Record Reviews
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  | MAHAGON ~ MAHAGON (EXPANDED EDITION)
GAD 174 (Barcode: 5903068122545) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1975 - 1977 Released: 2021
This is a reissue of the debut album by Czechoslovak Jazz-Rock Fusion band MahagonFind albums by this artist, led by bassist / composer Petr KlapkaFind albums by this artist, originally released in 1978. The collected lineup that recorded this album includes twelve musicians, with some of the best Jazz and Rock players in the country at the time, like keyboardist Michael KocabFind albums by this artist and violinist Jan HrubyFind albums by this artist. It was fronted by female vocalist Zdena AdamovaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Klapka.
This new reissue is expanded by five additional tracks, which are radio recordings preceding the recording of the album, also all original compositions, one by Klapka and the rest by other members of the group.
This album was already reissued, together with the second album by the group, as a 2CD set in 2008 on the Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label label, but the bonus tracks are released here for the first time.
The music is absolutely timeless and amalgamates many influences, both the obvious ones like Jazz, Rock and Blues, and stylistically follows the Brass Rock ensembles like Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist or ChicagoFind albums by this artist, adding also a strong Funk element and Eastern European twist, with some folkloristic inspirations. Combined with the superb musicianship found here, this album is a true gem from start to finish. The fact that this music had no chance to reach listeners in Western Europe at the time is a travesty, which can now be easily rectified.
Overall, this is obviously one of the best East European albums recorded at the time, and although it is forty-five years old, it sounds absolutely fresh and exciting. As usual, hats off to GADFind albums on this label Records for bringing this treasure back to life and expanding it with additional brilliant music, which deserves to be heard and should not be forgotten. No decent Fusion record collection is complete without this album in it. Absolutely essential!
| | Updated: 27/01/2022Posted: 27/01/2022 | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | MAHAGON ~ MAHAGON / SLUNECNICE PRO VINCENTA VAN GOGHA (CZECHOSLOVAK JAZZ-ROCK EXPANDED EDITION)
INDIES HAPPY TRAILS 627 (Barcode: 8595026662728) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1976 - 1979 Released: 2008
This wonderful reissue collects all the recordings by the Czechoslovak ensemble MahagonFind 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.
Mahagon was formed by bassist / composer Petr KlapkaFind albums by this artist and included some of the best Jazz players in the country at the time, like keyboardist Michael KocabFind albums by this artist. It was fronted by female vocalist Zdena AdamovaFind albums by this artist and stylistically followed the brass Jazz-Rock ensembles like Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist or ChicagoFind albums by this artist, adding also a strong Funk element. Klapka wrote the all-original material as well as the brass arrangements performed by the ensemble.
The bonus material includes several ultra-rare singles. 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: 08/06/2023Posted: | CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | PRAGUE BIG BAND ~ PODOBIZNA (PORTRAIT)
GALEN 19 158 (Barcode: 8594042901675) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1977 Released: 2019
This is a reissue of the superb debut album by the Prague Big BandFind albums by this artist, founded in 1974 and led to this day by Czech pianist / arranger / composer / bandleader Milan SvobodaFind albums by this artist. At the time this album was recorded the Big Band included some of the most prominent Czech Jazz musicians active on the local scene, including flautist / saxophonist Jiri StivinFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Michal GeraFind albums by this artist, trombonist Bohuslav VolfFind albums by this artist, pianist Michael KocabFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents six original compositions (one being a three-part suite), two composed by Svoboda and one each by Volf, Gera, Kocab and Stivin. This remastered edition offers a splendid sound quality and preserves the ambience of the original recording.
Although the Big Band was initially set up according to the mold created by the American Big Band tradition, it soon changed to reflect more of the East European Jazz spirit, reflected best by the original compositions by the leader and other members of the Big Band, as well as the as the impending changes within the Jazz idiom, as reflected on this album.
