Bavarski — A New Brand of Polkas
What do you get when you mix one of the hottest jazz organists with one of the most versatile drummers around and an opera singer? New York City’s newest Polka Sensation- BAVARSKI! Of course, these aren’t just any musicians putting on lederhosen and pumping out Roll out the Barrel!! Ron Oswanski grew up with an accordion in Toledo, Ohio long before he learned about bebop—listening and playing with his father’s polka band. Also hailing from the land of mud hens- Eddie Biegaj was singing Polish folk songs with his concertina and accordion while starting an early journey into polka superstardom as a founding member of the Grammy® nominated Toledo Polkamotion, after getting his formal classical voice training. Add the foreign element of Wayne Dunton (a native of the far off land of New Jersey) who was caught stealing Kishka at family Polish weddings and toured nationally with many world class bands while gigging and recording with numerous jazz, rock and classical luminaries. To round out the quartet of polka-rockin’ all stars, add the 2nd New Jersey element of Ernie White to the equation. Ernie, sharpened his musical skills alongside his contemporaries Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi in the hey-day of rock-n-roll in New Jersey. He continues to write, produce, and perform on a very high standard keeping rock-n-roll in Trenton alive! With this quartet, you have a band that has the old soul of polka men, the full repertoire of a rocking party band, and the sophistication of jazz cats…
Check out BAVARSKI for your next Oktoberfest, Polka Party, Biergarten or Dance Event. You will have fun. Bavarski was born through the encouragement of Alex Meixner at a Hoboken brat haus over big beers and even bigger ideas. Bavarski’s mission is to rock an Oktoberfest by performing both traditional and non-traditional music, creating something for everyone to identify with regardless of their age or ethnicity.
One of the greatest joys of Ron Oswanski in his chosen profession is the fact that he loves to play ALL forms of music. No particular style is superior to him if played with passion and at the highest level of musicianship possible. Creating music is all about treating whatever the genre is with true integrity, choosing the players that make it work, and putting “it” out there for people to hear and relate to. Mr. Oswanski’s vision for “Born to Polka” was to bring together musical ideas that are played in certain polka circles (German, Slovenian, and Polish) and combine them with jazz, rock, and other various influences. It is a collision of completely different worlds which, in some cases, has never been attempted before.
Ron Oswanski would like to thank everyone he has worked with who opened his mind to the vast musical possibilities that are out there including Maynard Ferguson, Maria Schneider, The Music Factory, Jimmy Sturr Orchestra, Blood Sweat and Tears, and many more. An extra special thanks to Ed Klancnik for his efforts on the project and to all the musicians who approached this recording with an open mind, helping Ron achieve some new sounds. Without pushing the boundaries of past and present, music will only exist until people lose interest and eventually forget about it…
This CD Features:
Ron Oswanski – Accordion, Hammond B3, Keyboards
Alex Meixner – Vocal, Trumpet, Bass
Eddie Biegaj – Vocal
Ernie White – Vocal, Guitar
Wayne Dunton – Drums
Ed Klancnik – Drums, Banjo
Al Piatkowski – Concertina
Hank Guzevich – Trumpet
Joel Frahm – Saxophone
Hans Glawischnig – Electric Bass
Carl Fischer – Trumpet
Leah Oswanski – Background Vocals
Chris Berger – Acoustic Bass
Jon Owens – Trumpet
Kenny Harbus – Trumpet
Eric Stehle – Saxophone, Clarinet
Dan Willis – Clarinet
Dave Riechenberg – Saxophone
Jeff Barone – Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo
Frank Urbanovitch – Fiddle
Check out the fantastic musicianship throughout this CD today!
Track Listing:
1. Happy Wanderer
2. You May Be Right
3. Cheese and Crackers Polka
4. Where’s Johnny
5. Aus Böhmen Kommt die Musik
6. Edelweiss/Sierra Madre
7. Wake Me Up
8. Oriental Hula
9. Country Roads/Rocky Top
10. Ein Heller und ein Batzen
11. So ein Tag
12. Suicide Polka
13. Just Because
14. Das Kufsteiner Lied
15. Rosalita
16. Trink, Trink Brüderlein Trink/Casey Jones