Friends, dear fans, esteemed donors,
After several years of playing together as an intimate duo, we’ve decided to record an album and release it in a round (and flat) physical form with a nice booklet. As is sometimes the case, it seems that even we won’t be able to manage it this time without your help. Originally, the record label was supposed to cover the costs associated with recording and releasing the album, but halfway through the process the plan fell through. Our album therefore won’t be released this autumn (on CD), but instead in the spring of 2026 (on vinyl), and the remaining production costs are now on us. That’s why we’re turning to you with this crowdfunding campaign. Thank you for your willingness and desire to support the creation of new music — we appreciate it immensely.
What will you find on the album?
Ten songs that will brighten your day or night and transport you here into a world of lightness and carefree joy, there into a world of reflection and introspection. Enter it through Martina’s and David’s interpretation of songs by bands such as Jefferson Airplane, singer-songwriters of great renown like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon, composers like Hoagy Carmichael, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and Fats Waller, and even contemporary pop star Billie Eilish.
What do these songs play and sing about?
About love, about life, about adventure and journeys. They are cover versions of more or less well-known global hits, mostly from the last century. The intimate guitar-and-voice setup creates space for spontaneity, which permeates the creative process of shaping songs that have enriched the world’s musical landscape to varying degrees. Marta and David transform the pieces in their own unique way, guided by sensitivity and warmth. The blending of Martina’s heartfelt vocal expression with David’s inventive, deeply musical approach promises a listening experience that will, we hope, linger long after the album’s final note fades.
A singer and a guitarist—both composers and distinctive figures on the Czech jazz scene—have put together a repertoire of their favorite songs. The multi-genre singer of unique qualities and a velvety voice, Marta Kloučková, and the phenomenal jazz musician and multiple Anděl music award winner David Dorůžka, bring their dynamic, delicate, and evocative music along with emotionally rich lyrics. The duo works very spontaneously, and their concerts have, for several years, served as a laboratory in which new material for the upcoming album has gradually crystallized.
In contrast to the strongly original, self-authored albums they have recorded individually (or together in larger ensembles), the album How Little We Dream is different — it consists of reinterpretations of existing songs and jazz standards.
Here is one of our earlier recordings for you to listen to — If It’s Magic by Stevie Wonder:
Who is Marta Kloučková?
Marta Kloučková is a prominent figure on the Czech jazz scene — a singer, composer, and songwriter. Her debut Loving Season (2018) was among the best-reviewed Czech jazz albums of the year. With her quintet — David Dorůžka, Jaromír Honzák, Vít Křišťan, and Marek Urbánek — she blends jazz tradition with an original artistic voice and poetic expression.
She has performed at major Czech jazz and multi-genre festivals (Prague Spring, Smetana’s Litomyšl, Prague Proms, Jazz Fest Přerov) as well as abroad (France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Latvia). Her second album Stopa snu (A Trace of a Dream, 2022) received notable acclaim for its musical inventiveness and emotional depth.
She has collaborated with vocal stars Lizz Wright and Judith Hill, pianist Thierry Maillard, and as a member of the award-winning vocal sextet SKETY she has toured across Europe, Australia, and Taiwan. Through the Voicingers platform, she has also performed in Poland, Latvia, and France. In 2024, arrangements from Stopa snu were performed in a concert with the South Czech Philharmonic.
She is currently preparing her third album — a duo project with guitarist David Dorůžka. She studied musical theatre at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory and jazz at the Jaroslav Ježek College, and she also holds a master’s degree from the University of Economics in Prague.
Besides performing, she is active in the projects SKETY and D.Y.K. and collaborates across genres with various orchestras and artists. On Czech Radio Vltava, she hosts and creates the program Sedmé nebe (Seventh Heaven). She also teaches singing — privately, at workshops, and now newly at the jazz department of the Jaroslav Ježek College.
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Who is David Dorůžka?
Often described as one of the leading figures of the Czech jazz scene, David Dorůžka has been an active professional musician since the age of fourteen. He has performed all over the world, collaborated with numerous internationally renowned artists, and spent extended periods living in major cultural centers such as New York and Paris.
Dorůžka released his latest original album Andromeda’s Mystery in June 2022, recorded with Polish pianist Piotr Wyleżoł and American drumming legend Jeff Ballard. In recent years, he has taken part in many international projects, tours, and recordings — for example on the albums Sara with Aga Zaryan and Szymon Mika, The Multiverse: Knowing with Scott McLemore, Komeda Unknown 1967 with Piotr Schmidt, Homeland with Piotr Budniak, and as a guest with American vocal star Lizz Wright.
Dorůžka’s earlier album Autumn Tales (2016) was named “the best Czech jazz record of 2016” by Czech Radio Jazz, praised as “a masterpiece” by lidovky.cz, and awarded the Anděl prize for Jazz & Blues Album of the Year.
David Dorůžka first appeared on the Czech jazz scene as a teenager. He later studied composition and improvisation at Berklee College of Music in Boston, with professors such as Joe Lovano, Mick Goodrick, and George Garzone, and he also had the opportunity to learn from musicians including Herbie Hancock, Brian Blade, Joshua Redman, and Christian McBride.
Dorůžka is the recipient of three Anděl awards for Jazz Album of the Year (Autumn Tales 2016, Silently Dawning 2008, Hidden Paths 2004); he received the same award again in 2012 for Light Year, recorded with the quintet Inner Spaces.
He has performed at countless prestigious festivals and clubs worldwide and has contributed to dozens of recordings. He has collaborated with artists such as Jeff Ballard, Lizz Wright, Kendrick Scott, Dan Tepfer, George Mraz, Jorge Rossy, Chris Cheek, Arild Andersen, Django Bates, Bill McHenry, Jon Fält, Marcin Wasilewski, Aga Zaryan, Hilmar Jensson, Rodney Green, Brian Charette, Daniele di Bonaventura, Tiburtina Ensemble, Jiří Suchý, Oldřich Janota, Iva Bittová, Ewa Farna, and many others.
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We will use the funds raised to cover part of the costs associated with recording the album (studio rental, sound engineers, mixing, mastering) and releasing it on vinyl. Creating an album is a beautiful endeavor, but it is also quite demanding and expensive — and releasing vinyl records is no exception. We believe that a vinyl artifact with beautiful artwork and song lyrics will endure, and it is clear that—unlike listening on streaming platforms—it carries added value precisely through its physical presence. And we believe that this is something you will appreciate.
With your help, we can make this entire process a little easier, and that means a great deal. Thank you.
