NIKOL BÓKOVÁ
Pianist, Composer, Publisher
NIKOL BÓKOVÁ LIVE
AUTUMN 2024
SOLEIL ET PLUIE ソレイユ エ プリュイ
NIKOL BÓKOVÁ'S RECORDING LABEL
"Soleil et Pluie (Sun and Rain), or SEP for short, arises primarily from the need for absolute freedom in all the creative processes that accompany the creation of a music album. Jan and I embark on a new adventure, which, very surprisingly, turned out to be a natural step on our journey," Nikol says, and Jan Bók Vala adds: “Sun and rain cannot be commanded. They have the freedom to do what they like, and no one can predict, with certainty, what will happen next. They are a source of happiness and unhappiness and can arouse emotions in people, regardless of their inclination to one or another. They are one of the most common themes of the people on planet Earth. Let the music we will release be just like that."
HER COUNTRY
The seventh original album by Nikol Bóková offers a profound musical reflection on her/our homeland. Inspired by Smetana’s “Má vlast” (My Country), it served as a springboard for composing Her Country, a classical cycle in six movements for chamber orchestra. This composition is a powerful contribution to the Year of Czech Music, crafted by Nikol for a stellar lineup of musicians, including Radek Baborák and his Baborák Ensemble, with soloist Bella Adamova. With the composer herself at the piano, the piece is arranged for 12 performers in a unique instrumentation.
E X P E D I T I O N
Nikol's sixth author album
Expedition is a journey. A journey through space. Joining Nikol on this musical expedition are guitarist David Dorůžka, bassist Martin Kocián, and drummer Michał Wierzgoń – the lineup that was formed during the recording of the album "Elements" under the name Nikol
Bóková Quartet. Expedition features Norwegian trumpeter Gunnar Halle on two tracks.
NIKOL BÓKOVÁ
SOLO
Nikol Bóková gives mesmerizing solo piano recitals that merge classical tradition with contemporary innovation. Renowned for blending composed material with improvisation, her performances fuse the emotional depth of Liszt and Schumann with the spontaneous creativity of Keith Jarrett. Featuring her original compositions, her recital offers a rare, dynamic experience rooted in tradition yet boldly innovative.
ELEMENTS
NIKOL'S FOURTH ALBUM
After the albums Inner Place (2019), Unravel (2020), and Prometheus (2021) comes the album Elements (2022), which Nikol composed for the newly formed group, performing under the name Nikol Bokova Quartet. This line-up consists of guitarist David Doruzka, who has already collaborated with Nikol on the album Prometheus, double bass player Martin Kocian and drummer Michał Wierzgon, who both are permanent members of the Nikol Bokova Trio.
Elements is released by Soleil et Pluie (Sun and Rain), a record label founded this year by Nikol Bóková and Jan Vala. The Elements, therefore, occupies the ceremonial role of the first album released.
ELEMENTS
The main Nikol’s inspiration for composing this music became classical elements – earth, water, air, fire, aether, and cosmos, and the vision of the artistic abilities of specific artists for whom she creates her music.
"If I were to try some genre specifications, I would say that compared to my previous albums, Elements are here and there more classic, in some places, there is more jazz, elsewhere more pop and at times definitely more rock," says Nikol, adding that, as in previous albums, her compositional style was again based on searching and discovering within her own musical world, which apparently continues to expand.
From the first review by Jindrich Göth:
"At times, it recalls King Crimson's dreaminess and philosophical thoughtfulness of the Starless And Bible Black period, at other times is rock-emphatic, pop-telling, but at each moment exciting, rich, and light at the same time. The individual motifs follow each other with ease and self-evidentness. It is not just a cluster of songs, but a carefully thought-out whole."
PROMETHEUS
The third album by pianist and composer NIKOL BÓKOVÁ is released just one year after her previous one, Unravel (2020), which had been preceded by Bóková’s debut, Inner Place, nominated for an Anděl Award in 2019. Her Prometheus colleagues are the world-renowned French-horn player RADEK BABORÁK, foremost Czech guitarist DAVID DORŮŽKA, award-winning double-bassist JAROMÍR HONZÁK and extraordinary drummer MICHAŁ WIERZGOŃ. All are important representatives of two musical worlds – jazz and classical music – which Nikol has been originally and sensitively combining in her work.
UNRAVEL
OCTOBER 2020
"...Put simply, Unravel is a fantastic record. Nikol Bóková is clearly a talent worth watching, and, however she progresses, Unravel will absolutely stand on its own as a great piece of work. Bóková has presented something evocative and powerful here; it’s also hard to imagine a better record for the ears as we head into colder months..." TJ Abbonizio, Jazz London News
INNER PLACE
DEBUT ALBUM
The album INNER PLACE is characterized by great compositional and interpretive maturity, while it also breathes with the fresh energy of a debut that witnesses an author discovering new musical worlds. These compositions are perfectly polished miniatures, simple in form yet echoing the harmonic and melodic complexity of classical piano literature. Her brilliant technique and dynamic keystrokes, as defined by her extensive experience in classical music interpretation, is unique to the world of the jazz piano.
