Ask any random person about Czechoslovak music and chances are most likely that he or she will talk about either classical or folklorist music, rather than modernist or avant-garde jazz. Yet, Czechoslovak jazz has a very creative and distinct sound that is of course inspired by American jazz in the first place (check out the cover versions of Cubano Chant, Jordu & Sister Sadie for example), but that is also deeply rooted in European classical and folk music. This is the case for most European jazz, but it’s definitely more pronounced with Czechoslovak jazz. Karel Krautgartner, for instance, was one of the main figures on the Czech jazz scene, but also recorded classical music.

Where American jazz is centered around improvisation, Czech jazz is much more oriented towards composition. Many composers experimented with long suites, rhythm changes, strange sounds and melodies and unusual arrangements with an avant-garde flavour (or what else to think of composer Karel Velebny’s piece entitled ‘Neo-realistic variations on the ground plan of a two-room flat with a kitchen core (danse-macabre)’?).

Jazz in a communist regime

The modern jazz scene of what was then called Republic Of Czechoslovakia started to slightly develop in the late 1940s. Previous to that, jazz had been forbidden during the Nazi occupation. Because of the distinct American and individualist character of jazz, the new Stalinist government of the country wasn’t in favor of the genre of music either. However, despite the communist regime, the jazzscene was able to develop little by little. It was this climate of oppression that made people yearn for independence and freedom, a freedom which the musicians found in jazz music.

It was during these days that a new movement of free thinkers, writers and artists arose, which would lead to the Prague spring in 1968. This movement was closely connected to the jazz scene. That same year however, the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia, causing important jazz musicians such as Jan Hammer and Karel Krautgartner leaving their country.

Prague Jazz Festival

In 1964, the first edition of the International Prague Jazz Festival was held. Since then, the yearly festival was a chance for jazz enthousiasts to hear foreign jazz musicians from all over the world. In the first few years, some of the performing artists were Mark Murphy, Charles Lloyd, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Palle Mikkelborg and many more. The festival is still held every year to this day.

Supraphon

Most jazz records were released on the state owned Supraphon label (or, since the late sixties on its sublabel Panton). Thanks to the international succes that Supraphon gained because of the famous classical artists and its innovative recording engineering, the label was able to release many jazz records too. Its Gramofonovy Klub (record club) for instance, released an overview of the jazz scene each year since the early sixties.

The Studio 5 Ensemble – the birth of modern jazz in Czechoslovakia
(Picture taken from the liner notes of ‘Cesky Jazz 1920-1960′)

Studio 5 Ensemble – Spanish Fly (Modern Jazz 10” LP – Supraphon)
Founded in 1958, the Studio 5 Ensemble was a sextet centered around Karel Velebny and Ludek Hulan, two of the most important figures on the Czechoslovak jazz scene. Their sound is inspired by the West-Coast jazz scene, mainly by Gerry Mulligan and the Modern Jazz Quartet. They released one 10” LP (from which this piece is taken) and disbanded soon after.

S+H Quintet – Cubano Chant (SHQ + Friends LP – Supraphon)
The S+H Quintet was the follow-up of the Studio 5 Ensemble. The main soloist was Jan Konopasek, who played baritone saxophone and flute. The bandleader and composer was Karel Velebny, whose compositions (some 200 pieces) and multi-instrumentalism (vibraphone, saxophone, piano and percussion) gained him the nickname ‘the father of modern jazz in Czechoslovakia’. The group had a small core of members, but performed and recorded with numerous variations in line-up, ranging from a quartet to a big band, which is the case in this superb interpretation of the Ray Bryant tune, heavy jazz for the dancefloor.

Gustav Brom and his Orchestra – Cloud (Orchestr Gustava Broma LP Supraphon)
Gustav Brom had a long and varied career: it spans from the 1940s until his death in 1995. He played different styles, from dixieland and swing to modern jazz and fusion. Although he played the clarinet, he’s best known as a band-leader, composer and arranger. This tune was recorded with a small combo in the late sixties and is a groovy jazz tune with wordless vocals.

