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Scientific Journal

Central Europe

Jazz in the Heart of Europe

· · Musicologica 1/2017, Rock Pop Jazz

Until 1989, the region of Central Europe was closed due to ideological reasons, and was divided into the musical culture of Eastern and of Western Europe. Because of the socialist cultural politics, the territory of former Czechoslovakia is often incorrectly ranked among the countries of the Eastern Bloc. If we take into account the geographical breakdown of Europe, the musical culture of the Czech Republic and of the Slovak Republic belong to the “heart of Europe”. While, until 1918, the territory of Slovakia had developed cultural ties especially with Budapest and Vienna, Prague had closer contacts with Germany, as well as with other European cities (Paris). At present, from the aspect of developing musical contacts, the region of Central Europe is perceived as a coherent one, consisting of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, which plays an important role in seeking communication, contacts and managerial connections with other European regions. Slovak jazz, as a representative of the Central Europe region, searches for a network of contacts and partners abroad. All European countries face the same problem when trying to develop managerial networks for jazz but, contrary to Slovakia, they have a longer tradition of jazz festivals, clubs, and jazz personalities.

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Between Cultural Alternative and Protest. On the Social Function of Jazz after 1945 in Central Europe (GDR, Poland, Hungary, CSSR)

· · Musicologica 1/2011, Rock Pop Jazz

The author deals with the meaning of the term “protest“during communism in Central European countries: GDR, Poland, Hungary and CSSR. The protest against authoritative regime has been manifested in different forms: from open form of resistance to all forms of internal opposition. The word “protest“ had hybrid character especially in jazz in these four Central and Eastern European countries. It would be better to talk about jazz as a cultural alternative against gradually more powerful socialist regime than to talk about jazz as a way ofprotest. Jazz was forbidden in some places in these four countries. Some of the jazzmen were prisoners; jazz organizations were under control and censored between 1948 and 1989. In the context of American jazz, which had been used as a strong ideological and cultural weapon and as a symbol of free life style and human rights, the Polish and Hungarian national jazz styles had been developed. Comparing to Polish and Hungarian jazz, German jazz left the frame of individuality without folk elements in the context of the new music and German tradition in classical music which reached the avant-garde form of German free jazz.

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