INNER PLACE
Nikol's debut album Inner Place was nominated for the Anděl Award 2019 in the category of the best jazz album.
“I consider this music as ‘songs’; songs in which I can directly tell a story. As opposed to classical music, I view this as a more immediate, in some sense simpler way to express my emotions. I don’t feel any need to pertain to a particular genre.”
NIKOL BÓKOVÁ TRIO
NIKOL BÓKOVÁ piano
MARTIN KOCIÁN double bass
MICHAŁ WIERGOŃ drums
This lineup was central to Nikol's early works, allowing her to explore the rich interplay between piano, bass, and drums. In 2024, she returns to this core ensemble with the release of a new trio album Feathers, further developing her unique sound.
NIKOL BÓKOVÁ QUARTET
The Nikol Bóková Quartet is an expanded trio featuring electric guitarist David Dorůžka, one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation. The quartet offers many musical layers to experience. Besides the studio albums Expedition and Elements, their live shows are truly a ride, giving the audience the feeling of being at a jazz concert, a classical recital, and a wild rock show all at once.
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CLASSICAL WORLD
The awareness that music has flowed through her body and soul has been apparent since childhood. Classical music is capable of a deep bond, a strong connection, between the composer, the interpreter and the listener, and this is something Nikol adores and, through her playing, what was a set of notes on a page transforms into a range of emotions, feelings and stories everyone can relate to in some way or other. The combination of being intimate, sensitive, fragile and, at the same time, strong and open, is what drives Nikol's desire to play.
Nikol Bóková plays Rachmaninoff – Prelude op. 32 no. 12 in G sharp minor
Dreamer | cataplasm | episode 7.3
Official Music Video | Inner Place
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BIO
Nikol Bóková is a composer, pianist, and publisher.
Her compositions blend elements of jazz, classical music, minimalism, sophisticated pop, and modern rock,
creating a distinctive artistic voice. As a pianist, she performs both her own music and classical repertoire, collaborating with leading Czech orchestras and exceptional musicians.
Over the space of six years, she recorded eight albums that met with high critical acclaim. Her debut album INNER PLACE, which was nominated for the Czech Music Academy Award, and the second album, UNRAVEL, she recorded with Michał Wierzgoń and Martin Kocián, who are foremost jazz musicians of the young generation. The third album PROMETHEUS was released in May 2021, less than a year after the release of Unravel. For the recording of Prometheus Nikol invited remarkable jazz musicians David Dorůžka and Jaromír Honzák, and world-renown French horn player Radek Baborák. In March 2022 she recorded her fourth author album in a line-up of the quartet when she decided to extend her trio by David Dorůžka.
While all previous albums were released by Animal Music label, Elements was released by SOLEIL ET PLUIE (Sun and Rain), a record label founded in the 2022 by Nikol Bóková and Jan Bók Vala. The Elements, therefore, occupies the ceremonial role of the first album released.
In December 2022 was released Nikol's solo piano album Naked Pieces. During the year 2023, Nikol's solo album "Expedition" was released on Soleil et Pluie, along with two albums by other artists—Jiří Havrlant's debut harpsichord album featuring Bach's compositions, and an orchestral album showcasing the works of Wagner and Strauss conducted by Radek Baborák and performed by Prague Chamber Soloists.
In 2024, Nikol released two new albums: Her Country, a classical album featuring the Baborák Ensemble and Bella Adamova, and Feathers,
a jazz album recorded with her Trio.
Besides composition and publishing activities, Nikol performs on international stages. Throughout 2024, she presented her music in Japan, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Greece.
Nikol's recent awards are the Jantar award 2023 for Expedition, and 2022 for Elements and Naked Pieces for the best albums in category of popular music, the Anděl Award 2021 for the album Prometheus in a jazz category, awarded by the Czech Music Academy, the Anděl Award nomination for the best jazz album of the year 2019 for her debut Inner Place, second prize in the survey of the Czech journalists and promoters for the album Unravel, first prize in the survey of the Czech journalists and promoters for the album Prometheus, a nomination for the Jantar prize in the category of the best soloist of the year 2020 for Unravel, first prize in the competition of the Central European Jazz Showcase 2021, or an award for the best jazz composition of the year 2021 for the piece Prometheus, awarded by OSA.
Through her compositions, performances, and publishing work, Nikol Bóková continuously expands the boundaries of contemporary music. Her music is remarkable for its ability to feel both contemporary and timeless. She crafts works that are emotionally resonant and richly imaginative, prioritizing grace and connection.
JAN & NIKOL
and their collaboration
Jan Bók Vala has been an integral part of Nikol's artistic life for many years. Because of their love for music, basically everything they do is connected to it. In the spring of 2022, they founded their own record label Soleil et Pluie. It has become a huge part of their lives.
They got married in September 2023 in the Faroe Islands.
If you like what Nikol and Jan do, you are welcomed to watch their videos, listen to their music, buy an album released by their label or share what they do with others. And if you would like to support them on their creative journey, you can do so also by becoming their Patron on the platform Patreon.