Gustav Brom
Encyclopedia
Gustav Brom, was a Czech
big band leader, arranger, clarinettist and composer. He achieved fame in Europe
and abroad from the 1940’s right through to his death in 1995. He worked prolifically and was noted for remaining true to the jazz big band idiom, beginning with Dixieland
and swing and later, with contributions from his musicians, moving into the West Coast jazz sound.
. Shortly after World War II, Brom's band performed in Brno
and Bratislava
and also for several months in 1947 in Switzerland
. The other top big band leaders in Prague at this time were Karel Vlach
, Prof. Ladislav Habart, and Kamil Běhounek.
Brom triumphed in 1955 at the Leipzig
Fair, in the former East Germany
, winning accolades for his outstanding arrangements and the band for their wonderful playing and swinging feel. A typical Brom band lineup from this period was G. Brom, J.Hnilička, L.Hulan, S.Veselý, J.Kulíšek, J.Audes, O.Bláha, Z.Novák, A.Šmíd, B.Horák, J.Pelc, J.Bláha, M.Bártek, G.Brom ml., Karel Krautgartner
, Milan Rezabek
(bass) and J.Formánek.
The 1950’s also saw Brom signed with Supraphon
in Prague
, recording and arranging prolifically with many guest artists including British
singer Gery Scott
, German
pianist Igo Fischer, Czech singers Karel Gott
, Helena Vondráčková
and Hana and Petr Ulrych (aka Ulrychovi) and Greek sisters Tena and Martha Elefteriadu.
jazz polls. Maynard Ferguson
, Dizzy Gillespie
, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Ray Conniff
, Ben Cramer, Bill Ramsey
and others joined the Gustav Brom Big-band in many concerts and performances and the band’s name became well known and respected among professional performers as well as the discerning public.
Brom was honoured in 1993 with the Luděk Hulan
Jazz Award, presented yearly by the Czech Jazz Society, Prague
.
n capital, Bratislava
. Valovič was appointed by Brom himself as successor. New members have joined from the Czech cities of Prague
, Brno
, Olomouc
and Ostrava
, and also from Bratislava
.
Since June 1940, Gustav Brom’s big-band’s name has appeared on over 570 music records, of both Czech and foreign origin, and the post-war recordings are becoming of interest to record collectors and music lovers worldwide.
In September 2006, Czech recording label Producentské centrum Františka Rychtaříka released the CD Gery Scott & Gustav Brom, a reissue of selections recorded by Supraphon in Prague in 1957.
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
big band leader, arranger, clarinettist and composer. He achieved fame in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and abroad from the 1940’s right through to his death in 1995. He worked prolifically and was noted for remaining true to the jazz big band idiom, beginning with Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
and swing and later, with contributions from his musicians, moving into the West Coast jazz sound.
First Engagements
Born Gustav Frkal, his and the band’s first professional engagement was in June 1940 in the Radhošť Hotel in Rožnov pod RadhoštěmRožnov pod Radhoštem
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is a town in Zlín Region, Czech Republic.-People:* Gustav Brom, lived here* Martina Hingis, lived here as a child* Naphtali Keller, lived and died here* Emil Zátopek, buried here-See also:* Romanian diaspora, Romanian exonyms...
. Shortly after World War II, Brom's band performed in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and also for several months in 1947 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The other top big band leaders in Prague at this time were Karel Vlach
Karel Vlach
Karel Vlach was a Czech dance orchestra conductor and arranger.He founded his first orchestra in 1938. Many important composers, instrumentalists and arrangers of the Czech jazz scene gradually went through his band. In 1947-48 Vlach's orchestra cooperated with the V+W Theatre...
, Prof. Ladislav Habart, and Kamil Běhounek.
Brom triumphed in 1955 at the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
Fair, in the former East Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, winning accolades for his outstanding arrangements and the band for their wonderful playing and swinging feel. A typical Brom band lineup from this period was G. Brom, J.Hnilička, L.Hulan, S.Veselý, J.Kulíšek, J.Audes, O.Bláha, Z.Novák, A.Šmíd, B.Horák, J.Pelc, J.Bláha, M.Bártek, G.Brom ml., Karel Krautgartner
Karel Krautgartner
Karel Krautgartner was a Czech jazz and classical clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger, composer, conductor and teacher.- Life :...
