Modrý Efekt was a Czech rock band, formed in 1968 as Blue Effect. They charted early with “Slunečný Hrob,” followed by the 1970 album Meditace on Supraphon. After that year’s Coniunctio (a collaboration with Jazz Q) they reverted to the Czech spelling of their name for 1971’s Nová Syntéza. Between 1974 and 1981, they released […]
Fermáta are a Slovak jazz-rock band that released seven albums between 1975 and 1984 on Opus Records. Five additional titles (four studio, one live) appeared during the 1990s and 2000s. Formed by guitarist František Griglák and keyboardist Tomáš Berka, the band fused symphonic structure with electric jazz instrumentation. Their classic-era output featured bassist Fedor Frešo […]
Jan Hammer is a Czech jazz/rock keyboardist, composer, and producer with a sixty-year musical career. As a teenager, Hammer led a jazz trio and cut his first album, Malma Maliny, in 1968 for MPS. After two years in the US, he joined the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, which made the seminal jazz-rock albums The Inner Mounting […]
Energit was a Czech jazz-rock band from Praha that debuted with a 1975 self-titled album on Supraphon. Over the next two years, the band issued the two-song Mini Jazz Klub č. 6 EP and had a twelve-minute track featured among cuts by Impuls and Jazz Q on the album Jazzrocková Dílna 2. Both titles appeared […]
Miroslav Vitous (born Dec. 6 1947) is a Czech jazz-rock bassist, active on the international scene from the late 1960s. After moving stateside on a musical scholarship, he backed Miles Davis for a round of 1967 live dates. His early backing credits include albums by Roy Ayers, Chic Corea, and Herbie Man. In 1970, Vitous […]
Flamengo was a Czech psychedelic jazz-rock band that was active for six years, starting in 1966. In 1972, the band released the popular album Kuře v Hodinkách on Supraphon. Members: Přemysl Černý (drums, 1966-68), František Francl (lead guitar, 1966-70), Pavel Fořt (bass, guitar), Eduard Vršek (keyboards, 1966), Jiří Čížek (bass, keyboards, 1966-67), Petr Novák (vocals, […]
Impuls was a Czech jazz-rock band from Praha that debuted with two numbers on the 1975 live comp Jazzrocková Dílna on Panton. In 1976, the band issued a two-song EP as part of the label’s Mini Jazz Klub series. In 1977, another two tracks appeared on Panton’s Jazzrocková Dílna 2 album, alongside cuts by Energit […]
Dunaj was a Czech art-rock band from Brno that was active for 13 years, starting in 1983. Drummer Pavel Fajt cut two albums circa 1987/88 with Bruntál violinist Iva Bittová. The band’s debut album, Impuls, was recorded in collaboration with the violinist and released in 1989 on Panton. The popular followup, Rosol, appeared in 1991 […]
Luboš Andršt is a Czech jazz-rock guitarist, composer, and bandleader. Discography: Capricornus (1980) Plus-Minus Blues (1988) Imprints (1992)
Už Jsme Doma are a Czech avant-rock band, led since 1985 by singer-guitarist Miroslav Wanek. They emerged from the Czech underground with the 1990 album Uprostřed slov. Už Jsme Doma subsequently toured throughout Europe, North America, and Japan and made nine studio albums through the 2018 release Kry. Members: Miroslav Wanek (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, […]
Václav Neckář & Bacily were a Czech art-rock ensemble from Praha that was active for 20 years, starting in 1971. Members: Václav Neckář (vocals), Jan Neckář (keyboards, guitar, cello, clarinet, vocals), Ota Petřina (guitar, 1971-78, 1987-91), Petr Formánek (piano, organ, 1971-73), Jan Hauser (bass, 1971-73), Radek Pobořil (trumpet, 1971-73), Milan Vitoch (drums, 1971-73, 1975-78), Jaroslav […]
Vladimír Mišík & Etc Band were a Czech syphonic/folk-rock band from Prague, formed in 1974. Members: Vladimír Mišík (vocals, guitars, percussion), Petr Pokorný (guitar, 1974-76, 1979-82, 2003-present), Vladimír Padrůněk (bass, 1974-78), Bořek Suchý (saxophone, 1974-75), Miroslav Hrubý (drums, 1974-75), Jan Hrubý (violin, viola, 1975-82, 1985-88, 2001-present), Jiří Jelínek (guitar, 1976-77), František Francl (guitar, 1977-78), Václav […]
