From the Czech Republic comes Ataman, a new album of guitar and mandolin music, written, arranged, recorded and performed by Ondra Kozák.
Kozák is a busy man in the Czech bluegrass scene. He performs with a number of groups, including Fragment, G-Runs & Roses, and East-West.
The album title, and the cover image, are a play on his surname, which would translate into English as Cossack. Ataman (Otoman in English) is the title given to Cossack leaders. But the music here has no relation to any of that. Its contemporary flatpicking and bluegrass through an Eastern European lens.
Ondra plays guitar, mandolin, violin, drums, and bass on the project which was recorded in his home studio. Assisting are Karel Začal on reso-guitar, Vít Hanulík on mandolin, and Filip Baťo on banjo. His wife Marta is also featured on piano.
As a youngster, Kozák tells us that he studied violin and fingerstyle guitar, but fell in love with bluegrass as a teen. Now he is celebrating his 30th birthday with his first album.
Ataman is available on CD or via digital download from Ondra’s Bandcamp site.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Day 9: December 1, Budapest, Hungary
The last show of our tour was actually Fragment’s first ever in Hungary. Even though Budapest is only a couple of hours drive from my hometown Bratislava, Slovakia, we’ve never had a chance to play here, as bluegrass has never had a wide fan base in this country. The times are changing and our southern neighbors are discovering this genre and musically, they are actually doing really good!
I was very impressed as we arrived to a nice Community House downtown in Budapest. The band on stage Poa Pratensis (scientific name for Kentucky bluegrass) was sounding great! We were the closing band of the event, and while we were enjoying home made goulash soup (thanks to Adrienn and Milan), we had a chance to listen to a folkier formation Tempered Sprits.
The concert was held in beautiful atrium of the Community House and despite a very small audience, the atmosphere was really great. Quietly listening fans, applauding after solos, enjoying every moment of our show made our first time performance in this country really enjoyable.
Big thanks to Hungarian Bluegrass Association for this well organized night! It was nice to meet new musical friends and fans.
Shortly after the finished the last show of our tour, we jumped back in the car, as the boys had a long trip home ahead. Even though everybody was tired, we felt happy.
Our 30th anniversary was simply a blast! I just hope it won’t take a long time until we get together again!
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Day 8: November 30, Pezinok, Slovakia
I woke up to another day of our tour in my cousin’s house in Roznava, where I had a chance to spend a few hours with my son. Sammy spent the whole time, while I was touring, with my family. They took great care of him and I can’t thank them enough. Even though I knew he was having a wonderful time, it was hard for me to say goodbye and leave him for two more days. The rest of the band picked me up on their way from Kosice and we continued traveling together to Pezinok, our banjo player Richard’s hometown.
The concert was held in the Cultural Center of this little town in the West of Slovakia, primarily known for winemaking. To our surprise, all the seats were sold out and we had to add a few chairs to accommodate all the fans who came to celebrate with us tonight. “Candy Floss”, the band from Zvolen, opened for us and they were well received again. They were easy to follow as the audience was very appreciative and happy. It reminded me of the release party of our album “Meant To Be” we played in this hall 10 years ago. The same atmosphere, the same familiar faces, maybe just a bit older now.
A special (and totally unexpected) surprise was a delicious cake we’ve received from one of our friends. It was another great concert and I started to be a little sad that our tour was drawing to an end. One more show in Budapest, Hungary tomorrow and we’ll have to say goodbye.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Fragment DAY 7: November 29, Kosice, Slovakia
Our seventh day on the road was very special to us from many reasons. The invitation to play in Kosice initiated the whole idea of putting together our 30th anniversary tour. Through the years, we’ve played in this city on regular basis and we were looking forward to see our old buddies – musicians and fans.
To me, this part of my home country is even more special, because my mother was born in this part of Slovakia, and many members of my family live here. But the main reason, why this night was so exceptional was, that the concert held in the beautiful Old Town Hall, was a tribute to our friend Peter Dula. Peter was a great country singer, songwriter and guitar player, who lost his battle with cancer four years ago, at the age of 28. He was the lead singer/guitar player in Slovakian band Peter and The Rowers (Veslari). Fragment was honored to be a part of this event, along with three other formations Country Pohoda, Dusan Dobias & Erich Bobos Prochazka and Slovak Tango.
The tradition of the “Tribute to Peter Dula” started four years ago and as a part of the concert, Honorary Awards of Peter Dula are presented to a few personalities actively working on the country/bluegrass scene as publicists, festival or event promoters. Fragment, Henrich Novak, Richard Cifersky and myself were very honored to be inducted in Peter Dula’s Hall of Fame. On behalf of Fragment, our dobro player Henrich Novak also accepted Peter’s “traveling” guitar, that he will keep until the next year and pass it on to the next awarded artist.
To me, the highlight of the night, besides great music and wonderful audience, was meeting Peter’s parents for the first time. Along with Ladislav Sasak (family friend and a long time member of The Rowers) they keep the memory of Peter and his musical achievement alive. I’m thankful for that as it was a night I will cherish forever.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
DAY 6: November 28, Zvolen, Slovakia
Probably the hardest day of our tour. After five hours of sleep we got up at 6:00 a.m. and enjoyed full European breakfast in our hotel in Kaufbeuren. The tables were nicely decorated with Christmas centerpieces and candles, even for breakfast. Great start of the day!
