Record Reviews

LACO DECZI / JAZZ CELLULA ~ PIETOSO INDIES HAPPY TRAILS 629 (Barcode: 8595026662926) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 1968 Released: 2008 This is a wonderful early album by trumpeter Laco DecziFind albums by this artist and his Jazz CellulaFind albums by this artist ensemble, which includes the best Czechoslovak Jazz musicians of that period: saxophonist Petr KralFind albums by this artist, pianist Karel RuzickaFind albums by this artist, bassist Pavel GreifonerFind albums by this artist and drummer Laco TroppFind albums by this artist. Deczi, one of the forefathers of modern Czechoslovak Jazz, made a most significant contribution to the local scene over the years and is still active today. The album, which is a classic Jazz quintet setting, presents eight compositions, four of which are originals (by Deczi and Kral) and the other four are Jazz standards. The overall atmosphere, as the title suggests, is deeply lyrical and melancholic, which is hardly surprising as the album was recorded just a few months following the brutal suppression of the Prague Spring movement, culminating with the military occupation of the country by the Warsaw Pact forces in August of 1968, which has shaken the fabric of the Czechoslovak society beyond recognition. The Czech intellectuals and artist bravely continued their activities, often risking personal retributions and even jail sentences, and had to wait for over two more decades to win their freedom from the Socialist regime, reaching some amazing Cultural accomplishment during those dark years. Deczi and his cohorts perform beautifully, delivering some impressive solos and cooperating wonderfully as a unit. Deczi´s trumpet virtuosity is simply astounding, with a modern sound and tonal approach equal to the most advanced parallel output of American and West European trumpeters of the day. The album as a whole is an excellent example of East European Jazz at its best, and similar to many recordings of Polish Jazz made at the same period. This reissue of the album, which has been unavailable for almost forty years, is a celebration of the Czechoslovak Jazz history and a most welcome reminder of how good and the music was at the time. It is an absolute must for all East European Jazz connoisseurs! 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:

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