Krl swingu – LP

This LP pays tribute to Karel Hla, a remarkable vocalist, musician and actor (19332008) who ranks among the finest swing singers in the history of Czech popular music. Known for his elegant suits and carefully groomed appearance, he mastered various genres with complete professionalism, but American big-band music was one of his particular strengths. Gifted with a naturally resonant baritone and trained in guitar, dance and singing, he could bring an easy jazz feeling to any repertoire. The compilation contains 17 songs on vinyl, while the expanded CD version offers 27 recordings made between 1966 and 1992 with leading orchestras conducted by Gustav Brom, Karel Krautgartner and Karel Vlach. It includes 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 repertoire, where Karel Gott, a great admirer of Hla, chose him to perform. The sleeve notes by Milo Skalka provide extensive factual information. The tracklist is: 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), and tyikrt swing, featuring Hej, pane f (Chattanooga-Choo-Choo), Toulavej vz (King of the Road), Oh, Mc Donald, ten si il (Ol MacDonald), and Sladk Suzi (Sweet Sue, Just You), followed by J jsem krl (I Wont Dance).