„Music is the most powerful medium in the world.“
Jiří Gruz was born September 9th, 1948 in Prague, but he spent most of his life in Zábřeh. Jiří is a musician in his heart and he has devoted his entire life to music and culture. He played in several bands and organized cultural events. As he himself says, “music is one of the most powerful media which influence the mankind and it is linked to the freedom of expression.” Jiří Gruz did not give up on this even during the totalitarian rule of the communist regime. He became a member of the Jazz Section, a band which suffered persecution, and he tried to express his feelings through his music. For this reason, their band Proměny (‘Transformations‘) was therefore not allowed to perform before the collapse of the communist regime. Jiří was only able to experience complete freedom in his artistic activity for the first time only after 1989. He and his friends in Zábřeh then established the Independent Cultural Initiative, which promotes the ideals of liberty, and he opened the first music club in town.