By 7:00 a.m. we were on the road. The beautiful winter scenery and sunrise made our 10-hour-long trip more enjoyable. We traveled from southern Germany, through Austria to central Slovakia. The concert was held in the historic Town Hall in Zvolen. It was nice to see our friends from bluegrass band Candy Floss (based in Zvolen), who opened for us tonight. They played all original material and they put on a great show!
Again, we saw a few familiar faces in the audience and overall it was another wonderful night. We stayed with Candy Floss’ bass player Anton Naroda and banjo player Simona Schmidtova in their beautiful house in the vicinity of Zvolen. They took a great care of us, treated us with special locally-made food and drinks. It’s been a long and exhausting day.
Thanksgiving day is my favorite American holiday and I thought of my family and friends across the ocean. Even though we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Slovakia, besides many other things in my life, I was extremely thankful for the opportunity to play music in my homeland again, surrounded by friends.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Day 5: November 27 Kaufbeuren, Germany
The last day in Germany turned out to be a bit cold, but beautiful. We left the hotel in Langenau and drove about an hour to Kaufbeuren.
When we arrived at the hotel, our guitar player Ondra found out that we were only fifty minutes from Neuschwanstein castle, a popular tourist destination in Bavaria.
We had approximately three hours until the sound check and everybody was up for taking a little trip to the “winter wonderland.” We jumped back in the car and in about half an hour we enjoyed beautiful winter scenery driving by the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. As we were getting closer, the castle emerged between the mountains and it really looked like something from a fairy tale. We didn’t have time to take the 30 minute walk to the most famous Neuschwanstein Castle, so we decided to walk up to the Hohenschwangau Castle close by. It was definitely worth walking up the icy stairs, as the view with two lakes, Alpsee and Schwansee below, was remarkable. Despite the cold weather (15 F), I wished we could have stayed longer.
Around 5:00 p.m. our routine began with loading the sound system into Sudhaus, a restaurant type venue, with regular bluegrass concerts. Among many others Claire Lynch, Chris Jones and The Night Drivers and Monroe Crossing played there earlier this year.
Our promoter Frank Rickal was worried about the attendance, as an important soccer match was on TV that night, but the first bluegrass fans started to show up an hour and a half before the show.
After the sound check and a lovely dinner – local specialty Kase Spatzle (dumplings with cheese and roasted onions), we were ready to start the show. We played three sets and during the intermissions we had a chance to chat with local fans/musicians at the merch table.
I have to admit, I was ready for bed when we finished the show with two encores, but yet we had to pack and load the sound system in the trailer. We got to the hotel around midnight and went straight to bed, to catch some sleep before our long trip back to Slovakia.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Day 4: November 26, Langenau, Germany
Our fourth day on the road was a bit different and somewhat relaxing – we didn’t have to travel! After breakfast, we went back to our cozy rooms and enjoyed some quiet time in a nice hotel in Langenau, where we’ve stayed for two nights. In the afternoon we went through a couple of songs, that we wanted to add to our show. Around 4 pm we arrived to Pfleghofsaal, located downtown, next to the library. We loaded in the sound system and after the sound check we were ready for dinner with our host Friedrich Hog. To our surprise, we were joined by Lilly Pavlak, who works as a publicist for many European bluegrass magazines. Lilly lives in Switzerland and I was very impressed, she decided to travel four hours by train, just to see our show.
The concert was sponsored by the German Bluegrass Music Association, that organizes several bluegrass/acoustic music concerts every year in this town. These days it’s not easy to draw a big crowd on Tuesday night, but the true bluegrass fans showed up and made us very welcome.
Again, it was great to play for the listening audience. It was nice to see a few familiar faces, we remembered from many years ago. We can’t thank our hosts enough for a wonderful night!
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Day 3, November 25, Ulm, Germany
We woke up to a chilly morning in Neudrossenfeld. After a nice European breakfast (whole grain rolls, cheese, cold cut meats, fruit and vegetables) and lots of coffee, we were ready for our trip to Ulm. Even though Fragment has played many times in this part of Germany, we’ve never had a chance to visit this beautiful city, situated on the Danube River. Ulm was founded around 850 and is primarily known for the tallest church in the world. The construction of “Ulmer Minster” (with the steeple measuring 530 ft) started in 1377 and was completed in 1890.
At this time of the year, many European cities have Christmas Markets where people can find lovely hand crafted gifts, regional culinary delicacies, baked goods, hand made candy, and of course, traditional Gluhwein (mulled wine) or Christmas punch.
The Market is a great place to go with your friends or family to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. Ulmer Christmas Market was “the real deal” with a train ride, glassblowing shop and a Nativity scene with live animals.
