Bass player Pavel Jakub Ryba, born 1961 in Kutná Hora, ranks among the leading Czech jazz musicians. His extensive repertoire mixes jazz, classical, pop, rock and transforms classic standards to fit his own energetic musical style. He is also a successful composer. For twenty years he has been an active jazz musician who has never lost his musical identity. His albums and live performances receive the highest review ratings in the major jazz periodicals. In 1991 Ryba recorded his first solo album, Mind The Step, collaborating with some of the most accomplished Czech musicians from Radio Big Band Prague. Later Pavel J. Ryba founded his own group Mind The Step that brought together Jiří Kolman (percussions, voice) and Petr Albert Venkrbec (alt sax). In 2000 his M.T.S.-Art Ensemble recorded the album titled Yes, Yes, No No. The album got a glowing review in the U.S. Jazziz Magazine. In 2004 Ryba & Mind The Step recorded the album Morally Topless in a creative cooperation with the guitar legend Mike Stern. They have toured the USA, France, Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland and Russia. The tours included venues like Knitting Factory in New York, Le Club in Moscow or Birmingham Symphony Hall. He has cooperated with Mike Stern (USA), Josef Skrzek (Poland), Gray Lucas (USA), Jana Koubková (CZ) and many others. Apart from his own projects he can be heard as a session musician on various artists' recordings.

The excellent bass guitarist is not unknown to visitors of Opus Jazz Club, as his trio has been performing at the first Hevhetia festival three years ago, with Petr Valášek on bass clarinet and Tomáš Křemenák on saxophone and accordion. This time he comes in duo with Valášek, who, like Ryba, feels most comfortable in the world of blues, funk, mainstream and fusion jazz. The highly sought-after clarinetist, who has been on stage with Lisa Minelli, Dean Brown, Bobby McFerrin, also has his own group, Clarinet Factory.