HANKA G. a Ondrej Krajňák concert

SPECIAL GUEST at Red Cat Cabaret: HANKA G. and Ondrej Krajňák

HANKA G and Ondrej Krajňák are known for their captivating extraordinary musical performances, where they combine jazz, soul and gospel music. The concert will feature tracks from their joint award-winning albums Essence, Twin Flame as well as their latest album Ballads in the Key of Love. On the Essence album, they were one of the first in Slovakia to arrange Slovak folk songs into jazz arrangements. Hanky and Ondrej’s concerts are one of the most unforgettable musical experiences, so don’t miss this opportunity to hear them live more than two years after the Covid pandemic.

HANKA G is one of Slovakia’s most respected jazz & world-music singers, the only one from Slovakia who has been successfully performing on the jazz and gospel scene in New York for over 6 years. She combines Slovak folklore, jazz, gospel and performs with her quartet all over the world. Her resonant, gospel-sounding powerful voice is reminiscent of the legendary diva Mahalia Jackson. Hanka’s American “pilgrimage” began during her time in Slovakia, when she opened for the world’s leading American vocal jazz stars of our time – Kurt Elling and Cassandra Wilson. Cassandra referred to her as “the best of the upcoming generation”, became her mentor and supports her talent in the USA. Hank is the recipient of several awards, including the prestigious L. Martonik Award for Excellence in Performance as the 2017 “Jazzman of the Year,” where she became only the second woman to be honored in the 26-year history of the award. Her albums “Essence,” “Twin Flame” and “Universal Ancestry” have been nominated in the jazz music category as “albums of the year” at jazz awards such as the Esprit and Radio Head Awards.

Hanka recorded her 4th album “Universal Ancestry” in New York and brought in 14 top musicians from the American jazz, gospel, R&B and pop scene, who have numerous nominations as well as Grammy Awards to their credit, and great collaborations with world-class stars such as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Beyoncé… The album has received many positive reviews from world music critics including prestigious jazz magazines across the US such as All About Jazz, JazzWeekly, Jazztimes, as well as in Europe, Israel and the largest jazz magazine in Japan, JazzLife. The album was successfully played across the US on jazz radio and held the top spot on the JazzWeek chart, the most prestigious US jazz chart in the world, for 5 months, including 8 weeks in the top 100 (highest at #71). The album “Universal Ancestry” was also nominated in the prestigious American music awards, the Grammy Awards.

HANKA G is currently releasing her new (her fifth) album “Ballads in the Key of Love”, which she will record again in New York with top American jazz musicians in late 2022. The album “Ballads in the Key of Love” has the ambition to bring more love and understanding between people in a turbulent time where we are surrounded on all sides by a lot of hatred and misunderstanding. The album was co-written by the Slovak prominent pianist Ondrej Krajňák.

Ondrej Krajňák collaborated with HANKOU G on her first three solo CDs (Reflections of My Soul, Essence and Twin Flame). Ondrej Krajňák is considered one of the best jazz pianists on the Slovak and Czech music scene. He is one of the busiest jazz musicians in Central Europe and has participated in the recording of over 40 albums during his career. Ondrej has collaborated with the best musicians on the Slovak and Czech scene such as Ida Kellarová, Iva Bittová, Oskar Rosza, Radovan Tariška, Oto Hejnic, Juraj Bartos and many others. His playing is influenced by musicians such as Oscar Peterson, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chick Corea and Adam Makovic, and from classical music he has been influenced by Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók, Fryderyk Chopin and Sergei Prokofiev.

Location: Red Cat Cabaret Club, Obchodná, Bratislava, Slovakia
Date: Wednesday, 01.02.2023
Start: 20:00
Admission: 20 €

Find all tips for the best EVENTS IN BRATISLAVA.