GROOVE  » No word better describes Jan Korinek’s music today. His band evolved from a pure blues band into a soul-jazz-funk group with strong blues influences, exploring and presenting the roots of this great music. He is a performer who never gives less than everything he has each time he takes the stage. Fourteen years of touring, recording and surviving in the music business ensure that his soul has stories to tell filled with the blues as well as humor.

Jan Kořínek (32)  The 31 year old Hammond organ player is the heart, mind and soul of The Groove. He actually started his musical career as a bass player, something which has stayed with him on the keyboard, giving funky, left-hand chops that even bass players marvel at. His music closely follows the tradition of the great Hammond organ combos (such as Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith, Richard Groove Holmes etc), walking a thin line between blues and jazz. He has toured with various international artists such as Lorenzo Thompson, Eb Davis, Sharon Lewis, Charlie Sawyer, to name just a few. Jan Korinek was also a guest of several groups, for instance The Kinsey Report, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and he has appeared on numerous recordings as well.

Jan Korinek and Groove currently performs as a Hammond organ trio that is occasionally joined by Osian Roberts (UK) or Rostislav Fras (CZ) on saxofone. Last year the Czech Radio featured the band in one on its radio programs, which was broadcast online and is now availble through the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and the Czech National TV has recently recorded one the band’s concerts and is going to cover the band’s story and music in one hour long program.

RECORDINGS:  
2000  » Jan Kořínek and Groove featuring Lorenzo Thompson – Good Rockin’ Tonight
2001  » Jan Kořínek and Groove featuring Eb Davis – I Write The Checks
2005  » Jan Kořínek and Groove – Groovin’ With Mr G. – Live at club U Stare Pani
2008  » Jan Kořínek and Groove – Groovin’ For Little V


HISTORY OF GROOVE - LONG BIO Altough the name JAN KOŘÍNEK AND GROOVE was first spotted on the Czech music scene in 2000, the history of the band reaches back to 1995 when Jan Kořínek teamed up with an American guitar player Rennie Trossman. Rennie (born in 1953) came to the Czech Republic from Chicago and bringing his love for the blues with him he put together a band called The Next Generation Bluesband consiting of other expats residing in Prague at that time. However the line up of the band kept changing.

In 1995 the band was about to set off for European tour with Lorenzo Thompson, under the name “The Next Generation” when their bass player withdrew. Jaromír Pavelka, the drummer of the band at that time hired Jan Kořínek as a substitute on bass. (It is said that Pavelka heard Kořínek play the bass just once and it was e Janis Joplin tune called More Over – in fact Kořínek was mainly a guitar player back then). The tour was quite a success and Kořínek became a regular member of the group getting an insight into the blues from Rennie.

At the same Kořínek became more and more competent on Hammond organ – his new love. On the next tour with Lorenzo Thompson (which also featured Chicago-based saxophone player Mike Jackson) The Next Generation consisted only of a trio – Trossman (gt), Pavelka (dr), Kořínek (switching between bass and Hammond organ). Between 1995-1998 numerous concert took place including three tours with Lorenzo Thompson (two of them featured Mike Jackson); one tour with Sharon Lewis and one tour with a singer Joan Baby (during this tour the band was joined by a terrific saxophone player Karel Růžička jr.). TNG also performed with Prague-based singers – a Scotsman Stan “The Man” Volarz and an American Ramblin’ Rex. In 1998, amidst organizing a tour with Eb Davis Rennie gets a sad news about his father’s ill health. When he leaves for Chicago to stand by his father, he doesn’t know that won’t be coming back to Prague in the next two years. Just before Rennie’s departure, Jaromír Pavelka was replaced by Ivan Kadaňka behind the drums.

The following period is a time of search for Jan Kořínek – he plays with various band (both on the guitar and organ) including Janis Joplin Revival, Tony Blues Band, Krausberry, and briefly also in Anna K. Band). He also performs with his own band The Blues Generation, which in fact consists of only two regular members – Korinek and Kadaňka. As guests they have among others František Kop (a tremendous sax player); a singer, piano player and a great Ray Charles lover Jiří Šlupka Svěrák or Karel Růžička. TBG line up becomes stable in 1999 – Phil Holmes, a singer and bass player joins the band bringing a Yogoslavian guitar player, Mika, with him. Some gigs are also joined by a three-piece horn section. Unforunately, Holmes dies in 2000 and Kořínek has to rebuild the band again.

The new TGB is put together at a jam session that was organized as a memorial to Phil Holmes. Kadaňka and Kořínek were joined by their friend and colleague from other bands – Vladimír “Guma” Kulhánek (who played with Korinek in Krausberry and Anna K. band and with Kadandka in ETC…) and also by Jirka Hokeš and Kuba Doležal who moved to Prague not so long ago and were exploring the music life there.

During the spring and summer 2000 the band peforms on a regular basis mostly with Hokeš on the guitar as a substitute for Rennie who was coming back to Prague shortly. Before Rennie’s arrival in September, Ivana Kadaňka leaves the band and is replaced by a Martin Kopřiva who appears to be the drummer that the band had been looking for.

The year 2001 was the most successful one so far – Lorenzo comes to the Czech Republic twice, Eb Davis comes three times and records a CD I Write the Checks with the band, there is also the tour with Sharon Lewis and the band keeps on playing its instrumental gigs. In February, 2002 Rennie Trossman leaves the band before the tour with Monty Waters. The tour is done with Miroslav Nosek on the guitar and after the tour The Groove is joined by Jirka Hokeš who becomes a regular member now. The band tours with Lorenzo Thompson, Eb Davis, Charlie Sawyer and Sharon Lewis during 2002. In 2003 and 2004, two tours with Lorenzo Thompson were accomplished and Groove is playing mostly instrumentally in Prague clubs and some Jazz festivals. In May 2005, Groove does a small tour with Eb Davis and Tina Fiser featuring The Prague Horns. At this same time groove begins to tour extensively in Austria. From this point on, Groove plays mostly instrumental gigs with Beda Smarda on sax and Mira Hloucal on Trumpet. Jan continues to work with Tina Fiser and records a live CD "Groovin' For Mr G" in club U Stare Pani with Groove. Eb Davis returns in 2006 for a tour with extended Groove band - JK, JH, Martin Sulc (drums), Rene Trossman (guitar) and Taras Volocsuk (bass). In June 2006, the quintet (JK, JH, Smarda, Hloucal and special guest on drums Martin Novak) records a radio show in Karlin A Studio. The concert was broadcasted by several major radiostations worldwide. In July 2006, Groove trio gets to the studio, in Prague's premier Libus Studios to record a couple tracks for a new cd that will be released a lot later than they thought. Since the beginning of 2007, there has been a change in drummers. Groove welcomed a new drummer - Martin Novak. With him and Osian Roberts (sax) they were invited to record their show for national TV CT2. In the summer of 2007 Groove finishes the recording of new CD at Libus Studios, which is released by Osian Roberts' recording label HardBop records in the UK in January 2008.