Berklee Today: Bright Lights in Europe

Less than a decade after graduating from Berklee, award-winning jazz guitarist David Doruzka '02 of Prague, Czech Republic, has become a sought-after musician throughout the European continent and Scandinavia. He is highly regarded for his thoughtful approach to music in general and his controlled guitar virtuosity. Doruzka plays with a range of acts including his own trio as well and artists based in several different countries.

When we met at Prague's Café Louvre in August, Doruzka had just returned from gigs in Stockholm with the Swedish band Stoner. Closer to home, he's been working with the Tiburtina Ensemble, an octet of Czech female classical vocalists who underpin their renditions of Gregorian chant and Spanish medieval music with jazz improvisation provided by a trio of guitar, drums, and woodwinds. This fall, Doruzka was tapped by French bassist Nicolas Moreaux for a recording session in Paris with New York-based saxophonist Bill McHenry. Doruzka also collaborates with Polish singing sensation Aga Zaryan in the studio and onstage. He contributed four pieces to her celebrated album Looking Walking Being, that offered a winning combination of Brazilian rhythms with contemporary jazz influences.

"For me, the nice thing about being in Prague, is that it's easy to go and play in the other countries in Europe and meet players there," Doruzka says. "That would be more difficult if I was living in New York...."

Read more about Berklee alumni in Europe in Berklee Today.