Bringing
together over 50 years of combined musicianship, the Czech Melody
Masters are proud to bring the best in Czech polka and waltz music
to Texas and the world via performing and the World Wide Web.
The Czech Melody Masters originally formed in 1994 as the Dancehall
Boys. During the 4 ½ years that the Dancehall Boys were together,
the band won the prestigious Horizon Award for Best New Polka Band
from the Texas Polka Music Awards. The band also performed at Texas’
premier Czech dancehalls and festivals, including Westfest, Caldwell
Kolache Festival, the National Polka Festival at Ennis and the world-renowned
South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin. The band also released
3 albums, Behind the Blacksmith Shop, Back to Moravia and An Evening
in Dubina.
In 1999, the band reformed as the Czech Melody Masters. As with
the Dancehall Boys, the Czech Melody Masters primary focus is to
not only provide a lively blend of Czech polkas and waltzes, but
also to bring the audiences an exciting blend of old-time country,
western swing, big band and slow-time tunes. Reminiscent of the
best Czech bands of the past (such as the Pateks, Adolph Hofner,
Bacova Ceska Kapela, Lee Roy Matocha), the Czech Melody Masters
are committed to keeping alive the brass band tradition of the first
Czech bands, while updating the sound for a modern dance environment.
The band members make great efforts to seek out long-lost Czech
folk songs and bring them back to life and to restore many familiar
Czech tunes to their original, complete arrangements.
In addition to being Austin’s only authentic Czech polka band, the
Czech Melody Masters were the first Czech polka band in the world
to host their own web site on the WWW. The site has complete schedule
listings, booking info, biography, recording info and downloadable
and streaming performances. The band also hosts a monthly Internet
polka show, featuring the best in current Czech music from in and
out of Texas, along with a strong focus on rare 78’s and out-of-print
LPs and 45s by the best of Texas’ long-gone Czech bands.
Members: Dennis
Svatek (Taylor) – Trumpet, baritone, vocals, bandleader, music
arranger, webmeister. Dennis studied Music Education at the University
of Texas, and was a member of the Bobby Jones Czech Band in the
mid-1980’s.
Danny Gerik (Alvin) – Trumpet, guitar and vocals. A former member
of the Tex-Czech polka band, Danny also performs big-band music
in Houston and adds great color to the band’s country tunes with
his excellent guitar playing and vocals.
Dave Bedrich (Austin) – Trumpet and vocals. Dave spent time with
the touted Austin swing band Big Town Swingtet, and brings an
extensive knowledge of big band and western swing to the group.
Greg Rickard (Austin) – Piano, music arranger. The newest member
of the group, Greg is one of the finest keyboard players in all
of Central Texas and his piano playing is a prominent part of
the swing and country dance tunes the Czech Melody Masters feature.
Thomas Durnin (Austin) – Stand-up and electric bass. A self-taught
musician, Thomas is the only stand-up bass player in Texas Czech
music. As with Dave, Thomas brings an encyclopedic knowledge of
Czech folk music, swing and big band music to the band’s repertoire.
Thomas also hosts a weekly Czech polka show on KOOP, 91.7 FM in
Austin, each Sunday morning from 10:30-11:00.
Mark Rebecek (Corpus Christi) – Drums and vocals. Mark simply
is one of the best polka drummers in the state, having played
in the 60’s-80’s for a host of bands, including the Bay City Dutchmen
and the Pavelka Orchestra.
Joe Morris (Academy) – Drums and vocals. A veteran of both polka
and country bands, Joe brings a strong country voice and a lively
drumming style to the band.
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