Jan Slabák – Pan Moravanka – Nekvapil Václav (2023)

The band Moravanka was and is a phenomenon that helped popularize Moravian folklore both in our country and around the world. It would be hard to find another ensemble on our music scene that, at first listen, evokes joy, good mood, and a friendly atmosphere of cohesion and Moravian mutuality like Moravanka. The brass band Moravanka was definitely not a district-level group made up of enthusiastic amateurs. It consisted of professional musicians, often graduates of the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts. Leading them was conductor Jan Slabák, who himself played for many years in the Brno State Philharmonic in the prestigious position of first trumpeter. Evidence of the quality of this folk music band is also the successful careers of several soloists who passed through Moravanka. The lavish book 'Mr. Moravanka' maps the artistic and personal journey of Jan Slabák from the small Moravian village of Kelčany to the symbolic peak, which was several tours with Moravanka in the USA. His rich life, including several unexpected professional and personal twists, is illustrated with more than a thousand images, period documents, and photographs from Jan Slabák's private archive, many of which are published for the very first time.