Formed soon after
Extempore disbanded,
MCH Band has been
Mikolás Chadima's main vehicle since 1982. This double-CD set documents two concerts given on December 5, 2002, and February 4, 2003, to commemorate the group's 20th anniversary, but it is actually a celebration of
Chadima's career post-
Extempore, since the track list touches every album he has been involved in since 1982, minus one or two. The core of
the MCH Band for these recordings is
Chadima, bassist
Martin Schneider, keyboardist Jirí Jand'ourek, and drummer Jirí Horálek. They are joined by a roaster of eight guests, all past members of the group or associates of
Chadima, including ex-
Extempore bassist
Sláva Simon, guitarist
Peter Binder (with whom
Chadima recorded
Pseudemokritos in 1996), and Pavel Richter, whom Chadima first met in the group
Elektrobus in the early '70s. Disc one consists solely of material first released in the '80s, from "Hobit" written for the 1982 cassette Krokodlak up to most of the album Es Reut Mich F... from 1988. Richter's demented guitar work in "Tag um Tag" and "Procházka Kolen Pivovaru," and the trombone and saxophone solos in the 14-minute "Die Welt Ist Voll Güte" provide thrilling highlights. Disc two offers a '90s-only track list that includes serious reworkings of pieces taken from Karneval, Pruhledni Lide (
Chadima's duo CD with drummer
Pavel Fajt, conspicuously absent), and
Tagesnotizen, with gripping renditions of "Treue" and "Preléváni More." Sound quality is excellent and the performances, despite the jubilant nature of the project, stick to
Chadima's trademark gloom. On the other hand, his music tends to feel a bit clinical in the studio; here it sounds warmer, which doesn't contradict its slow tempo and gothic feel. In short, this album is candy for the fan and the place to start for the newcomer. Highly recommended.