Král swingu - LP

This LP pays tribute to Karel Hála, a remarkable vocalist, musician and actor (1933–2008) 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 Hála, chose him to perform. The sleeve notes by Miloš Skalka provide extensive factual information. The tracklist is: Slunce má dnes páru (Walking in the Sunshine), Růžová nálada, Dokud slunce nad hlavou máš (On the Sunny Side of the Street), Beale Street Blues, Diga diga dou (Diga Diga), Vopravdu sám (Sixteen Tons), Peníze z nebe (Pennies from Heaven), Já žil, jak jsem žil (For Once in My Life), Slyš písně mý (Come Back to Me), Má dlaň, tvůj dech, já vím (Alright, Okay, You Win), Toulavej vůz (King of the Road), ... a jsem rád (Let Me Live), and Čtyřikrát swing, featuring Hej, pane šéf (Chattanooga-Choo-Choo), Toulavej vůz (King of the Road), Oh, Mc Donald, ten si žil (Ol’ MacDonald), and Sladká Suzi (Sweet Sue, Just You), followed by Já jsem král (I Won’t Dance).