Rudy Linka

About

Rudy Linka (born 29 May 1960 in Prague) is a Czech jazz guitarist, composer and producer based in New York. He emigrated via Sweden in the early 1980s, studied at Berklee College of Music and the New School under John Abercrombie and Dave Liebman, and took private lessons with Jim Hall and John Scofield. He has recorded with Paul Motian, Larry Grenadier, Jon Batiste and Bob Mintzer, and in 1998 Down Beat readers voted him one of the ten best guitarists in the world. Since 2005 he has been the founder and artistic director of Bohemia JazzFest, the Czech Republic's largest free jazz festival.

#10

best guitarists in the world according to Down Beat readers (1998)

90000+

visitors to Bohemia JazzFest per year

20+

editions of Bohemia JazzFest (since 2005)

What's new

2026-07
Bohemia JazzFest 2026 (21st edition) returned to the Royal Garden of Prague Castle and continued in other Czech cities including Brno.
2025-10
For October 2025, a performance by Rudy Linka Trio (with Christ van Voorst van Beestem and Rudy Royston) was announced at the Vrchlický Theatre in Louny.
2025-08
The magazine Down Beat published an extensive interview-report with Rudy Linka on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Bohemia JazzFest.
2025-07
The jubilee 20th edition of Bohemia JazzFest took place in July 2025 in Prague, Plzen, Hluboka nad Vltavou, Prachatice, and Brno; Rudy Linka presented the festival award to Danish singer Sinne Eeg.
2024-10
In October 2024, Rudy Linka performed with pianist Gil Goldstein in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle as part of the Just Between Us project.