The legendary S+H Quintet, with Karel Velebny on saxophone
Copyright Zdenek Taichman, 1964
(Picture taken from the liner notes of ‘Jazz In Czechoslovakia 5′)

S+H Quintet – Jordu (Jak Hràl LP – Supraphon)
The S+H Quintet (short for Spejbl and Huvinek, referring to the theatre they were part of in the beginning) covers the classic Duke Jordan composition so well here. I love the fact that they play this tune because you can really hear the difference in sound between a US and a European approach here. The solos are superb too.

Combo 4 Bratislava – Sister Sadie (Jazz Na Koncertnim Podiu LP – Supraphon)
We leave Prague for a while and take a look at the scene in Bratislava (currently the capital of Slovakia), with a cover of a Horace Silver standard, courtesy of the Combo 4 Bratislava. A strange fact though, on the sleeve this song is titled ‘St. Vitus Dance’ (another Horace Silver classic), although it’s obviously Sister Sadie.

Bratislava Jazz Quartet – Silhouettes (Jazz In Czechoslovakia 3 LP – Supraphon)
A great groovy vibraphone track here. In the liner notes of the Jazz In Czechoslovakia vol. 3 LP, piano player Ladislav Gerhardt says: “In style our group is inclined to soul jazz, though at the same time we are trying to attain our own expressive means and creative approach to it.”, which kind of explains it all, if you ask me.

The Bratislava Jazz Quartet with Ladislav Gerhardt at the Piano
(Picture taken from the liner notes of ‘Jazz In Czechoslovakia 3′)

Ladislav Gerhardt Jazz Quartet – Meditations (Jazz In Czechoslovakia 7 LP – Supraphon)
Ladislav Gerhardt was a composer and piano player who was influenced mostly by Bill Evans. With this quartet (basically the same line-up as the Bratislava Jazz Quartet, except for L. Martonik (trumpet) replacing the vibraphoneplayer), he worked at different clubs and also at the Bratislava Radio. His discography as a leader is limited, but he appeared on many albums as a sideman and on some of the Czechoslovak jazz anthology albums. This tune is written and played in a Miles Davis kind of way.

Jazzovi Solisté – Ztrata Nalezeneho Syna (Ceskoslovensky Jazz 1966 Lp – Supraphon)
Back to Prague, back to Karel Velebny, for one of his own compositions on which he plays piano too (in English it means ‘The Loss Of A New-Found Son’). It starts with a beautiful deep guitar solo intro and has a great hard bop theme with a killer horn section. From what I could make up of the liner notes, this was a piece that he had recorded before, but rearranged to fit in the spirit of Horace Silver, one of his favorite musicians.

Karel Velebny at the vibraphone
Copyright Lubos Svatek 1967
(Picture taken from the liner notes of ‘Ceskoslovensky Jazz 1966′)

Junior Trio – Balada (Ceskoslovensky Jazz 1964 LP – Supraphon)
Jan Hammer is a very famous keyboard player and composer these days. He played with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and even composed the theme for Miami Vice in the eighties. He formed his first group together with Miroslav Vitous (of later Weather Report fame) and Alan Vitous in the early sixties. At the time of this recording, Hammer and his mates were only sixteen years old!

Gustav Brom – Calling Up The Rain (Plays For You Pop Jazz And Swing LP – Opus)
To illustrate the eclectism of Gustav Brom, I also selected ‘Calling Up The Rain’, a long-time favorite among DJ’s because of the funky percussions and wah-wah guitars. The trumpet solo is great too.

Prague Big Band – Gee Whizz (Portrait LP – Panton)
We end up this overview of Czechoslovak jazz with one of the most badass fusion records I know. The Prague Big Band is led by Milan Svoboda and features Czech fusion legend Jiri Stivin with a super heavy flute solo here.