Iva Bittová and Ida Kelarová

very first concert together and sang jazz standarts only  - like Georgia on My Mind, Gloomy Sunday, My Funny Valentine and more. There were over 20 musicians on the stage, universally front jazzmen from Czech republic and Slovakia – e.g.the special guest great bassist and Czech native George Mraz from New York. Noble retro of this concert evoked the golden age of Lucerna. In the last 15 years, no jazz concert has sold off Lucerna Great Hall except this one – the concert of Iva and Ida with jazz formation Jazz Famelija and their guests.

General public has now the chance to enjoy this extraordinary jazz evening. The concert was recorded on DVD and is purchasable from October 20, 2008. It is distributed by Indies Scope records and the profits of its sale will go to account of MIRET  - the civil association that carries out projects for gifted young Roma talents. MIRET is also the main reason for that both sisters and other performers agreed to the concert and its release on DVD. DVD records the very first common project of two phenomenally -but completely different- musical sisters. Iva Bittová, now living in the USA says: "For me, meeting my sister Ida and other brilliant musicians at Lucerna was a celebration of our lifelong music-making as well."

The whole concert was inspired by big jazz concerts held in the fifties and the sixties  in America. The stage setting, lighting and music direction and style of videorecording  of DVD were arranged in corresponding style. Director of DVD is Šimon Koudela, director of photography Jan Baset Stříteský.


DVD presents 90 minutes of concert itself, then various bonuses including record of rehearsals, interview with Ida Kelarova and Iva Bittová, and an hour-long film called „THE BLACK STAR“ that poetically shows the work of young Roma talents at Svojanov castle in 2007. The film was shot within projects of MIRET and the DVD is benefit to this association. Film was made in coproduction with GOLDENDAWN Ltd /Ca MIRET and was directed by Janek Růžička.

Music publicist Jiří Černý wrote about the concert:
„Furrowy, thunder alt of Ida Kelarova and to all the ends expanding soprano of Iva Bittova, the first two of three daughters of bass player from Galanta Koloman Bitt and teacher and singer Lidmila from Uhersky Brod, used to resound together in times of youth spent in Opava, during growing up in Brno and for some time in theater Husa na provazku. Since then has the main music partner for Ida been the piano and for Iva the violin; both these original individualities, unbounded by any genre rules, have rarely performed together. Their meeting on stage at Lucerna was extra exceptional even because of chosen repertory – american jazz evergreens. Each sister has made the best of her peculiar music imagination and high interpretative strain that is typical for both of them. And in closing common improvisation of famous Ellington’s piece, they convinced the audience that "it don´t mean a thing (if it ain´t got that swing)".

 

tracks on DVD1

You´ve a Changed 6:08
The Gentle rain 5:50
Gloomy Sunday 4:20
LoveMe Or Leave Me 3:15
AT Last  7:00
Here Is That Rainy Day 5:45
Ive Got The World On The String 4:00
Georgia On My Mind  5:15
My Funny Valentine 6:25
Litlle Girl Blue  5:40
There is no greater love 7:00
Fly Me To The Moon 6:15
It Dont Mean a Thing  9:15
Why Should I Care 4:45
Aqua de beber 9:00

Bonus:

Sisters (interview)
There Is No Greatest Love – special guest Miriam Bayle