Around 6pm we met with our long-time friend Eberhard Finke, the editor of Bluegrass Buhne magazine. Eberhard took us to a nice dinner at a local restaurant downtown. He brought a few old pictures from various festivals we played with Fragment in Germany, Slovakia and Czech Republic almost twenty years ago. Time goes by fast with a good meal, tasty beer and a lots of memories. Our host Friedrich Hog (vice president of Country & Western Friends Kotz Association 1982 e.V., chairman of the German Bluegrass Association) was awaiting us at 8pm in the Radio Free FM studio, located in a historical building near the restaurant. Over an hour of talking and playing flew by quickly, and before we realized, it was time to close up the show. We were not ready to say good-bye, so we ended up in a bar nearby, where we enjoyed some extra smooth dark beer with both our hosts Eberhard and Friedrich.
The late night walk to the car, conveniently parked close by in an underground garage, was refreshing. The first snowflakes of the season were flying in the air.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
Day 2 Sunday Nov. 24, Neudrossenfeld, Germany
After a warm welcome at the Festival Malinkej in Vlckovice, Czech Republic last night, a few hours of sleep in a local inn, where coffee wasn’t available, we jumped in the car desperately looking for a place where we could score some caffeine. As it turned out (and I totally forgot about this after seven years of living in the USA), finding decent breakfast on Sunday morning can be tricky. Czech and Slovak families traditionally cook a big lunch at home on Sunday, so many restaurants are closed. Sadly, we ended up at McDonalds, but on the upside, coffee at McCafe in Europe is really, really delicious, just like from a nice coffee shop in the USA.
We traveled approximately five hours, crossed the borders with Germany, and arrived to Neudrossenfeld. First, we met our wonderful hosts Herta and Thomas Karner. Thomas is a bass player, actively playing with many German acoustic bands. Bluegrass fans may remember him from the band Fox Tower Bluegrass that toured in the USA a few years ago. They awaited us with a delicious homemade cake, coffee and tea, and later on took us to a beautifully renovated old brewery, Drossenfelder Brauwerck, where the concert was held. The Brewery is locally owned and was just reopened a couple of weeks ago. It was great to hear about their plans to have concerts of various genres in the future.
The boys unloaded and set up the sound system and after the sound check it was just about time to start. I was impressed with the quietly listening audience, who rewarded us with an enthusiastic applause and enjoyed every song. After two encores we talked to a few fans and as it turned out, some of the people have never heard of bluegrass, or have never been to a bluegrass concert. It was nice to meet and talk to an American cardiologist from Virginia, who moved to Germany in the sixties. He told me, he was pleased to hear our rendition of Shenandoah Valley Waltz.
After the show and a few very tasty locally brewed beers, the boys went to the hotel. I stayed with our hosts Herta and Thomas. We talked about the bluegrass scene in Europe and even remembered our first meeting 18 years ago when Fragment opened a concert for Bluegrass Etc. not too far from here.
Fragment, one of the most popular central European bluegrass bands ever, is celebrating their 30th anniversary by doing a reunion tour. Bass player and vocalist Jana Mougin is chronicling their tour for us at Bluegrass Today.
DAY 1 – November 23. Vlckovice, Czech Republic
The idea for our 30th Anniversary tour came in March, when we got an offer to play a concert in Slovakia. Everyone in the band was excited about touring again. We haven’t seen each other for two years, since our last tour in the USA in 2011. It’s not easy to work with the band consisting of four members, living in three different countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, USA) on two different continents. After several months of communicating, booking and planning, we successfully kicked of our 10 day-long tour with a rehearsal at Henrich’s cabin in the beautiful Carpathian Mountains.
It was great to see everybody. The first night we stayed up late talking, catching up on the news in our lives, families, careers… While enjoying a few glasses of Slovakian red wine and Iveta’s (Henrich’s wife’s) delicious culinary creations, we remembered the ‘good old days,’ our tours in the USA and Europe, recording sessions, and various appearances in radio and TV shows. Years and years of memories, that, surprisingly, lingered in our minds to the last detail.
Maybe I should mention a few facts about the current line-up. The only original member is Henrich Novak (resonator guitar, vocals). He’s been with the band for 30 years (with a couple of short breaks). I joined the band 20 years ago, and Richard Cifersky (banjo) started to play with us 10 years ago. Our youngest member, Ondra Kozak (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, vocals), has been with us since 2007.
We rehearsed all day, and on Saturday morning we drove back to Bratislava, where our soundman/driver Jirka Elger patiently waited for us with a comfortable SUV and a full sound system in a trailer. After an uneventful four–hour drive we arrived in the small town of Vlckovice in the Northeast of Czech Republic. The Festival Malinkej was held in the town concert hall. It was nice to see many musicians I remembered from years ago. We even met two former Fragment band members Petr Brandejs (banjo) and Honza Maca (mandolin)! Since we were the last act of the night, we had a chance to enjoy three (out of five) other Czech bands – traditional Bluegrass Cwrkot, folkier Druha Miza Vojty Zichy, and contemporary Abalone.
The audience was amazing, applauding after each solo, truly enjoying every moment of the show despite the late night hour. We played for about fifty minutes, and finished with two encores way past midnight. It was a great night, and it would have been nice to spend more time in the bar talking with fans and friends, but we all were ready to get some sleep before our trip to Germany on the next day.
