Pianist
A jazz pianist in the lineage of Barry Harris - and one of the few in the country playing Afro-Cuban music at source level. He works regularly as an accompanist for singers, in jazz and other genres, and is equally at home in settings from duo to big band to symphony orchestra.
The Barry Harris years
The school that mattered most was Barry Harris's Rome workshop: a first visit in 2013, some seven stays over the years that followed, and the master's Saturday Zoom sessions through the pandemic. Harris knew the Slovak pianist by name and liked to call him up to play - “He plays so good…” Since April 2023 the workshop has continued in Rome with Tomáš among its teachers, carrying the method forward in Harris's place.
The path there led through the Ježek Conservatory and HAMU in Prague - and through Kenny Barron, a lifelong model first met at Tuscia in Jazz in Italy in 2008.
The bands
Colorful People is the main one - conservatory friends bound by Brazilian music, a line-up that stretches from trio to full band, and a songbook that has travelled from Prague clubs to Kuwait, Delhi, Riyadh and Jeddah, with regular stops in Germany and Switzerland. The Afro-Cuban line runs through two more projects: the Tomáš Jochmann Latin Jazz Quartet, the only one of its kind in Prague, and the salsa band Klan Del Caribe. For club nights and private stages there is the piano trio with Josef Fečo and Martin Šulc.
With singers and orchestras
The accompanist's chair has its own history: six years at the piano for Miro Žbirka, until the singer's passing - a collaboration that continues in the Miro Žbirka Symphonic Night. The piano on Štefan Margita's 2025 record Andělé strážní led to the singer's 2026 concert at Prague's O2 Arena; before that came Chantal Poullain's chansons and regular work with Marie Němcová and Lara Morr. Big-band tours have reached Hanoi and Taipei; symphony dates include Hradec Králové, Zlín, Karlovy Vary and Bratislava.
Selected stages
Jazz im Muri in Switzerland, Tuscia in Jazz in Italy, the Jihočeský jazz festival, Jazz na Hradě, Jazz Černošice and Festival Boskovice, among others. One night in Bagnoregio put the Rosario Giuliani Quintet with Kurt Rosenwinkel on the same stage; another with Giuliani had Justin Faulkner at the drums. And February 2026 brought a Prague club set with Omar Hakim - Get Lucky, which Hakim recorded but had never played live, and Englishman in New York.
Projects
Colorful People
keys & bass
One of his main bands - friends from the Ježek Conservatory, bound by Brazilian music. A flexible line-up from trio to full band that has carried the songbook from Prague to Kuwait, Delhi, Riyadh and Jeddah, with regular stops in Germany and Switzerland.
Tomáš Jochmann Latin Jazz Quartet
bandleader
Afro-Cuban jazz played at source level - the only quartet of its kind in Prague, and possibly in the country.
Klan Del Caribe
keys
Afro-Cuban salsa - the dance-floor end of the same tradition. Their record Me Doy La Bamba was made end to end at Baracca.
Tomas Jochmann Trio
piano trio
With Josef Fečo on bass and Martin Šulc on drums - both longtime sidemen of the late jazz legend Karel Růžička. Occasional nights at Jazz Dock, festivals and private events.
Marie Němcová
piano & recording
Czech singer-songwriter - a string of singles and the album Vítej, světlo v nás. Tomáš plays piano on her records and records her at Baracca.
Lara Morr
accompanist
Slovak pop singer - Tomáš accompanies her live and plays on her releases, from the live session Nech veci plynúť to the single Len raz.
Jazz Piano Lessons
online, one-on-one
Lessons over Zoom - 50 EUR per lesson. No trial lesson; the credentials do that job: yearly teaching at the Czech Jazz Workshop, and the Barry Harris Workshop in Rome since 2023.
Start in Earonman: for most students the bottleneck is intervals and chords, and the basics are free in the app - along with Jazz Voicings practice. Once that's moving, lessons go where an app can't: repertoire, phrasing, the Barry Harris method at the piano. First step: write through the contact form.
Transcriptions
sheet music store
Note-for-note transcriptions from the worlds he plays in - Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, Chucho Valdés, bossa nova patterns. Several are free to start with.
“I consider Tomas to be one of the very best jazz pianists working in the Czech Republic today. He is extremely fluent in the bebop and post-bop idiom, both a great soloist and a highly sensitive accompanist. I have also worked with him as a sound engineer, a job he performs with the same degree of excellence as his piano work. It is no surprise his skills are sought after across so many genres.”
Osian Robertssaxophonist · Cardiff / London / Prague“In 2015 I toured the Czech Republic and Slovakia playing jazz clubs and festivals, with Tomas on piano. Every gig was a pleasure, in large part due to the supportive and very musical accompaniment from the piano. His comping made soloing a joy and his solos were inventive and interesting. I would unreservedly recommend him to anyone needing a first class keyboard player.”
Ian Ritchiesaxophonist, producer, composer, Roger Waters touring band · London, UK“Tomas is truly an amazing talent and visionary artist. His skills in arranging and composition made him the real genius of our tours throughout Europe. His touch and his taste are unique and lyrical. He is one of the few pianists I have felt comfortable taking the reins with, allowing me to focus on vocal performance. A genuine friend and a fabulous musician.”
Justin Echolsjazz vocalist and pianist · Oklahoma, USA