Stromboli were a Czech art-rock band that was active during the second half of the 1980s. Members: Michal Pavlíček (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Klaudius Kryšpín (drums, 1985-88), Vladimír Kulhánek (bass, 1985-87), Bára Basiková (vocals, 1986-89), Vendula Kašpárková (keyboards, 1986-88), Jiří Veselý (bass, 1987-89), Jan Seidl (drums, 1988-89), Roman Dragoun (vocals, keyboards, 1988-89) Discography: Stromboli (1987) Shutdown […]
SHQ was a Czech jazz-rock ensemble led by multi-instrumentalist Karel Velebný. The group maintained a changing lineup through the Sixties and Seventies and moved from modern jazz and hard bop into freer forms, large-ensemble writing, and electric jazz-rock. SHQ recorded for Supraphon and Panton in Czechoslovakia and also made albums for the West German SABA […]
Progres 2 were a Czech symphonic/art-rock band from Brno, formed in 1968 as the Progress Organization. Members: Zdeněk Kluka (drums, vocals), Pavel Váně (guitar, vocals, 1968-81, 1992-present), Jan Sochor (keyboards, 1968-77), Emanuel Sideridis (bass, 1968-77), Pavel Pelc (bass, synthesizer, vocals, 1976-87, 1992-present), Miloš Morávek (guitar, vocals, 1977-83), Karel Horký [Daniel Forró] (synthesizer, 1977-79), Roman Dragoun […]
Prague Big Band were a Czech jazz-funk ensemble founded in 1974 by conductor Milan Svoboda. Members: Milan Svoboda (conductor), Jiří Stivín, Pavel Komzák, Zdeněk Hostek, Jiří Niederle, Václav Harmáček, Jaroslav Šolc, Svatobor Macák, Rudolf Ticháček, Svatopluk Čech, Josef Nachtman, Petr Venkrbec, Milan Krajíc, Ivan Myslikovjan, Rudolf Březina, Štěpán Markovič, Pavel Pivarči, František Kop, Jiří Kulisev, […]
Pražský Výběr were a Czech art-rock band that was active through several iterations across three decades, starting in 1977. Members: Michael Kocáb (vocals, keyboards), Ondřej Soukup (bass, 1975-81), Jiří Niederle (saxophone, 1975-78), Jan Žižka (drums, 1975-77), Zdeněk Fišer (guitar, 1977-78), Martin Koubek (guitar, 1977-78), Vratislav Placheta (drums, 1977-78), Ladislav Malina (drums, 1977-78), Michal Pavlíček (guitar, […]
The Plastic People of the Universe were a Czech rock group formed in Prague in 1968, with bassist Milan Hlavsa as the central songwriter across a changing lineup. The group moved from English-language material into original Czech settings of texts by Egon Bondy and other writers while state restrictions pushed its concerts into private venues […]
Petr Novák (Sept. 6, 1945 — Aug. 19, 1997) was a Czech vocalist and songwriter who was active for almost three decades, starting in 1968. Discography: Kolotoč svět (1970) Modlitba za lásku (1970) Ve jménu lásky (1971) Kráska a zvíře (1975) Co je to láska / Planeta snů (1980) Sladké trápení (1982) Ahoj, tvůj Petr […]
Ota Petřina was a Czech guitarist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader who recorded two albums and a single for Supraphon between 1976 and 1983. Discography: “Karin” / “Vnitřní Svět Tvých Jantarových Očí” (1976) Super-Robot (1978) Pečeť (1983)
Marsyas were a Czech folk-rock trio that was initially active for 15 years, starting in 1973. The band released five albums between 1978 and 1989 on Supraphon. Members: Oskar Petr (vocals, acoustic guitar, 1973-78), Zuzana Michnová (vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion), Petr Kalandra (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, 1973-84), Jiří Vondráček (12-string acoustic guitar, vocals, 1978-81, 2004-05), […]
Pavol Hammel is a Slovak vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader, active since the late 1960s. Discography: Som šťastný keď ste šťastní (1972 • Pavol Hammel & Prúdy) Šlehačková princezna (1973 • Pavol Hammel & Prúdy) Zelená pošta (1972 • Pavol Hammel & Marián Varga) Hráč (1975) Na II. programe sna (1976 • Marián Varga / Pavol […]
Mahagon were a Czech jazz-rock band that issued three singles and two albums between 1976 and 1980 on Supraphon. Members: Petr Klapka (bass), Jan Hála (keyboards), Adib Ghali (guitar), Zdena Adamová (vocals), Vladimír Severa (guitar), Jiří Nepomucký (guitar), Jaroslav Bubeník (drums), Jaroslav Šolc (flute), Jan Hrubý (electric violin), Zdeněk Šedivý (trumpet), Jindřich Parma (trumpet), Jiří […]
