Shai Maestro & Glance

Shai Maestro

His surname does not lie — Shai Maestro is truly a maestro, both at the piano and in crafting predominantly lyrical yet internally vibrant themes. He is a shining star of the already rich Israeli jazz scene.

Shai Maestro displayed exceptional musical talent from a very early age, and it is no surprise that at just fifteen he earned a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston — something far from common at that age. He soon became part of the international jazz world, gaining major attention as a member of bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio, with whom he played for five years and recorded four albums. The trio’s drummer was the equally renowned Mark Guiliana. This experience provided Maestro not only with invaluable concert and studio training, which helped him enter the awareness of jazz audiences worldwide, but also shaped the foundations of his own artistic vision.
He began to realize that vision in the early 2010s, when he set out on his own and formed the Shai Maestro Trio, partnering with the flexible and often distinctly melodic bassist Jorge Roeder, while several drummers rotated through the band; on the recent albums the drum chair has been held by the exceptionally dynamic and colorfully expressive Ofri Nehemya. The trio has recently expanded into the Shai Maestro Quartet, enriched by trumpeter Philip Dizack, whose palette ranges from delicate lyricism to bold, expressive tone. Their 2021 ECM release Human received widespread acclaim.
As a composer, Shai Maestro draws from a wide range of influences — classical and modern jazz, Israeli folk elements, and contemporary classical music. His music is often calm, richly harmonic, and full of strong melodies, infused with a distinctive sense of melancholy. This is supported by his almost telepathic connection with his bandmates and the ensemble’s ability to collectively develop musical ideas — from atmospheric, lyrical reflections to spontaneous bursts of energy. The concert of the Shai Maestro Quartet will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the spring edition of JazzFestBrno.

Glance

Petr Nohavica is one of the most distinctive figures on the contemporary Czech jazz scene. As a drummer and composer, he has taken part in numerous projects, and his band Glance, built around the album of the same name, remains his most significant artistic calling card to date.

Nohavica has made his mark not only as the leader of his own projects but also as a sideman across genres, performing with Winterspring (Allison Wheeler Quartet), B/Y Organism, Bardo, Tour Guide Blonde, and Drifter Days (Tom Smith / Daniel Bulatkin). He has also collaborated with leading artists such as Lukáš Oravec, Luboš Soukup, Robert Balcar, and Tal Arditi.
Glance is the result of several years of his compositional work. For the recording of the album, Nohavica invited some of the finest musicians on the Czech jazz scene: guitarist David Dorůžka, pianist Jiří Levíček, saxophonist Cyrill Oswald, and bassist Jaromír Honzák. The record also features guest vocalist Allison Wheeler. Released on the Brno-based label Bivak Records, the album was longlisted for the Czech Anděl Award in the jazz category in 2024.

After a break, Glance returns in a fresh lineup. The band continues with its leader Petr Nohavica and vocalist Allison Wheeler, and is now joined by a new generation of already well-established players: guitarist Martin Hrubec, saxophonist Nela Dusová, and bassist Luan Gonçalves.