, Milan Rezabek
Milan Rezabek
Milan Rezabek, born 1936 in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, is an American jazz bassist and composer. He played with the orchestras of Gustav Brom of Czechoslovakia, with the orchestra of Wayne Newton in Las Vegas, and multiple other musical formations....
(bass) and J.Formánek.
The 1950’s also saw Brom signed with Supraphon
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, recording and arranging prolifically with many guest artists including British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer Gery Scott
Gery Scott
Gery Scott was a jazz and cabaret entertainer and teacher, whose performing career spanned 26 countries and over 60 years...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pianist Igo Fischer, Czech singers Karel Gott
Karel Gott
Karel Gott is a Czech Schlager singer, and an amateur painter. He is considered as the most successful male singer in former Czechoslovakia and currently in the Czech Republic; he has being voted the Most Favorite Male Singer in the annual national pool Český slavík in total thirty-six times...
, Helena Vondráčková
Helena Vondrácková
Helena Vondráčková is a Czech singer whose career has spanned five decades.- Early life/career :Vondráčková spent her childhood years in the town of Slatinany. She took piano lessons from an early age...
and Hana and Petr Ulrych (aka Ulrychovi) and Greek sisters Tena and Martha Elefteriadu.
International Recognition
In the 1960s Brom’s band was rated one of the top ten big-bands in the world by the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz polls. Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Ray Conniff
Ray Conniff
Joseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.-Biography:...
, Ben Cramer, Bill Ramsey
Bill Ramsey
William Thrace Ramsey, Jr. was an American professional baseball player who was an outfielder for the Boston Braves for a single Major League Baseball season in 1945....
and others joined the Gustav Brom Big-band in many concerts and performances and the band’s name became well known and respected among professional performers as well as the discerning public.
Brom was honoured in 1993 with the Luděk Hulan
Luděk Hulan
Luděk Hulan was a Czech jazz double-bassist and musical organiser. He was an important exponent of Czech jazz in the second half of the 20th century.- Biography :...
Jazz Award, presented yearly by the Czech Jazz Society, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
Legacy
With Brom’s death in 1995, the band started a new phase under a slightly changed name, conducted by Vladimír Valovič from the SlovakiaSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
n capital, Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. Valovič was appointed by Brom himself as successor. New members have joined from the Czech cities of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
and Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
, and also from Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
.
Since June 1940, Gustav Brom’s big-band’s name has appeared on over 570 music records, of both Czech and foreign origin, and the post-war recordings are becoming of interest to record collectors and music lovers worldwide.
In September 2006, Czech recording label Producentské centrum Františka Rychtaříka released the CD Gery Scott & Gustav Brom, a reissue of selections recorded by Supraphon in Prague in 1957.
Discography
- 1961: Jazz in der Tschechoslovakei (Supraphon SUC 15388)
- 1962: Jazz Souvenirs (Supraphon, SUK 35545) Single B-side only, A-side consists of music by Ianci Körössy & Studio 5
- 1966: Ceskoslovensky Jazz 1965 (Supraphon DV 1023) Various Artists (including Jan HammerJan HammerJan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
, Karel VelebnyKarel VelebnýKarel Velebný was a Czech jazz musician, composer, arranger, actor, writer and music pedagogue. Velebný was one of the founders and pioneers of modern Czech jazz in the second half of the 20th century.-Biography:...
and others) - 1967: Jazzovy Concert (Supraphon 150478)
- 1967: Swinging The Jazz (MPS Records)
- 1969: Missa Jazz (MPS Records)
- 1969: Maynard + Gustav (Supraphon, 1 15 0716, Los Grandes del JAZZ Sarpe 85), Maynard Ferguson and Gustav Brom Orchestra
- 1976: Polymelomodus (SupraphonSupraphonSupraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
) - 1976: Mini Jazz Klub vol.3 in memoriam Josef Blaha (Panton, 330388)
- 1976: Plays for you pop, jazz and swing (Opus 91150447)