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 majo ...

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 ...

. 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 cou ...

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

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, Gil Goldstein, Paul Motian,

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inter ...

, John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Kenny Wollesen, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on labels such as

Timeless Timeless (or atemporal) or timelessness (or atemporality) may refer to: * Agelessness, the condition of being unaffected by the passage of time * Akal (Sikh term), timelessness in Sikhism * Eternity, timeless existence or infinite duration * Immo ...

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 ...

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 buyou ...

, and Universal. In 1998 he was voted one of the ten best guitarists by the readers of '' Down Beat'' magazine Linka is the founder and artistic director of the Bohemia Jazz Fest 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 Paul Motian and Larry Grenadier) * ''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