We are Celts
There is a Celt inside everyone of us and that’s why we like the tunes from Ireland, Scotland and all these parts of the world so much. Those who went to the Stara pekarna club in Brno on Thursday could enjoy an evening of this kind of music lead by fiddle player Jitka Malczyk and guitarist Vojtech Jindra whom some of you might know from the band Bran or from playing with an Irish songwriter J Eoin.
There were not too many people at the gig but everyone paid attention and watched the musicians who enjoyed themselves on stage and everyone could see they get on really well not only musically but also as human beings. Jitka seems to awake from the concentration after every tune and she thanks the audience with a smile on her face and adds a story about the next tune or an experience from her travels. She later introduced the Norwegian fiddle that is connected with certain legends, for example about water creatures who taught the Norwegians to play that instrument or about fiddle players who disappeared in the woods and nobody ever saw them again. The legend says they went crazy from the sound of the fiddle. One thing is certain: this an amazing instrument and its sound takes you to another world. Jitka and Vojtech call their style “neotrad”, those are mainly their own compositions inspired by the British Isles but the music takes you also to more exotic locations like Romania or Turkey. The audience can not only see the energy and joy but they can also feel it.
There was a symbolic launch of the CD Neotrad. The official launch took place in Prague a few months ago but both musicians like to play in Brno so they simply couldn't miss the opportunity to celebrate it with their audience there. Another interesting element of the night was Jitka’s blue and red strapped dress, made by a fashion designer and inspired by the cover of the album. The pleasant atmosphere of the evening made you close your eyes and you were in Ireland right away, in Galway, Donegal or Aran Islands. The only thing that maybe missing were Irish dancers. Hopefully next time.