Branko Kralj was born on March 10th, 1924 in Zagreb and has a degree in economics. He belonged to the generation that blazed the trail for jazz music in the region.
Kralj, despite being a jazz musician, has spent much of his life as an athlete. He played for years as a goalkeeper for various team handball and soccer clubs such as Zagreb and Dinamo, and was a member of the Yugoslav national soccer team.
He was also renowned among jazz aficionados, especially fans of the harmonica, a scarce instrument in jazz. It is impossible to speak of Croatian jazz, especially jazz music that was played in Zagreb after World War II, without mentioning the name of Branko Kralj, who has always been called “King” by friends and collaborators alike, and his “royal” contribution to jazz as a musician and publicist.
Branko Kralj exhibited his propensity for music at an early age. When he was six years old he started playing his father's guitar, an instrument he would return to later in life. He received his first instrument, a small diatonic harmonica, from his mother. She purchased it in July of 1931 while on a pilgrimage in Marija Bistrica in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region, which is the location of a famous Marian shrine. The petite instrument has been Kralj's favorite ever since. For over 70 years, up to this day, Kralj has been relentless in his struggle to elevate the status of this tiny Hohner instrument and has undoubtedly been one of its foremost advocates.
Branko Kralj nurtured his love for jazz by listening to radio stations that usually played oldies and dance music, but with rhythmized, syncopated and improvised ragtime and dixieland performed by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Chick Webb, Django Reinhardt or Kid Ory also thrown in the mix for good measure. Being enamored with this “new” type of music, Kralj also influenced the musical taste of his schoolmates, making it more popular with his peers. This lead to the creation of a core of jazz musicians formed around Kralj in Peta muška realna gimnazija. The Devils Club on Bošković Street in Zagreb also contributed heavily to jazz music bringing youth together. It was the first jazz club in the country, founded in 1935 by Marko Marjanović (1916 – 1992), a jazz pioneer and its indispensable supporter. It was a gathering place for jazz admirers who would listen to this “new” music, play jazz and discuss it, although, according to Kralj, their knowledge of jazz music was slight. There were numerous ways of acquiring records. “Hard” vinyl records (72 revolutions per minute) at the time consisted of only two recordings, one on each side. Zvonimir Braco Urbić would usually bring the records to the club. He traveled frequently, so he took the opportunity to buy jazz records. He recalls the existence of the Swing Trio in Zagreb during the mid-1930s, consisting of Uroš Jurković (drums), Srećko Tekauc (piano, later relocated to London) and Robert Donat (guitar), who were later joined by the excellent clarinetist Srđan Krizman (moved to the United States). Kralj also remembers the Devils lead by Marijan (Moša) Marijanović from the period between 1934 and 1935, then Nenad Grčević's the Devils 2, Uroš Jurković's Quick Swingers, the Bojan Hohnjec Big Band from 1939 and the Johan Brothers Big Band lead by brothers Maks and Miroslav.
Influenced by the Polish band of harmonica players lead by Bora Minjevich (who was working in the United States at the time), Branko Kralj formed his own band of harmonica players consisting of his classmates. Kralj's quintet had their first performance in 1938 when they played at a prom named “Dancing Beneath the Wings”, the venue of which was the Croatian Music Institute. The members of the quintet were: Miljenko Prohaska (still one of the most prominent Croatian jazz musicians), Zdravko Gmajner (who would go on to become a renowned architect in Zagreb), Berislav Mencl (who would go on to make a name for himself in electronics) and Artur Tot (tragically killed in an accident shortly after World War II), with Braco Reiss (who would go on to become a famous soccer player and entertainer) and Čedo Dinter (who would go on to earn a PhD in economics) alternating between themselves.
The performances of Branko Kralj's quintet at Zagreb night clubs were quite the spectacle back in 1942 and 1943, which ensured them a few gigs, like the ones at the bar of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts on 49 Ilica Street. Branko Kralj enthusiastically spoke about the band of tenor saxophonist Antun (Johnny) Remenar from 1940 and 1941, with Zlatko Černjul taking over in the fall of 1941 and leading the band until mid-1942 (the year he joined the partisans). The
86
orchestra's concert held at the Grič movie theater on Kvaternik Square was shrouded in secrecy. Close friends were informed about the performance by word of mouth only, because of the fear that the authorities would ban the concert. Branko Kralj vividly remembers Zeno Vukelić, a superb cellist, pianist and composer who was the first person to arrange his composition “Hela”. He emigrated to Rome in late 1944 and became a full-time member of the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra. Branko Kralj considered Vlado Francetić, known to his friends as Franci, the most talented jazz guitarist in the period between 1939 and 1943. Musicians would rehearse in his apartment on Tkalčić Street36 on a regular basis, up until 1944, when he emigrated to Caracas and then to the United States. He corresponded with his jazz musician friends from Zagreb for years, contacting composer and guitarist Aleksandar Bubanović the most often.
