Laco Deczi is one of the most respected trumpet players to have ever come out of former Czechoslovakia, a jazzman who got his start in 1960s Prague playing Be Bop and so-called Hard Bop. Deczi (who has lived in the US since the mid-1980s and is now in his late 70s) still routinely tours the Czech Republic and his homeland Slovakia. Deczi still enjoys playing - writing dozens of compositions and performing live with Celula - in which his son Vaico is the drummer, Michael Krasny plays the bass and sings, Jan Ales plays the keys. Laco admits younger crowds these days aren't all that sure what to think of jazz, one reason why he likes to mix it up. "You know, it's a problem for young people because a lot of music like jazz - especially in Europe - is pretty dead, you know? Too cool, we call it 'too much philosophy' - no balls! No power! We play music where we mix Latino and other stuff and the people don't care who the composer is, they're just looking for the rhythm. Nice, so they can dance. Some of them come to me and say 'I don't know what kind of style you play... but I like it."