There are many Czech composers, active during the Communust period, who were not promoted abroad. However well known they may have been to Czech audiences, they remain hardly a blip on any musical radar.

These musicians should not be written off, indeed our smallest Czech indie label, Vixen, is releasing a disc of Czech guitar music written by composers active in the post-war years, some still are.

It covers a range of music expression, mostly in the form of descriptive pieces that include - Zoo Lessons by Ivo Blaha (1936-) offers all kinds of animals, there is a memory of Che Guevara by Vaclav Kucera (1929-) and a Dance Around a Linden Tree by Stepan Rak, born in 1945. 

There is quite a lot more, a total of 36 tracks with a playing time of over 78 minutes. Guitarist, Josef Mazan, is truly brilliant with the sounds and sound effects he gets from his instrument. At times he makes it sound like an orchestra. Guitar enthusiasts will enjoy this unusual repertoire as much as casual listeners. It is quite a programme!