The beginnings of slovak bluegrass go somewhere
to the years around 1975 - 80. But it's a bit difficult to call it
bluegrass. It should be called something like slovgrass or tramgrass. Why?
The recordings were missing, the manuals, books and stray contact with
Czech republic and hardly ever with West Europe were the factors they determined
that situation. There were played only the the song recorded on vinyl discs
- Fesaci, Plavci, Zelenaci. Also there was missing the original creation
and if there was some, it was only infrequent. It was based on the lyrics
and melody of songs of the tramps, with low quality sometimes almost naive.
Well, despite this there were some bands they wanted and tried to
play bluegrass. In Bratislava it was the bands Teton with the main protagonist
of bluegrass and banjo picker Jaro "Hara" Pekarik and the band Dostavnik.
But their music was just like the music of Zelenaci or Fesaci.
The cradle of the real bluegrass was rather middle and mainly east
part of Slovakia, where in that times already existed bands, 
for
them the names as Seldom Scene, NGR or P. Wernick were well known. The
bands as Cervici from Kosice or Krok from Dubnica participated on the festivals
in Czech republic and where they had the opportunity to learn something
more. And exactly these contacts with czech musicians, they were on higher
level, helped them to grow.
As the time ran, thanks to the lots of sessions and festivals consequently
increased new bands. We cannot forget for Encian, Dunaj or Bonanza from
Bratislava, Karavel Western from Trnava, Prievoznici from Nitra, Pltnici
from Hlohovec or Chlapci z Handlovej.
Around the 1980 started the explosion of bands. Only in Bratislava
were 15 bands they tried to play bluegrass. In that same time in Bratislava
is born the biggest slovak festival - Country, which bring a lot of contacts
with czech musicians. This meetings had appreciable part in the further
evolution . On the markets appeared first copies of workbooks and first
american recordings of bluegrass, they showed to a lot of people,
the music they had played before was missing the bluegrass. Lots of musicians,
even whole bands started to learn again from the beginning and after short
time it had first fruit.
In the year 1982 starts the crisis. A lot of bands had ended and a lot
of good musicians stopped playing. A small part on this phenomena had the
band Poutnici from Brno, which for the first time played in Bratislava.
Their newgrass impressed a lot of musicians and caused that they
turned their music from the workbooks to their own way of playing. These
bands played "their own newgrass", but in real, they really did not know
what they play so they ended at the dead end. A lot of bands also turned
{ maybe because of fastidiousness of this music } to other kind of music
like modern country, or their own bluegrass.
The biggest decrement is in middle and east Slovakia, where almost
all the bands vanished and stay only the bands with their 
special
point of view to the bluegrass. Opposite of this starts to be Bratislava.
In short time afterwards appeared lots of new and good musicians and bands
they really played bluegrass. That way Bratislava was made the center of
bluegrass in Slovakia.
In that times the bands as Zrnko, Arsis, Bluegrass Album or by newgrass
influenced Fragment of Svata Kotas. Lots of these bands waned, but all
of them helped and writes her line to the chronicle of bluegrass in Slovakia.
Their lyrics and song are the best argument. But some of them play until
present time and their names are well known not only in Slovakia, but they
belong to the european top.
Today
the bluegrass is played in Slovakia much more stray than in past but with
deeper techniques. Along the top-bands there are some bands they play their
own kind of bluegrass. In their music you can feel a kind of tramp influence
or slovak folk music. Maybe this is caused by fastidiousness of this music,
but still, the bands they play bluegrass, play it the best way. Bands as
Union from Hlohovec, Krok or Quartet from Dubnica nad Vahom, Bratislava's
Bluegrass Album or Vagon from Zvolen and lots of session combinations and
formations they were put together by bluegrass musicians as dobro players
Henrich Novak, Peter Sabados, banjo pickers Slavo "Sani" Grek, Miso Docolomansky,
Svato Kotas, Jano Bratinka or Brano "Budha" Blahovec, mandolinists Ivan
Polak, Dusan Bachraty, guitarists Emil Formanek, Miso Vavro and Frantisek
Machotka and lots more they write the history of slovak bluegrass. And,
of coerse, the young bands and musicians as Bluegrass Express or Grasshoppers,
although they only start, alreay today we can see they will continue in
the way the older musicians has started. That's the chance, the slovak
bluegrass will not die.
By the way in Slovakia is annually organized the bluegrass workshop
for musicians. Even there is a lot to learn. This workshop is organized
by Robin Nemeth from the band Druhé Tvare from Kosice.
Pictures:
1. Pioneers of bluegrass in Slovakia Jaro Necesany and Brano Blahovec
from Krok
2. Bluegrass Album - Tomas Merganc, Jan Bratinka, Dusan Bachraty, Frantisek
Machotka
3. Fragment in the times of the biggest fame: Henrich Novak, Emil Formanek,
Jana Dolakova, Svato Kotas, Karas Pola
4. Robin Nemeth by awarding the musicians during the bluegrass workshop
{c} taken from "Škola hry na 5-stunne banjo" - Jan Bratinka 1997 - translate
- Maroš Markovič
Other Slovakia bluegrass Bands:
 |
29 Strings
Pezinsko-Trnavsko-Bratislavská traditional-modern band. |
Steam
Bratislavsko-Pezinsko-Zvolenská progresive bluegrass band |
 |
 |
Tieň - Trenčianská traditional bluegrass band. |