Dressed up like a European woman in the fifties, Katerina Steinerova radiates happiness around her as she speaks like the heroine of a romantic movie. A renowned swing vocalist from the Czech Republic, her performance took us back to the classical era By Saritha Saraswathy Balan
Steinerová takes two hours to get dressed up in a long frock, wears heavy ear studs and ties up her hair on top before each performance. With this style, dominated by her music, she recreates a period of swing music on stage while her friend pianist Jiri Ruzicka gives the desirable rhythm in jazz.
The musicians from Czech Republic, renamed recently as Czechia, believe that their music reflects the politics of the country. “Of course it is connected to the politics of our country. Swing music has its roots in the late 1920s. So it is definitely connected to politics. Many people now are just imaginative, especially considering the music that existed decades ago. During the Second World War, people were not allowed to dance. Even some songs were prohibited. Swing is the music that existed in the countries of the region at that time which were later liberated from the Unions or renamed. It is also influenced by pop music,” Steinerová says.
The musicians say that they love the music of that time, which has evolved over the years, and is still playing it. They presented a musical repertoire at the Taj Hotel in the capital city lately at In the Swing of Things, a cultural collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in India.
Steinerová really does magic on stage, taking too many things from the musical kitty, without losing the tempo that charms the audience at the same time. “Being a swing musician is like handling 10 jobs at a time. It is tough as you have to sing, act and dance together on stage. It is everything together,” Steinerová laughs as she enjoys the task.
A form of US music, swing uses a strong rhythm of double bass and drums. “We used to play it with instrumentalists. Here in Delhi, me and Steinerová had to manage alone,” says Ruzicka. The quick-witted teases Steinerová saying that it takes only five or six seconds for him to get dressed up while she takes two hours.
The duo say that every time they come out with something different, which is possible for swing and jazz. When asked about how they manage it, Ruzicka says, “It is a technique. We remain as ourselves for the moment. We do not think about what we had done yesterday or what we would play tomorrow. We do not think about anything else. We are just focused.”
“In pop or rock music, people love to listen to the same song and in the same way, in Swing, we can play a song in different rhythms at a moment or during different moments of the song. It’s between us and the rhythm we feel and how we communicate while on stage. We need to communicate, we need to play together,” he concludes.
From Ostrava, north-east of the Czech Republic, 30-year-old Katerina has been serving as a musical actress, swing singer, lecturer of swing and tap dance at the Zig Zag Tap and Swing Dance Studio in Prague. Her focus is on swing repertoire from Czechoslovakia. She performs in Czech as well as in English.
The milestone of her journey was the release of the vinyl record album – “I love Peggy lee” with Ruzicka and other leading Czech jazz musician Svatoborem. “While we were doing the work, it was tedious. Now as it has been done, it is a great pleasure to watch it,” she says.
Ruzicka’s entry to the musical world was delayed. He was a teacher in an Elementary school. “But my passion for music began in my teenage days and later I decided to take it up as my job,” says the musician who is popular for his soul-stirring harmonies. The musicians take full liberty of the kind of music they play and are super cool to invite the audience to be in close contact with them. “They can react, cry or do anything possible because we are creating the right atmosphere for them,” they laugh as if enjoying the moment in front of them.