LESNÍ ZVĚŘ (CZ)

Lesní zvěř (roughly translatable as Sylvan Game) are an adventurous band playing an energetic mixture of nu-jazz, acoustic drum'n'bass and psychedelia. Their compositions span from regular songs to purely improvised stuff, when they basically let the music spontaneously drive on in unintended directions, eventually ending up either in heavenly arcs of spiritual joy or in a roaring hell. "We do not perceive nu-jazz as a music necessarily connected with jazz in the historical sense of the word. It is more of a common ground, a
starting point full of freedom and spontaneity, that is not limited by any definition of it as genre, and lets us
wildly exploit our imagination."

Lesní zvěř released its debut CD in June 2009. As described by the band themselves, their eponymous first album is - in contrast with life performance, when everything has natural spontaneous timing - a virtual jam-session with computer, evolving in its very abstract time. The resulting selection of 9 songs represents all the various faces of the band: from articulate songs, some which are laid back and jazzy, gloomy or quite rough or swinging, to fanciful compositions with strong melodies and improvised textural parts, that create very
emotional and vibrant soundscapes. In March 2014 the band released its second CD called Movable feasts full of joyful tunes, wild frenzy of electric drums and melancholic stubbornness framed by characteristic vocals.

The band got together in 2001 and have focused mainly on playing live, utilizing the concept of musical performance as a happening. They have gigged various prestigious venues in the Czech republic (Colours of Ostrava 2016, Trutnov open air festival, Jazzinec - support to Eric Truffaz, Jazz Goes to Town festival etc.) and abroad (twice at Eurojazz festival in Mexico, SoundCzech in Romania, Brussel Jazz Marathon in Belgium, Kaunas Jazz festival in Lithuania, Lotos Jazz festival - support to JAZZANOVA, Summer film academy and Finale in Poland, New Jazz Days in Slovakia, Summer Tunes Festival and Silent Friday in Germany), performing alongside with Peter Lipa, Al Jawalla or Cinematic Orchestra. The band also took part in multimedia projects of Federico Diaz and David Kořínek, and created live alternate soundtrack for Alejandro Jodorowsky's masterpiece Santa Sangre.

After severals years of sleep in 2023 the band woke up as an instrumental trio with amazing energy and powerful performaces and is working on new material right now.