Fall Of My Dreams review - Bluegrass Unlimited, Nov. 2002
Mark Schatz and Stuart Duncan are joined here by Bela Fleck, Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes and Scott Vestal to support Hanzlik on 11 joyous and imaginative tracks, all but one(Yellow Rose Of Texas sung by Tim O’Brien) are instrumentals composed by Hanzlik himself.The tunes cover as wide a stylistic range as one might expect given Hanzlik’s trans-global background. Hanzlik’s compositions skills shouldn’t overshadow his picking talent. He should take the back seat to no one in his imagination, tone and drive. But he and producer Schatz do such a good job of framing each piece distinctively, with different members of the stellar session crew taking turns and leading each number, that the overall effect is not of an individual guitarist’s spotlight album but rather, as Fleck notes state, “like a band that’s progressing together”. Fans of wonderful acoustic new-grass music will definitely want to give a listen to Fall Of My Dreams, one of the most consistently exciting instrumental albums to come out since Bela Fleck’sDrive.
The same "new" bluegrass, August 22, 2002 - Reviewer: Martin Davis (Huntington, Wv USA)
Admist the "new" bluegrass movement following Alison Krauss and the "O Brother" soundtrack it was refreshing to hear this cd, which predates them both. The cd is not really your typical bluegrass, not is it purely New Age. It's somewhere in the middle of both genres. I had never heard Slavek's guitar work, but as I read who else was on the cd I was even more convinced of it's quality. Most notably Béla Fleck on banjo and Rob Ickes playing Dobro. The shear joy of playing music comes through on the entire album. The album is great "background" music or one to listen to purely for the outstanding musical talent displayed. All this music from a czech refugee, go figure.
A Jewel, February 6, 2006 - Reviewer: Brownian Motion (State College, PA United States)
This 1991 date clocks in a just over 37 minutes in length, but its brevity in no way diminishes its loveliness. This is modern instrumental bluegrass at its very finest, featuring such masters of the form as Bela Fleck and Stuart Duncan. Hanzlik, a native of Czechoslovakia, is a first-rate guitarist and composer, and deserves afar wider audience than he has thus far captured.
Spring in the Old Country by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the May 29, 1992 issue of the North County Blade-Citizen (now North County Times)
You've heard of "light jazz," now meet "light country." Slavek Hanzlik is a talented, skilled guitarist – and very, very low-key. "Understatement" seems to be his rule of thumb.
Which isn't to say that "Spring in the Old Country" is bad; it is a melodic, pleasant album. But this is very mellow music, and thus won't appeal to those who like their country folk music on the bluegrass side, with lots of instrumental chases and breakdowns.
Hanzlik is joined on this all-instrumental album by well-known musicians Bela Fleck on banjo, Stuart Duncan on violin and mandolin, and bassist Mark Schatz.
The same "new" bluegrass, August 22, 2002 - Reviewer: Martin Davis (Huntington, Wv USA)
Admist the "new" bluegrass movement following Alison Krauss and the "O Brother" soundtrack it was refreshing to hear this cd, which predates them both. The cd is not really your typical bluegrass, not is it purely New Age. It's somewhere in the middle of both genres. I had never heard Slavek's guitar work, but as I read who else was on the cd I was even more convinced of it's quality. Most notably Béla Fleck on banjo and Rob Ickes playing Dobro. The shear joy of playing music comes through on the entire album. The album is great "background" music or one to listen to purely for the outstanding musical talent displayed. All this music from a czech refugee, go figure.
A Jewel, February 6, 2006 - Reviewer: Brownian Motion (State College, PA United States)
This 1991 date clocks in a just over 37 minutes in length, but its brevity in no way diminishes its loveliness. This is modern instrumental bluegrass at its very finest, featuring such masters of the form as Bela Fleck and Stuart Duncan. Hanzlik, a native of Czechoslovakia, is a first-rate guitarist and composer, and deserves afar wider audience than he has thus far captured.
Spring in the Old Country by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the May 29, 1992 issue of the North County Blade-Citizen (now North County Times)
You've heard of "light jazz," now meet "light country." Slavek Hanzlik is a talented, skilled guitarist – and very, very low-key. "Understatement" seems to be his rule of thumb.
Which isn't to say that "Spring in the Old Country" is bad; it is a melodic, pleasant album. But this is very mellow music, and thus won't appeal to those who like their country folk music on the bluegrass side, with lots of instrumental chases and breakdowns.
Hanzlik is joined on this all-instrumental album by well-known musicians Bela Fleck on banjo, Stuart Duncan on violin and mandolin, and bassist Mark Schatz.