Helena Vondráčková (born June 24, 1947) is a Czech pop vocalist and actress with an entertainment career that has spanned more than half a century. Starting in 1964, she cut numerous singles for Supraphon. In 1970, the label released her first proper album, Ostrov Heleny Vondráčkové, recorded with orchestral and choral backing. Since that time, […]
Gattch were a Slovak jazz-rock/psych band from Bratislava, active from 1969 to 1974. In 1971, the band issued a self-titled album on Opus. Members: Ľudovít “Ali” Beladič (piano), Tomáš “Tomy” Rédey (guitar, violin), Karol Slanina (rhythm guitar, 1969-?), Anton “Tony” Lančarič (bass, 1969-72), Juraj “George” Štefula (drums, percussion), Valentín Čekovský (bass, 1972-74), Gabriel Jonáš (soprano […]
Emil Viklický (born Nov. 23, 1948) is a Czech pianist, composer, and bandleader who first emerged as a member of jazz-rock combo Energit, appearing on their 1975 eponymous album for Supraphon. He concurrently served in SHQ, playing on their 1977 three-song EP in Panton’s Mini Jazz Klub series. In 1978, Viklický recorded as one-third of […]
Extempore were a Czech avant-rock band that began life in 1973 as Naive Extempore Band. A string of underground gigs and private recordings preceded and followed a name-change to Rock & Jokes Extempore Band before the unit briefly ran aground in the summer of 1978. Later that same year, a revitalized band issued Dům č.p. […]
Jazz Q was a Czech post-bop/jazz-rock ensemble from Praha, active for two decades. They co-debuted with psych-rockers Blue Effect on the 1970 album Coniunctio and proliferated with the 1973/74 albums Pozorovatelna and Symbiosis, both with English singer Joan Duggan. On Panton, Jazz Q cut a 1976 EP for the Mini Jazz Klub series and contributed […]
Jazz Celula was a Czech jazz-rock big band, active eighteen years under trumpeter Laco Deczi. They debuted as the Cellula Quintet with the 1969 Supraphon album Pietoso. In 1976, they resurfaced with the Panton release Oheň až Požár, followed with Laco Deczio on Opus. After their EP for Panton’s Mini Jazz Klub series, they made […]
Ladislav Gerhardt (Aug. 23, 1937 — Aug. 21, 1993) was a Slovak jazz-rock pianist, composer, and bandleader who was active between the early 1960s and mid-1980s. Discography: Dobre sme sa oženili (1970) Záplata [feat. Tomáš Janovic] (1971) Prečo sme sa oženili? (1978) Už sa ženiť nebudeme (1981)
Bohemia was a Czech symphonic/jazz-rock spinoff of Modry Efekt and Flamengo. They made the 1978 Panton album Zrnko Písku. Guitarist Michal Pavlíček and keyboardist Jan Hála played concurrently in Mahagon. Members: Jan Kubík (woodwinds, vocals), Vladimír Kulhánek (bass, vocals), Lešek Semelka (vocals, keyboards, 1975-77), Josef Kůstka (guitar, vocals, 1975-76), Pavel Frištenský (drums, 1975-76), Andrej Horváth (guitar, […]
Dvouletá Fáma were a Czech avant-garde/New Wave band that was initially active between 1981 and 1983 and again from 1987 to 1992. The first period produced 37 minutes of music, originally released on cassette and later issued on the Black Point CD Studio 1983. Members: Zdenek Konopásek (drums), Martin Vik (guitar), Jana Machácková (vocals, 1981-83), […]
Dežo Ursiny (Oct. 4, 1947 — May 2, 1995) was a Slovak musician, composer, screen writer, and television personality with a career in entertainment that spanned three decades. During the mid-to-late 1960s, he cut shortplayers with pop combos The Beatmen and The Soulmen. In 1973, Ursiny released his first headlining album on Supraphon with backing […]
Combo FH was a Czech avant/jazz-rock band that debuted with a 1976 EP on Panton’s Mini Jazz Klub series. They returned with a 1980 single and the popular 1981 album Věci (Things). In 1986, the concluded with Situace na Střeše. Members: Daniel Fikejz (keyboards, vocals), Bořivoj Suchý (saxophone), Milan Sládek (bassoon, percussion), Oldřich Svoboda (flute), […]
