Interview with Jan Hasenöhrl

Jun 24, 2019

How did you come up with the idea of opening your own jazz club?

My friends and I dreamt of having a space which would comfortably accommodate a bigband, with decent acoustics, the chance to record, and last but by no means least, the opportunity to mould the club to suit our needs and preferences.

The Loop Jazz Club is situated in the same building as the CNSO’s recording studio. Could you share a bit more about the history of this building in Hostivař and why you decided to use the space as a jazz club?  

The studio is located in a building which dates back to 1982. It has all the features of the grand-scale construction style of that time. Everything is covered in wood and Cuban marble panelling. The studio space we use for recording film music was previously an auditorium, having hosted dance events as well as ODS meetings. The Loop Club is housed in the former Vltava cinema and has truly outstanding acoustics which was the inspiration for setting up a jazz club here.

It looks like you’re trying to fully utilise the building’s potential. Do you see any possibility of creating links between the CNSO studio and The Loop Jazz Club?

Absolutely. It’s mostly only our US clients who use the studio for evening recordings and so far that’s never clashed with any concerts.

Three concerts have been announced so far this year. Jazz of the 60s, Jazz Efterrät – 21 Years on the Scene and Miles & Gil: Miles Ahead and more. Could you share a bit more about the programme and what you’re most excited about?

I’m actually looking forward to all three, I’ll be involved in all of them and am also confident that we’ll get to pencil in more dates soon.

What are your future plans for the club and who would you most like to welcome here?

Our plan is to host at least 20 concerts here in 2020. We’re in talks with some great musicians including Bobby Shew, Jeff Lorber, China Moses, Shelea Frazier, Silje Nergaard and others.