Krl swingu – CD

This CD pays tribute to the great singer Karel Hla, one of the finest swing performers in the history of Czech popular music. A vocalist, musician, and actor, Hla mastered various genres with complete professionalism, but American big-band music was one of his particular strengths. Blessed with natural talent and trained in guitar, dance, and singing, his sonorous baritone could swing almost any repertoire into a relaxed, jazz-like style. The compilation contains 27 recordings made between 1966 and 1992 with leading orchestras including those of Gustav Brom, Karel Krautgartner, and Karel Vlach. Alongside perfectly coordinated instrumental sections and Hlas ideal voice are world standards such as On the Sunny Side of the Street, Beale Street Blues, Pennies from Heaven, Sweet Sue, Just You, Diga Diga, and For Once in My Life, as well as Czech songs from the Apollo theatre, where Hla was invited by his great admirer Karel Gott. The collection offers relaxed listening for longtime fans, a lesson for young musicians, and an introduction for admirers of the swing music of which Karel Hla was the king in Czechoslovakia. The tracklist includes Slunce m dnes pru (Walking in the Sunshine), Rov nlada, Dokud slunce nad hlavou m (On the Sunny Side of the Street), Beale Street Blues, Diga diga dou (Diga Diga), Vopravdu sm (Sixteen Tons), Penze z nebe (Pennies from Heaven), J il, jak jsem il (For Once in My Life), Sly psn m (Come Back to Me), M dla, tvj dech, j vm (Alright, Okay, You Win), Toulavej vz (King of the Road), … a jsem rd (Let Me Live), the medley tyikrt swing, J jsem krl (I Wont Dance), and CD bonus tracks including Na sedm strun budu hrt (Cant Take My Eyes Off You), je ten dbn (Whos Sorry Now), Inzert, Odchzm z domova (Coffee in the Morning and Kisses in the Night), Na ten planej pl? (If It Comes to That), Za vechno me as, To se svt (Around the World), Accordeon Blues (Sam, the Accordion Man), V t na part, and Alexandrv Ragtime Band (Alexanders Ragtime Band).