Record Reviews

JIRI STIVIN & RUDOLF DASEK ~ SYSTEM TANDEM REUNION SUPRAPHON 11 1224 (Barcode: 8596911122426) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 1989 Released: 1991 This is an album by the duo of two legendary Czech Jazz musicians: flautist / saxophonist / composer Jiri StivinFind albums by this artist and guitarist / composer Rudolf DasekFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen relatively short tracks, most of which are original compositions by the duo, both separately and together, some are their arrangements of Folk songs and finally one is a Jazz standard. The album, as the title suggest, is a result of a reunion of the duo’s activity in 1989, after many years of not performing together. Stivin and Dasek are both considered as Godfathers of modern Jazz in Czechoslovakia and both contributed immensely to the development of the local Jazz scene and both have impressive recording legacy. The duo was formed in the early 1970s and existed for several years, producing several albums together under the TandemFind albums by this artist / System TandemFind albums by this artist monikers. They were among the few Czechoslovak musicians, who were allowed to perform and records outside of their country during the socialist regime. This studio album, produced and recorded by my late Friend Antonin MatznerFind albums by this artist, with bi-lingual liner notes by another of my Friends, Igor WasserbergerFind albums by this artist, has a recently released companion live album “Tandem – Live 1989Find albums with this title”, recorded just a few months following the studio recording and released on the GalenFind albums on this label label in 2021. These recordings reflect beautifully the telepathic level of communication between these two musicians, which clearly belongs to the “Art of the Duo” category. The difference between the studio and live performances are strikingly different. Overall, this is a brilliant example of East European Jazz at its highest possible level and offers a unique chapter in its history. Sadly, it took me years to find a copy of this album, since it was not reissued and in tame disappeared deep into oblivion. Happy to see my long pursue was finally successful, as this is a true treasure!

Updated: 16/09/2025Posted: 16/09/2025

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