Fresh Uncles – Prague Jazz Series – Cube/Metier A Night in Tunisia – The Apollon String Quartet – Prague Jazz Series – Cube/Metier

by | Mar 5, 2007 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Fresh Uncles – Prague Jazz Series – Cube/Metier MJCD 9802, 72:00 *** [Distr. Albany]:
(Josef Bazik Pavelka, trombone/vocals/leader; Pavel Husicka, trumpet/Flugelhorn; Ludek Svabensky, piano; Petr Korinek, bass; Ivan Smazik, drums)

A Night in Tunisia – The Apollon String Quartet – Prague Jazz Series – Cube/Metier MJCD 9907, 53:30 **** [Distr. Albany]:

Back in the early 70s the Czech label Supraphon released on LP Six Uncles in Reduta, thought to be the first live recording of Prague jazz. Now a new series is being released on CD in co-production with a British-based label.  The playing is on a very high level and the sonics excellent, being two-channel direct to DAT without multitracking. The recordings are made in one of the studios of Prague Radio.

Prague has become a rather hot jazz environment, with talented musicians, some who have played there since the 60s, as well as a new wave of players from the West.  Many young people flock to the jazz clubs around the historical Czech city; it has been compared to Paris in the 30s. These two CDs display just two distinctive approaches to jazz in Prague.

Jazz Uncles has a nice, tight sound with their front line of trombone and trumpet or Flugelhorn.  They really swing on such standards as the Yardbird Suite and The Way You Look Tonight.  The only slight fly in the ointment is the voice of leader Pavelka; his accent isn’t  bad but it’s like many good jazz discs which are brought down a notch by some of the tracks sporting less-than-first-rate vocals. The vocal track that seems to work best is the one entirely in Czech, and reminding me in parts of something by Michel Legrand.

The Apollon Quartet are terrific string players. It appears that ten of their 11 tracks are arrangements from the Turtle Island String Quartet – mostly by David Balakrishnan, the founder of that ensemble – and they are just about as good as the original.  The closing track is an original blues by a local composer. Who says string quartets don’t know how to swing?  The Apollon does a better job than some other jazz-oriented string quartets on CD.

TrackList (Uncles): There Will Never Be Another You, My Crazy Head, Vila, Yardbird Suite, The Gypsy, I Love You, To Dee Dup, The Way You Look Tonight, Sometime Ago, Jive Hot, Get Out of Town, My Foolish Heart, Love Letters.

TrackList (Apollon): A Night in Tunisia, Senor Mouse, Ruby My Dear, Stolen Moments, Who Do You Think You Are, Tremors, Milestones, Naima, Street Stuff, Skylife, CD Blues.

 – John Henry

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