Record Reviews

SHQ ~ RODINNA KRONIKA INDIES HAPPY TRAILS 729 (Barcode: 8595026672925) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 1962 - 1963 Released: 2016 This is the second of a series of eight reissue / archival albums presenting the recorded legacy of one of the Godfathers of Czechoslovak modern Jazz, vibraphonist / saxophonist / composer / bandleader Karel VelebnyFind albums by this artist and his SHQFind albums by this artist ensemble. All the music is beautifully remastered and the album comes with extensive liner notes, extremely well researched and full of discographical information, sadly only in Czech language (which works fine for me, but probably less so for other enthusiasts who also might be interested). This album presents early recordings by the SHQ ensemble, shortly after it was formed in 1961 and before it recorded the first full album, altogether eighteen tracks. Four of these track were previously released as an EP, thirteen others appeared on several Various Artists Jazz compilation LPs and SHQ compilation LPs, and one is previously unreleased. The first seven tracks (1-7), recorded in 1962, were performed by the first lineup of the ensemble, called at the time S+HQ, which included alongside Velebny baritone saxophonist / flautist Jan KonopasekFind albums by this artist, bassist Milan PilarFind albums by this artist and drummer Pavel StanekFind albums by this artist. Next four tracks (8-11) were also recorded in 1962 by S+HQ in the second lineup, which added guitarist Antonin JulinaFind albums by this artist and later changed the bassist to Jan ArnetFind albums by this artist. Next three tracks (12-14), recorded in 1963, were recorded by the quartet version (no drums) called S+H Quartet and finally the last four tracks (15-18) were recorded by various lineups including guests and finally called SHQ Ensemble. The music, most of which is original and composed by Velebny (eleven tracks) or other ensemble members, offers a wonderful glance at early Czech / European modern Jazz, which is clearly influenced by the Jazz tradition originating in America, but already following a completely new Jazz aesthetics, distinct and unique to what was happening in Jazz behind the Iron Curtain since the early 1960s. Already at that stage SHQ was a formidable ensemble, playing vital, sophistical Jazz, characterized by the vibraphone – baritone saxophone or flute front line, which set it apart from most of contemporaries. The brilliant performances testify to the high level of professionalism, despite the young age (late 20s early 30s) of the musicians involved and their familiarity with the contemporary Jazz conventions, as well as highly-developed improvisation skills and compositional quality. For fans of European Jazz and its history, the entire series is an absolute must, and the fact that most of this music is available on CD for the first time makes it an absolute treasure. Absolutely brilliant! My personal thanks to Jaromir KratochvilFind albums by this artist, the owner of Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label, for his friendship and the incredible job he is doing to keep this music alive! 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: 26/02/2020Posted: 25/02/2020

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend