Record Reviews

COMBO FH ~ VECI / SITUACE NA STRESE (CZECHOSLOVAK JAZZ-ROCK EXPANDED EDITION) INDIES HAPPY TRAILS 625 (Barcode: 8595026662520) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 - 1986 Released: 2008 This wonderful reissue collects all the recordings by the Czechoslovak ensemble Combo FHFind albums by this artist. It is a brilliant document of the music scene, which thrived in Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain, in all the so-called "Socialist" countries, and was every bit as interesting, groundbreaking and visionary as anything else happening at the same time in Western Europe or the USA. In spite of political pressures, artistic censorship and economic hardships, with very limited access to recordings from the West, decent equipment or proper recording facilities, these young and ambitious musicians were exploding with ideas and boldly exploring new territories. The resulting music created at the time remains completely relevant today and should be rediscovered by young audiences, as it lost absolutely nothing of its power and intellectual quality. Combo FH was formed by the brilliant keyboardist / composer Daniel FikejzFind albums by this artist and over time included quite a few musicians as the lineup changed frequently. The instrumentation was quite unusual and included, apart from acoustic and electronic keyboards, also a plethora of wind and brass instruments, guitars, bass and drums. Some of the track feature also vocals. The overall sound was usually soft and acoustic. The music (all composed by Fikejz) is completely original and wonderfully weird, with odd meters and constantly changing melody lines, quite Zappaesque at times and full of humor. This is definitely some of the most interesting stuff one can come across and since it is quite difficult to categorize, Jazz-Rock might be the best approximation. The bonus material includes an ultra-rare EP, singles, tracks released previously on compilation albums and some archival recordings. In retrospect this is some of the best Eastern European Jazz-Rock, which should not be missed by any connoisseur of the genre. A must! Side Note Since the 1950s Czechoslovakia had a highly developed Jazz scene, certainly in proportion to its population, which included many successful ensembles and even Big Bands, as well as Jazz clubs, festivals and publications, all this in spite of state censorship and political limitations. The similar situation existed since the 1960s as far as Rock (including Progressive Rock and Jazz-Rock Fusion) was concerned, resulting in many excellent, interesting and innovative ensembles. The music was relatively well documented by the three state owned record labels: SupraphonFind albums on this label (founded in 1927), PantonFind albums on this label (founded in 1968) and OpusFind albums on this label (founded in 1971 and based in Bratislava, created on the base of Slovak division of Supraphon). Following the "Velvet Revolution" in 1989, the state owned record labels were privatized, with Supraphon dominating the local market. However, Supraphon was quite reluctant as far as exploring its vast back catalogue is concerned, and this is where the small independent Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label Records, a reissue label dedicated to the preservation of the recorded legacy of Czechoslovak music, owned and run by the devoted enthusiast / historian Jaromir KratochvilFind albums by this artist, founded in 2007, comes in. Over the years the label released a plethora of brilliant music, reissuing long deleted LPs and extensively exploring the archives in search of bonus material. The quest of Indies Happy Trails is similar to what the GADFind albums on this label Records label, run by Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist, is doing for Polish music, with similar consistency and praiseworthy dedication.

Updated: 28/02/2020Posted:

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend