ZPÍVÁNÍ

 

HANA A PETR ULRYCHOVİ / JAVORY

ZPÍVÁNÍ / SINGING

 Folk Songs from Moravia

Panton, 1982, 8117 0209 G 

 Hana and Petr Ulrych (sister and brother) were famous  rock singers in Czekoslovakia from the late 1960s.  Their band  ''Javory'' (meaning ''maples'') was formed in 1974 and was a two-sided group :  one folk side,  Javory, with acoustic instruments like violins, cymbalom and double bass and one rock side, Javory Beats, with electric instruments. The members were different ones in either bands though. Hana and Petr were therefore interested in several types of music.

The presentation text says that they acted similarly to Alan Stivell or Steeleye Span but the result sounds more like folklore than modern revival à la Stivell.

However it is well delivered. The singing is well done in the ''national music'' style and the repertoire consists of eighteen  traditional songs and four compositions by Fanoš Mikulecký (real name František Hřebačka) who was a Slovakian composer, folklorist, playwriter and painter. He died in 1970 and several of his songs are well known everywhere in Czekoslovakia like Vínečko Bílé (white wine) sung here by the men of the band.

Note that tracks A7 and A8, A10 and A11 as well as B5 and B6 are copied together. 
Panton was created in 1968 in Prague but disappeared in the early 1990s. 
Text in Czech and English.

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PEBEZH EURED

 

                           GERARD GUENEGOU        JEAN-MICHEL GUILLANTON

''PEBEZH EURED'' 

Biniou Bras                                       Bombard 

SELAOUIT !  

Paris Album, 1977, 4-3390 

 This second hand album is a good example of the revival in Brittany that was also felt among traditional musicians who could record albums and sell them easily.
Guillanton and Guenegou are ''sonneurs'' : bombard and bagpipe in the form of the scottish bagpipe called biniou bras or ''big bagpipe''. 
Guenegou played a lot with the late Yann Péron who died in 1975 (see my post of the 9th August 2024). 
Guillanton comes from the Morbihan the biggest Breton departement; his father Joachim was a famous musicians and collector who took part with Polig Monjarret and others  to the creation of Bodadeg ar Sonerion (musicians' assembly). Jean-Michel was also involved in passing on knowledge to younger generations and collaborated with Dastum for the preservation and dissemination of Breton traditional music. He died in 2022 at the age of 68. 
The title means in Breton :''what a wedding; listen !''
On side A marches and melodies alternate while side B has two fisel suite, one laride and one scottish. 
Paris Album was a label based in Paris  that was mainly focused on blues.
Text in French and Breton. 

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