Customer Reviews

South Texas Swing

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4 star:		(1)
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Texas is home to many different musical styles, and Adolph Hofner is one of those artists who seems to capture nearly every one of them in his recordings. What strikes me is that while many would label his music as "diverse," Hofner would probably have just called it "music." The fact that Hofner is not well known and celebrated nationally puzzles me, for I believe he is one of the great Texas recording artists of all time, which puts him in grand company.

Hofner's Texas band really stay where Texas swing started without going to the electric guitar, steel guitar, electric mandolin, etc trio sound that Wills and later Spade Cooley made the standard in California based Western swing after the War. Here you have bright and sometimes hot fiddles, nice lead guitars, and a bouncing, always dancable rhythmn. There is some wise witticisms in some of the songs--I always remember My old guitar. Some of the Czech tunes here like the Jesse Polka are real classics. It's interesting that in Texas, the Bohemian and German influences blended in with the Mexican music--that where Flaco Jimenez's grandfather got the idea of playing the button accordian and any serious Tex Mex dance will have its polka.
Anyway, if you think you know about Western Swing and don't have this CD, you don't. Whatever you know, this is some nice music.

There is often the unsaid words about why Hofner never made it further. It was his bad luck to be named Adolph Hofner, and to play in an art form that peaked in popularity during World War II. I believe for a time Hofner changed his last name, but nothing helped him overcome this obstacle.

The Czech recordings on this album provide a look back on a regional culture which is rapidly disappearing in Texas, that of Bohemian and Moravian Texas. While listening to these recordings, you may find your mind drifting back 50 years to a rural Texas dance hall. The smell of cotton fields mixes with the smell of cold beer and kolaches, while happy people dance to a beautiful Adolf Hofner waltz. You can feel the history in these recordings.

I'd forgotten how absolutely entertaining Hofner was. He's even better than I remember from my misspent youth, at places like Pat's Hall in Fredericksburg, Texas.

This is actually better than I expected it to be. The Czech-language tunes don't resonate with me, I'm afraid, but the western swing tunes are very well done, with a solid sense of swing, perfect tempos, and fine soloing throughout. Nothing against the other players, but for my money, the fiddlers are the real standouts, especially Leonard Seago, who plays on most of the tracks, but also J.R. Chatwell. You can hear that the 78s these tracks were taken from were not exactly pristine, but the remastering, with the NoNoise system, leaves them sounding pretty doggone clean, and although it does leave them a little flat on the top end, they still sound good. The final track, a radio transcription complete with chatter and a beer advertisement, was a great inclusion. If you're building a western swing collection, this would certainly be a good addition.

I can see my dad and uncles--in their youth--at the dance halls in rural Texas, swinging their gals to these tunes. What a great discovery this CD was! The Czech songs were so wonderful. I know Hofner and his Texans had to be a favorite of the Zubik clan (my family). I only wish I could have found this music when they were still alive. Well, at least now I and my family can enjoy this authentic Tex-Czech.

I love all of these songs. They remind me of when I would spend time with my grandparents. I even went to a few of Adolf's dances with them. These songs are great!! Even if I don't know the czech lyrics, I still enjoy listening to these songs.

The bonus track is a 7.5 minute radio show and is worth the price of the record all by itself. The show consists of theme in (Sunbonnet Sue double time), a Pearl Beer commercial, three songs (including some dead air when the fiddler can't remember the name of the song he just played) and theme out. Professional show biz.

This CD is a true treasure. It is AWESOME AND THEN SOME. It shows him at his best with Texas Swing music plus I got a wonderful set of five bonus songs. Him singing in Czech. (Which he does GREATLY). It is a deffinate work of art FETCH.