Nonet SHQ & Woodwinds (Remastered) Karel Velebny

• 1 Über Stock und Stein 04:54
• 2 In the Beginning Dark 04:40
• 3 One, Two, Three ... Five 04:50
• 4 Blowing into My Dog's Brain 04:27
• 5 Nude 04:24
• 6 Amaze and Conjure 04:32
• 7 Song of the One-Armed Man 06:14
• 8 The Summer's Strange End 04:06
• Total Runtime 38:07

Info for Nonet SHQ & Woodwinds (Remastered)

Czech multi-instrumentalist-composer Karel Velebny was a major force in the emergence of Czechoslovakia onto the international jazz scene in the 1960’s. Appearances at the Berlin Jazz Days in 1964 and subsequent tours throughout Western Europe led to his group’s (HSQ) breakthrough. Here the group is augmented by four woodwinds. All the tunes are by group members. Über Stock Und Stein is a sophisticated bop-influenced piece. The somber refrain of In The Beginning Dark is lit up with a touch of anarchic free-play. There is a puzzling rhythmic feel to One Two three…Five, but actually it’s a blues in 6/4. Blowing Into My Dog’s Brain meanders over a bass pedal point before moving into a swinging medium-up jaunt. Nude tastes of Latin in the melody before merging into straight-ahead swing. Amaze and Conjure is has a sense of humor; a “Girl from Ipanema” refrain keeps popping up, and a nonsense verse sung in the middle accompanies a piano solo. Song of the One-Armed Man migrates between form and freedom with dissonance at its core. The Summer’s Strange End, a blues with layered rhythms, features a heated solo by flutist Jiri Stivin. Heavily influenced by American jazz and flavored by Czechoslovakian sensibility, these are sophisticated jazz compositions that swing, take chances, and do what jazz does best: surprise!

Karel Velebny, vibraphone, bass
Pavel Zedník, bassoon
Miroslav Krysl, bass clarinet
Josef Vejvoda, drums
SHQ Ensemble
Jiri Stivín, flute
Milos Petr, French Horn
Vlastimil Kála, oboe
Ludek Svábensky, piano

Recorded February 20, 1968 at SABA-Tonstudio, Villingen, Germany
Engineered and recorded by Rolf Donner
Produced by Willi Fruth

Digitally remastered

Karel Velebný
(17 March 1931, Prague - 7 March 1989, Prague) 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.

At 7 years old, Velebný played piano and at 15 - already a modern jazz enthusiast - taught himself to play alto saxophone. He graduated from gymnasium then studied drumming at the Prague Conservatory. He made his first public performance as a student, and became a full-time professional as soon as he graduated. From 1955 to 1958 he played with Czech jazzman Karel Krautgartner's orchestra, then joined contrabassist Luděk Hulan to co-found Studio 5, which became the key ensemble of modern Czech jazz. He continued to work with Krautgartner until the latter emigrated in 1968.

In 1960, the Studio 5 ensemble was absorbed by the Taneční orchestr Československého rozhlasu (Dance Orchestra of Czechoslovakia Radio), but Velebný and the original Studio 5 members soon quit. In 1961, Velebný and flautist Jan Konopásek co-founded SHQ, initially part of the Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre (thus Spejbl and Huvínek Quintet), but later extending into independent performances. It became one of the most important bands in Czech jazz history. Velebný was its leader, composer, arranger, played as a multi-instrumentalist and taught the younger band members. SHQ's instrumental line-up and membership changed frequently. Later, Velebný was diagnosed with a serious heart disease and was forced to quit as a saxophonist and vibraphonist. In his later years, his instrumental role was mainly restricted to piano.

Karel Velebný played with various Czech jazz ensembles, including Kamil Hála's orchestra, the Linha Singers ensemble and occasionally with Gustav Brom's Big Band. Jiří Stivín, Luděk Hulan, František Uhlíř, Rudolf Dašek, Josef Vejvoda, and Jan Konopásek were among his regular collaborators. Velebný and S+HQ also accompanied Eva Olmerová on her first studio album The Jazz Feeling.

As a composer, Velebný concentrated solely on jazz, in compositional styles and arrangements reminiscent of Gerry Mulligan, Chick Corea, Gary Burton and Benny Golson. He wrote mainly for his own ensembles (notably Studio 5 and SHQ) but also for the Kamil Hála Orchestra, the Karel Vlach Orchestra and others. His oeuvre comprises over 200 compositions, which include his prolific contributions to film music.

Velebný was also a founder and leader of specialised Czech jazz pedagogy in the 1970s. In 1978 he was invited to the Berklee College of Music, where he studied jazz teaching and the different approaches of European and American jazz. He organized and led the Summer Jazz Workshop in Frýdlant until his death in 1989. As a teacher, Velebný emphasised knowledge of techniques which could be broadly applied on jazz standards. He also wrote the specialist jazz textbook Jazzová praktika (The Jazz Practical).

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