Král swingu - CD

This CD pays tribute to the great singer Karel Hála, one of the finest swing performers in the history of Czech popular music. A vocalist, musician, and actor, Hála mastered various genres with complete professionalism, but American big-band music was one of his particular strengths. Blessed with natural talent and trained in guitar, dance, and singing, his sonorous baritone could swing almost any repertoire into a relaxed, jazz-like style. The compilation contains 27 recordings made between 1966 and 1992 with leading orchestras including those of Gustav Brom, Karel Krautgartner, and Karel Vlach. Alongside perfectly coordinated instrumental sections and Hála’s ideal voice are world 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, where Hála was invited by his great admirer Karel Gott. The collection offers relaxed listening for longtime fans, a lesson for young musicians, and an introduction for admirers of the swing music of which Karel Hála was the king in Czechoslovakia. The tracklist includes 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), the medley Čtyřikrát swing, Já jsem král (I Won’t Dance), and CD bonus tracks including Na sedm strun budu hrát (Can’t Take My Eyes Off You), Čí je ten džbán (Who’s Sorry Now), Inzerát, Odcházím z domova (Coffee in the Morning and Kisses in the Night), Nač ten planej pláč? (If It Comes to That), Za všechno může čas, Točí se svět (Around the World), Accordeon Blues (Sam, the Accordion Man), V tý naší partě, and Alexandrův Ragtime Band (Alexander’s Ragtime Band).