Before the "Velvet Revolution" Svoboda and his Prague Big Band managed to record two more excellent albums for the state owned SupraphonFind albums on this label label: "ReminiscencesFind albums with this title" and "Poste RestanteFind albums with this title" and the live Big Band album "GeminiFind albums with this title" recorded in the US, as well as the excellent album "InterJazz 5Find albums with this title" recorded with The Czech / Polish Big BandFind albums by this artist, which featured an absolute dreamy lineup. Later on more Big Band recordings followed.
Svoboda and his Prague Big Band managed to record a string of highly successful albums, all of which are warmly recommended, but this iconic album, available here on CD for the first time, is a true gem of special significance.
For connoisseurs of Orchestral / Big Band Jazz this album is an absolute must and a wonderful example of the European Jazz idiosyncrasy.
Side Note
The Czech publishing house and record label GalenFind albums on this label, run by Lubomir HoudekFind albums by this artist, is another player on the local scene, reissuing historical recordings from the deep vaults of the SupraphonFind albums on this label / PantonFind albums on this label labels, supported by the Czech Ministry of Culture. This commendable initiative is a wonderful example of the preservation of Cultural heritage. Hopefully the label's future releases will include information in English in the album's booklets, so that Jazz enthusiasts around the world might be allowed to share the knowledge.
For more reissues of Czechoslovak Jazz (and Rock) see also the releases by Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label Records.
| | Updated: 04/06/2020Posted: 04/06/2020 | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | JIRI STIVIN / MICHAEL KOCAB / ONDREJ SOUKUP ~ AD LIBITUM
GALEN 20 174 (Barcode: 8594042901866) ~ CZECHOSLOVAKIA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 1979 Released: 2021
This is an archival live album by the Czechoslovak Jazz trio comprising of flutist / saxophonist / composer Jiri StivinFind albums by this artist, pianist / composer Michael KocabFind albums by this artist and bassist / composer Ondrej SoukupFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents fifteen tracks, all co-credited to the three musicians.
The music is all completely spontaneously created / improvised, and considered the time and the place, i.e. Prague, 1979, behind the Iron Curtain, this was completely unprecedented, with the term Improvised Music being unheard of as such. Strangely enough, this improvised music was not really connected with Avant-Garde / Free Jazz at all, as most of the music the trio created was strongly melody based and was nowhere near the havoc / cacophony of the extreme Free Jazz usually associated with Improvised Music.
Stivin (born 1942) was of course the leader of the trio, informally but naturally and respectfully, considering the fact that he was older (Kocab was born in 1954 and Soukup in 1951) and infinitely more experienced than his partners. The idea of spontaneous composition was not really strange or new to Stivin and was in fact a part of his natural musical habitat, for example in his Tandem duo with Rudolf DasekFind albums by this artist and many other occasions. Therefore, the improvised / spontaneous music performed by the trio was in fact a new phenomenon, a one of a kind adventure and a marvelous piece of musical experience, which the audience invited to the concert, which was captured on record herein, was completely unprepared for, but all things considered, responded with elegant, albeit restrained applause :)
In retrospect, this album portrays the Czechoslovak Jazz scene at its most bizarre, forward-thinking and ingenious aspects. Nothing similar to this music saw the light of day while the old regime was in power, and even after the Czechs finally managed to get liberated, it took more than forty years for this music to be released, thanks to the initiative of the GalenFind albums on this label label.
Overall, this is definitely one of the most interesting pieces of Czechoslovak Jazz history on record, and anything I can tell about it is not even close to the real thing, which has to be heard to believe. As such it is an absolutely essential recorded document of what Improvised Music can sound like and improvisation really means.
Side Note
The Czech publishing house and record label GalenFind albums on this label, run by Lubomir HoudekFind albums by this artist, is another player on the local scene, reissuing historical recordings from the deep vaults of the SupraphonFind albums on this label / PantonFind albums on this label labels, supported by the Czech Ministry of Culture. This commendable initiative is a wonderful example of the preservation of Cultural heritage. Hopefully the label's future releases will include information in English in the album's booklets, so that Jazz enthusiasts around the world might be allowed to share the knowledge.
For more reissues of Czechoslovak Jazz (and Rock) see also the releases by Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label Records.
| | Updated: 30/05/2025Posted: 30/05/2025 | CD 2 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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