“AsGuests sounds fresh, contemporary and adventurous with a deep respect for the jazz tradition. This quartet knows how to transform complex music into an accessible and fascinating performance.” (Robert Kinable)
An award winning formation AsGuests has been essentially a collaboration project between vibraphonist Miro Herák and pianist Michal Vaňouček. They met during their classical music studies at the conservatory in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was there, that they for the first time presented their musical ideas in their own compositions in duo as well as in a quartet.
After resounding success, they decided to continue the concept of collaborating with different musicians and to this day the projects range from duo (piano and vibes) to a septet with strings.
During the year 2004 AsGuests won two first prizes for the best formation – The Pim Jacobs Muziek Prijs in Rotterdam and The Dutch Jazz Competition at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Their well received quartet debut album “Enter As Guests” came out a year later.
“Herak and Vanoucek, by their individual and collective interplay know how to create a very contemporary sound. With their excellent and interesting compositions and their fresh and present-day approach this first-born of AsGuests sounds very promising.” (Cees van de Ven)
AsGuests toured in The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Czech republic, United Kingdom, France and played important venues and jazz festivals all over Europe.They are currently preparing their fourth album.
On this toue the rhythm section is Claus Kaarsgaard on bass from Denmark and Peter Solarik from Slovakia. The band will complete a very special vocalist Anka Koziel.
Anka Koziel is a Polish vocalist and educator based in the Netherlands, currently busy with modern jazz, world music, experimental and live electronics. She runs her own Anka Koziel Quartet and she sings with The Hague Ethospheric Orchestra.