Who - Music

After Witnessing A Performance By Erich "Boboš" Procházka And The Electric Blues Band John Mayall The Godfather Of The British Blues Scene Said "I'd Like To Play With This Band On Tour Anytime." The Year Was 1997. When The Solo Studio Project “Boboš & The Frozen Dozen” Was Released In 1999 It Received Critical Acclaim The Slovak Music Industry And Gave Rise To A Concert Formation Going By The Same Name. Erich "Boboš" Procházka Is Often The Largest Man On Stage. He Is Often Also The Least Musical-Looking Musician. At Six Feet Two Inches And Broad As The Day Is Long Boboš Looks More Like A Throwback Rugby Professional Than One Of Europe's Best Harmonica Players. He Even Dresses All In Black Heightening The Tough-Guy Impression. And In This Part Of The World The Abscence Of Hair On His Prominent Skull Leads People To Make Quick Assumptions. "It's Funny " He Said In A Recent Intereview With The Slovak Spectator. "It's Mostly Skinheads That Mistake Me For A Skinhead. One Time A Skin Came And Sat Next To Me At A Bus Stop Where There Were Four Or Five Gypsies Around. He And His Friends Had Lots Of Ideas Then They Noticed I Was Reading A Book With A Dark-Skinned Person On The Cover. I Looked Up And Smiled At The Skinhead. He Was Very Surprised." At 39 Years Of Age Procházka Is A Veteran Of 25 Years Of Active Studio Work And Countless Bands. But It Wasn't Until This June That He Released His First CD Featuring His Own Compositions A Work Whose Title Was Taken From His Blues Band Boboš And The Frozen Dozen. Aside From Touring With The Frozen Dozen Boboš Plays Regularly In Bratislava And Throughout Slovakia With Various Groups. On The Harmonica Boboš Combines Stunning Virtuosity And A Light Touch And Is Worth Hearing Both For What He Plays And What He Doesn't Play. He Knows When To Blaze Through A Riff And When To Hold One Note To Puff It Out And Make It Tremble. He Also Knows To Leave Plenty Of Space For The Rest Of The Band. Boboš Was Born In Central Slovakia's Nove Zámky And Started Playing Harmonica At The Age Of Seven. While He Studied Piano And Violin For Some Time At A Musical Academy He Cites A Friend Who Had Many Old American Blues Records As Having Had The Greatest Influence On His Musical Development. "I Play Chicago Style Blues. For Me Blues Is Muddy Waters And All The Harp Players That Ever Played In His Band." In December Last Year Another Solo Album Titled “Grooved” Was Released. This Had A Far Wider Appeal Than That Of Its Predecessor And Had A Particularly Good Response From Those Who Did Not Listen To “classic Blues” Exclusively. “Grooved” Was Produced By Acclaimed Producer And Keyboard Player Oskar Rózsa. The Album Demonstrates The Energy And Versatility Of The Band The Frozen Dozen Who Have Played By Erich "Boboš" Procházka's Side For The Past Three Years In Over Two Hundred Concerts In Slovakia The Czech Republic Poland And Hungary. The Album Included A Special Guest Appearance By No.1 Hungarian Harmonica Player Matyás Pribojszkij. On February 18th 2004 Erich "Boboš" Procházka Received A Nomination From The Academy Of Popular Music For The AUREL Award The Slovak Version Of The Grammy For The Instrumentalist Of The Year 2003 Category. Oskar Rózsa Was Also Nominated In The Best Production Category For Grooved. On March 5th 2004 Erich "Boboš" Procházka Was Awarded The AUREL 2003 For Best Instrumental Performance. Over The Years Boboš Has Played In Festivals All Over Europe And Is Recognised As One Of The Continent's Best Harmonica Players. "I Studied Music In America For A Year And Then Wandered Around The Cleveland Area " Said Daniel Salontay A Bratislava Guitarist Who Has Worked With Slovak Pop Star Richard Muller As Well As Leading His Own Projects. "And I Never Saw A Harmonica Player As Good As Boboš. He Is Very Perceptive A Very Able Improviser. Blues Can Lock A Person Into A Routine Sometimes But That's Not The Case With Boboš." Erich "Boboš" Procházka Has Been A Concert Musician And A Highly Sought After Harmonica Player For Over 20 Years. He Has Collaborated With Over 100 Projects In A Plethora Of Music Genres Including Blues Rock Pop Jazz And Metal To Name A Few. These Include Albums By The Bands And Solo Artists Vidiek Richard Muller Peter Lipa Pavol Hammel Andrej Šeban Hex Janko Lehotský Robo Grigorov Jana Kocianová Gabriel Jonáš Fermata Tublatanka Szidi Tobias Miro Noga And Peci Uherčík Not To Mention Music Bands From Abroad Such As The Hans Blues From Germany And Stáció From Hungary. This List Is Far From Exhausted. Erich "Boboš" Procházka Is The Most Acclaimed Harmonica Player In The Former Czechoslovakia Region. He Is Well Respected By The No.1 Harmonica Players Around Europe Such As Matyás Pribojszkij Slawek Wieszcholski And Ralf Bombers As Well As Many Renowned Music Publicists. "It Is Not Only Their Album From 2 Years Ago That Is On A Top International Level But Also Their Live Form... Which Is Complemented … By Prochazka's Excellent Solos As Well As By An Outstandingly Modern Yet Not Superficial Essence Of The Band. I Am Convinced That If Any Of The Bluesmen Of The Former Czechoslovakia Region Are Destined For Success Anywhere Including Overseas It's This Band".-Ondřej Bezr ROCK & POP Magazine 1/2002 Days Of Slovak Blues Michal Prokop Legend Of The Czech Music Scene Commented On Boboš & The Frozen Dozen's Performance At The 6th Annual International Blues Festival Blues Alive 2001 "I Guess The Greatest Experience For Me Was Seeing The Performance Of The Slovak Singer And Harmonica Player Erich "Boboš" Procházka And His Band The Frozen Dozen." Other Music-Related Activities Of Boboš Procházka Range From Making Music For Cinema And Musicals Through To Reviews On Slovak Radio And Hosting His Own Music Show Rhythm And Blues Radio B1 In 2001 And 2002. Erich "Boboš" Prochazka Got His First Harmonica When He Was 7 And He Expressed His Relationship To This Instrument Through The Words Of One Of The Best Blues Harmonica Players Paul Butterfield From Chicago "I Didn't Choose The Harmonica The Harmonica Chose Me." read less