• 07. october 2026
• 19:00
• Klub Parník - (CKV)
• For sale in OSTRAVAINFO information centers, without the possibility of reservation

Jazz/swing

Legendary jazzman and trumpeter Laco Deczi will perform with his band Celula New York on the stage of Klub Parník.

Trumpeter, composer, bandleader and amateur painter Laco Deczi was born in 1938 in the village of Bernolákovo in Slovakia. In 1962 he left Bratislava for Prague where he worked until his emigration in 1985. After spending a few months in West Germany, he finally settled in the United States, where he lives to this day.

Music

He showed interest in playing the trumpet in elementary school, following the example of his uncle, a musician. In high school, he played in several music groups and during his compulsory military service, he performed in Prague as a guest of Studio 5 and later as a guest of the Jazz Studio. After his military service in 1962, he decided to stay in Prague and began working in the Sextet of the Rokoko Theater and subsequently in the Jazz Outsiders ensemble. This was followed by engagements in Karel Velebný's S+HQ ensemble and the Reduta Quartet, where he became the frontman.

In 1967 he founded the Jazz Celulla band, where he played with musicians such as Laco Tropp, Svatopluk Košvanec, Josef Vejvoda, Karel Růžička and Petr Král. During this period he was selected for the then representative Czechoslovak All Star Band.

In the 1970s he became a member of the Czechoslovak Radio Jazz Orchestra (JOCR) and the Czechoslovak Radio Dance Orchestra (TOCR). He recorded several solo albums, the most famous of which is "Sentimental Trumpet" accompanied by a string orchestra. As a soloist he was a member of the orchestra during the recording of Václav Zahradník's album "Jazz Goes To Beat", or Jazz from Studio A. During this time he also devoted himself fully to composing a number of orchestral compositions. Before emigrating, he recorded duets with guitarist Zdeněk Šárka Dvořák and composed a large amount of music for films, among the most famous being Kalamaita, directed by Věra Chytilová in 1981.

Since 1986, he has lived in the United States of America, where he is the frontman of the band Celula New York.

In the States, he has performed with a large number of great jazz musicians, such as Elvin Jones, Bill Watrous, Junior Cook, Dave Weckl and Sonny Costanzo. He regularly performs with his band Celula New York in the New York and Connecticut areas.

Since 1990, Laco has regularly toured the Czech Republic and Slovakia twice a year. Stops in Poland, Austria and especially Germany are no exception. Laco regularly releases new studio or live albums at intervals of one to two years. In recent years, he has also released live DVDs from concerts. In total, he has over twenty albums and video recordings to his credit. In 2005, the live album "Jazz na Hradě" was released under the auspices of President Václav Klaus, who also christened the album and wrote the foreword for it. In 2009 and 2010, he performed with his band at the Rock for People, Colours of Ostrava and Sázavafest festivals. In 2011, he performed again at the Castle at the personal invitation of President Klaus as a guest of trumpeter Walter Bartoš and saxophonist Štěpán Markovič.

Awards

Laco has received several awards during his career. In 1963, he was rated the best domestic trumpet player by the experts of the Jazz Bulletin magazine. In 1964, he won the Critics' Award and the bronze Readers' Award of the Melodie magazine, the following year he celebrated a clear victory in both categories and held on to the gold in subsequent years. In 1966, he received the Czechoslovak Jazz Federation Award for outstanding solo work.

Books and Paintings

In 2003, the book "Na plný plyn" was published, depicting a cross-section of Laco's musical and personal life. The author of the book is Jiří Šebánek, one of the co-authors of books and plays Jára da Cimrmann.

In addition to his musical activities, Laco is also a skilled painter. He has several dozen works to his credit, mostly oil paintings. In 2005, the book "Pravdy" was published, depicting Laco's painting work together with stories about individual paintings.