Impuls

Czech jazz-rock group founded in 1974. Impuls was preceded by Jazz Nova, which was formed in 1971 and centered around trombone player Jindrich Dostál. They were coming from a traditional jazz grounding, as opposed to other jazz-rock bands from the eastern bloc that had settled on jazz influenced music just because it was idealistically harmless to the official party line and therefore tolerated. After some lineup changes (Michal Gera - trumpet, Pavel Kostiuk - keyb., Zdenrk Fiser - guitar, Jan Vytrhlík - bass and Jaromír Helesic - drums) the band veered toward jazz-rock influenced by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. First recordings appeared in 1975 on the "Jazz Workshop" compilation, in the form of covers - Herbie Hancock's Sly and Chick Corea's Crystal Silence. In 1977 they released their first and only LP. It featured Mahavishnu-influenced rhythms and also some influence from local folklore. Shortly after they broke up. Nowadays, there is a gigging lineup led by Fiser with Helesic and Kostiuk and some new guys.