1930s-40s PRAGUE SWING

Prague, the Czech capital, was one of the swing hubs of Europe up until the Communists came in 1948. And since we had Texan Western Swing sung in Czech on last week’s Phantom Dancer, this week’s Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton features a small set of Czech swing from the Ultraphon label 1931-45.

PHANTOM DANCER

The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop swing and jazz mix of live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week. I’ve been bringing you The Phantom Dancer on radio 2SER, and now online, since 1985.

Hear this week’s Phantom Dancer (after Nov 20) and past Phantom Dancers at 2ser.com.
Hear the show live every Tuesday 12:04-2pm on 107.3 2SER Sydney

ALLANOVY SESTRY

The Allan Sisters, Jiřina Salačová , Věra Kočvarová and Radka Hlavsová, began singing original songs in the style of the Boswell and Andrews Sisters in 1940. They were discovered by Prague bandleader Karel Vlach. They also performed with leading Prague band leader R Dvorský. They expanded to a quartet 1946-48 with Vera Holotíková. She was the last living Allanoy (1924-2918).

JAROLSLAV JEZEK

Ježek was a pianist, band leader, and composer of swing, classical and film music who was significantly blind from childhood.

He was forced to migrate to the U.S after the Nazi occupation and died in New York City in 1942.

His Wiki entry states,

Ježek’s “musical output is commonly divided into two parts.

The first part – chamber, piano and concertant compositions – created first under the influence of Stravinsky, of the Parisian Les Six and of Arnold Schönberg.

The second part – a popular jazz composer in pre-war Czechoslovakia.

He composed songs and dances for Prague Free Theatre revues (The Ass and the Shadow, Caesar, The Headsman and the Fool) and also for the films of Voskovec and Werich (Powder and Petrol, The World Is Ours, Heave Ho!).

His innovative melodies are still well known in the Czech Republic.

Ježek was also influenced by American jazz.

Between 1929 and 1936 he organized and conducted an orchestra featuring his original jazz compositions and arrangements. Billed variously as ‘Ježek’s Jazz'” and ‘Ježkův swingband’ they recorded for the Czech Ultraphon label, making some of the most original music in Europe.

A few of these recordings are, ‘Bugatti Step’ (1930), an up-tempo number for piano and jazz orchestra that enjoys enduring popularity as a hot jazz piano solo; ‘Teď ještě ne’ (Not Yet) (1931), a rousing dance music in the Jean Goldkette style; and ‘Rubbish Heap Blues’ (1937) inspired by Duke Ellington.

OSVOBOZENE DIVADLO

Liberated Theatre, Osvobozené Divadlo was an important part of the cultural life of the Czechoslovakian First Republic.. Jarolslav Ježek wrote music for the troupe and conducted the orchestra.

Originally inspired by Dadaism and Futurism with improvised performances reacting to the audience on plays by G. Apollinaire, A. Jarry, J. Cocteau, A. Breton, F. T. Marinetti and V. Nezvalthe, the theatre group distilled to a foursome by 1930 – Voskovec, Werich, Ježek, and Honzl.

Osvobozené Divadlo introduced ‘forbíny’, from the German, ‘Vorbühne’ or forestage – improvised dialogues front of stage usually presenting topical reactions to political and cultural events and subjects.

In 1932 Voskovec and Werich presented the first overtly political play, Caesar, warning against the danger of Nazism. From then on, the theatre began to be regarded as political. Another strongly anti-fascist play, Osel a stín (The Ass and the Shadow; 1933), was also very leftist-oriented. In 1934 Osvobozené divadlo presented another play, Kat a blázen, whose criticised Nazism. The play had problems with censorship and the German embassy lodged strong protests with management. After continuing complaints from German officials Osvobozené divadlo was expelled from its original theatre building.

Later anti-Nazi plays – Svět za mřížemi, Pěst na oko as well as Kat a blázen, caused demonstrations by fascists in the audience and led to a prohibition of all activities. The theatre was officially closed on November 10 1938 and in January 1939 Voskovec, Werich and Ježek emigrated to the United States.

After World War II. Werich and Voskovec (Ježek died in 1942 in New York City) came back from exile and attempted to restore Osvobozené divadlo, but the social atmosphere in post-war Czechoslovakia was different and not very friendly to their kind of satire. After the communist putsch in 1948, Voskovec emigrated again and the activity of the theatre stopped completely.

VIDEO

This week’s Phantom Dancer video of the week is the  Ježek, Voskovec, Werich song – Život je jen náhoda with JarolslavJežek’s Orchestra and the Bajo-trio singing. They are Anita Schlesingerová and Jožka Srbová.

27 NOVEMBER PLAY LIST