Jazz and science fiction in the spotlight with pianist Nikol Bóková

Born in 1991 in Moravia-Silesia, the musician studied piano first at the Ostrava Conservatory, then at the Music faculty of the Janáček Academy in Brno. “Expedition” which we are going to listen to together is his sixth self-titled album and the third released, in 2023, under his own Soleil et Rain label.

Nikol Bóková recorded it with jazz guitarist David Dorůžka, double bassist Martin Kocián and drummer Michał Wierzgoń, with the participation of Norwegian trumpeter Gunnar Halle who collaborated on two tracks on the album.

“’Expedition’ is a journey. A journey into space,” explains the pianist, who also says she draws inspiration from the science fiction novels of Arthur C. Clark. To find out more about Nikol Bóková and his career, we invite you to listen to the episode of the Faces of Czech Music podcast, produced by the English-speaking editorial team of Radio Prague Int., which was dedicated to him. His discography can be found on the site https://www.nikolbokova.com/. You can notably listen to extracts from his more recent album, “Her Country” inspired by “Ma Patrie” by Bedřich Smetana.