Bohemia JazzFest 2026: Rudy Linka on music, freedom and bringing world-class jazz to Czechia
For more than two decades, guitarist Rudy Linka has brought some of the world's finest jazz musicians to Czech town squares through Bohemia JazzFest. In an inteview with Vít Pohanka, he looks back on his journey from communist Czechoslovakia to New York and explains why making great music accessible to everyone remains his life's mission.
When Rudy Linka left communist Czechoslovakia as a 19-year-old, he was driven by a simple desire: to experience the world and hear the musicians he admired in person. That journey eventually took him through Sweden to Boston's Berklee College of Music and finally to New York, where he established himself as one of the leading Czech jazz guitarists on the international scene.
More than forty years later, he divides his time between New York and Czechia, where every summer he returns not only to perform but also to organize Bohemia JazzFest, one of Europe's largest free jazz festivals.
Rather than creating another ticketed event, Linka wanted to recreate something he had experienced in New York: world-class music available to everyone, regardless of income.
A New York idea in Czech town squares
Linka says the inspiration came from New York City's free summer concerts, where legendary artists perform in public parks despite the city's famously high cost of living. He believes culture should be accessible because taxpayers already help support it.
That philosophy became the foundation of Bohemia JazzFest. Since its launch in 2005, the festival has welcomed internationally acclaimed musicians while keeping every concert free of charge. Over the years it has expanded to a number of historic Czech towns, allowing audiences to encounter world-class jazz simply by walking through their local square.
Linka admits, however, that maintaining the festival has never been easy. Although it has received international media attention—including coverage in publications such as The New York Times—he says public institutional support has remained limited. Instead, the festival survives thanks to volunteers, loyal sponsors and supporters who believe in its original vision.
A festival built around legends—and discoveries
This year's edition once again combines internationally celebrated performers with emerging talent. The opening concert featured legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd, whose performance in Prague deeply moved both the audience and the artist himself. Pianist Gerald Clayton, one of today's leading jazz musicians, receives this year's Bohemian Jazz Award, an honour Linka reserves for artists he hopes will become part of the festival's long-term story. The programme also includes Yellowjackets with renowned saxophonist Bob Mintzer, alongside younger musicians and performers from across Europe and North America.
For Linka, programming is about much more than famous names. He looks for musicians capable of creating unforgettable moments in an open public space where dedicated jazz fans stand alongside curious passers-by.
Still searching
Despite an international career spanning decades, Linka says the journey is far from over. He still describes New York as the best place in the world for anyone living away from their birthplace, while Czechia remains the country he returns to every summer to share the music that shaped his life. His belief that "if you truly want something, you can achieve almost anything" continues to guide both his career and the festival he built.
More than twenty years after the first Bohemia JazzFest, his ambition remains unchanged: to make extraordinary music available to anyone willing to stop, listen—and perhaps discover jazz for the very first time.
