Marcel Bárta

clarinettist, composer, and self-taught artist, Marcel Bárta is one of the most frequently featured performers in the catalogue of Animal Music. Besides his home band, Vertigo, he has been active in a number of other projects, be it as a co-founder and/or co-author of music (Muff, Mamatohe, and Projekt Z) or a performer (David Dorůžka Trio, Tiburtina Ensemble, Tomáš Hobzek Quartet, Face of the Bass, and Points Septet). In the project of Dagmar Voňková’s album Archa, he participated as a co-author of original arrangements of the artist’s songs Tobě (For You) and Živá voda (Water of Life). Born in the town of Mariánské Lázně, he studied classical clarinet at the Pilsen conservatoire and explored the world of jazz on his own, playing alto saxophone from early on. He founded his first band while still a student, and gradually established himself on the scene of contemporary experimental jazz and improvised music. At the same time, he has pursued composition, which he has been teaching at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory, and has been one of the mentors at the Menart Academy for young artists. He has collaborated on theatre music for drama and various dance performances (Theater Novogo Fronta, Farma v jeskyni, Vizita, and others), and participated in projects of great many foreign and local musicians. His visual artistic work, which he has been pursuing since 2007, involves diverse techniques and formats, and he is the co-author of Vertigo´s CD covers.