz saxophonists Czech jazz musicians 21st-century saxophonists Czechoslovak emigrants to Israel