Jazz pianist & composer, based in Bratislava, Slovakia
Jana
Bezek
Slovak pianist, composer, and music educator. Her work connects jazz, classical, and folk traditions with a focus on melody, improvisation, and authenticity of expression. She is deeply engaged in composing for children and young musicians and in exploring a natural sense of freedom in music.
A quiet, steady presence in the Slovak jazz scene for two decades.
Jana Bezek is a pianist, composer, and music educator from Slovakia. Her music grows out of a deep understanding of jazz while naturally integrating elements of classical and folk traditions. It is marked by a sensitivity to melodic line, fluid harmonic thinking, and an emphasis on inner freedom and authenticity of expression.
Her teaching is as much a part of her reputation as her records: her Muzikula workshops introduce children and young people to improvised music, and she has led musical education projects around Slovakia. She has performed with the Grzegorz Karnas Quartet, alongside Taiwanese jazz vocalist Wen Hui-Tsai, and on the folk-jazz project Rusínske balady with singer Hanka Servická, and has appeared at festivals from Bratislava and Nitra to Kraków and Kyiv.
Following a challenging period in her life, she turned her focus primarily to composing for children and young musicians, pedagogical work, and the development of her own compositional voice. She has written numerous pieces for young pianists that have been performed at competitions and festivals in Slovakia.
Currently, she devotes her work to composition, teaching, and creating music that connects modality, improvisation, and respect for musical tradition with a natural sense of freedom and authenticity.
- 2015Debut album Cracow released on Pavian Records, recorded with musicians from her studies in Poland.
- 2016Trio debut on the Bratislava Jazz Days stage.
- 2017Second album Modlitbičky: Milan Rúfus's poetry set for piano, the Bratislava Children's Choir, and chamber orchestra.
- 2019Third album Spiralization, recorded with her trio at the RecPublica studio in Lubrza, Poland.
- 2022Song Ballada na Wschod released on the compilation Jazz Bar 2022
Listen
The full catalogue is streaming on Spotify — press play below, or find her on Apple Music and Discogs.
Discography
Three albums, all released on Pavian Records.
Projects
Jana Bezek's projects connect concert activity, original composition, and long-term work with children and young musicians. She has collaborated with Slovak and international artists and performed at festivals in Slovakia and abroad. A significant part of her work is devoted to the educational project Muzikula and to composing music for children, closely linked to her authorial and improvisational practice. Her artistic activity moves between jazz, contemporary music, and music education, with a focus on creativity and authenticity.
Collaborations and Concert Activities
Jana Bezek has collaborated with numerous Slovak and international musicians and artistic platforms. She has performed at jazz and multi-genre festivals in Slovakia and abroad and has realized concert projects connecting jazz, improvisation, and vocal music.
Her notable collaborations include the project Rusyn Ballads with folk singer Hanka Servická, a concert series with Taiwanese jazz vocalist Wen Hui–Tsai, as well as performances with Polish vocalists Anna Gadt and Grzegorz Karnas.
In 2013, she represented Slovakia within the European Capital of Culture Košice 2013 project (Košice – Warsaw). She has long been engaged in chamber collaborations and projects situated at the intersection of jazz, contemporary music, and original composition.
Projects for Children and Music Education
A significant part of her artistic work is devoted to children and young musicians. She is the author of Muzikula, a series of music and improvisation workshops which she conducted for nearly nine years across Slovakia in collaboration with African percussionist Thierry Ebama.
The project focused on developing natural musicality, creativity, and spontaneity, and received strong responses from children, educators, and parents. Currently, Muzikula continues in a more intimate format as creative workshops for small groups of children.
Authorial Work and Music Projects
Jana Bezek's original work is documented on the albums Cracow (2015) and Spiralization (2019). In 2017, she released an album setting poems by Milan Rúfus to music, featuring children's choir and orchestra; the project was presented on the concert tour Modlitbičky tour across Slovak cities.
In 2025, she composed stage music for a production of Dúhadlo Theatre. Alongside this, she has long been devoted to composing chamber works and music for children and young pianists. Her compositions have been performed at various competitions and festivals dedicated to contemporary Slovak piano repertoire, receiving positive recognition from juries and educators.
Pedagogical and International Platforms
From 2015 to 2026, she worked as a lecturer at the international Voicingers Festival, focused on innovative concerts and creative workshops led by active European musicians. The platform connects concert practice with pedagogical approaches and supports young musicians and teachers in developing creative improvisation; today, Voicingers operates in numerous countries worldwide.