Shortly after the end of World War II, every other week Radio Zagreb's audience had the opportunity to tune in and listen to the live performances of Branko Kralj and his trio at the studio on 116 Vlaška Street. Kras and Kovač, an excellent duet of jazz guitarists also performed every other week in a similar timeframe of 20 minutes. Guitarist Aleksandar Bubanović (who would later go on to become a well known film score composer and an amateur painter), Edo Smolej (electrical engineer and the author of the excellent Škola za gitaru [Guitar Lessons]), and occasionally Boris Sorokin (who would go on to become a well known psychologist and a full professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, and who was also an exceptional clarinetist, arranger, composer and big band conductor, essentially an all round jazz musician) all took turns in the band, with Miljenko Prohaska and Miloš Đurić alternating between themselves on upright bass. The trio performed on radio shows until early 1948 when the state issued a decree banning jazz music, which was labeled as pro-western and “capitalist”, effectively canceling the shows.37 Cultural events at the time were organized according to Eastern Bloc policy, which made promoting jazz a pioneering and arduous endeavor. It was even harder to make the small harmonica, which was at the time considered an instrument used by amateurs on hiking trips, a part of a tight-knit family of jazz instruments.
As previously mentioned, Branko Kralj was highly regarded as an athlete and a team handball and soccer international. On his frequent trips abroad he would, almost as a rule, attend concerts of famous jazz musicians and buy vinyl records, making him the proud owner of an extensive record collection, at the center of which are harmonica recordings.
Following the end of what was an enviable athletic career, Branko Kralj fulfilled his dream of founding a harmonica quintet, which successfully performed for 11 years, up until 1969. Tomislav Simović, a renowned composer (who was known for his cartoon scores) and arranger from Zagreb well versed in piano, upright bass, harmonica and guitar is credited with creating the defining programmatic jazz feature of the quintet. When talking about Simović, Kralj never fails to point out how much he admires him and how prominent his role was in the successful performances of his quintet. Tomica Simović arranged almost all of the harmonica quintet's music and also performed with the band, given his dexterity in playing the harmonica.
The quintet was comprised of decent musicians who taught themselves how to play different harmonicas. Darko Borak played the second chromatic harmonica, while Dr. Damir Kišić alternated with Dr. Rudi Čop in playing the chord harmonica, which was a backing instrument. The harmonette, a special instrument in the harmonica family that resembled the typewriter, was played by Vlado Sinković, an otherwise exceptional baritone saxophonist. The bass harmonica was played by the engineer Marijan Kolić, while Branko Kralj played the second (with three octaves) and the third (with four octaves) chromatic harmonica. During performances the quintet was joined by a rhythm section, with drummers Petar Spasov, Eduard Utrobičić, Silvije Glojnarić, and occasionally Aleksandar Skale and Branislav Kovačev alternating between themselves. Miljenko Prohaska was the upright bassist of choice, with Krešimir Remeta and Rajko Milosavljević occasionally stepping in. The quintet performed at the Bled Jazz Festival in 1960, held concerts and recorded music in Graz and Paris and they were even guests on the popular show Music Knows No Limits that aired on Europe's biggest radio stations.
Branko Kralj's harmonica quintet recorded two LP's, with Tomica Simović deserving special praise for his accomplished arrangements. His ideas enriched the quintet, and under his guidance Kralj recorded an LP with four trombones and a rhythm section as a solo artist, alas these recordings are no longer available on the market.
The quintet disbanded and its members went their separate ways after an invitation from Moscow to do a three-month tour of the Soviet Union. Since the band members were only musical enthusiasts, they all had full time jobs and professional commitments and none of them was able to get three months off, meaning that they were forced to politely decline the offer. Thus the activities of a band whose recordings have earned a place in the highest echelons of jazz came to a halt. It should also be noted that Branko Kralj's Harmonica Quintet, with their manner of interpretation and a jazz flavored selection of compositions charged with forceful swing were in their own way a unique occurrence not only in Croatia, but also Europe.
Unfortunately, due to the supposed “crampedness” of Radio Zagreb's record library, whose studios were located on Šubić Street, some of the recordings were destroyed, including the ones recorded by Branko Kralj's Harmonica Trio and Quintet from their early jazz period. Fortunately, many were preserved by becoming parts of musicians' private audio collections, meaning that Croatian Radio was able to retrieve the majority of the recordings.
Besides being a jazz musician, Branko Kralj was also a terrific athlete (he was capped three and called up 39 times for the Yugoslav national team, usually sitting on the bench as a substitute for Vladimir Beara, whom he considered a phenomenal goalkeeper), and he spent his entire working life as an analyst, marketing expert and manager in the market economy, his primary sources of income. He was particularly interested in development projects and the expansion of technical culture, and he was a part of the Association of Inventors and Authors of Technical Advancements (Savez izumitelja i autora tehničkih unapređenja)38 in addition to being a lifetime honorary president of the Croatian Association for Technical Culture (Hrvatska zajednica tehničke kulture), ex-People’s Technology (Narodna tehnika).
He was a contributor and author of the notable weekly show Govorimo o jazzu (Let’s Talk About Jazz) that aired on Školski radio (School Radio) between 1964 and 1966, with Dora Brajević as the editor and Saša Novak (another jazz buff and a longtime announcer of shows edited by the author of the book) as the hostess.
Branko Kralj was also among the first publicists, if indeed, not the first. During 1947 and 1948 he wrote about jazz in the weekly Globus (Tomislav Golubić was editor-in-chief).
As a reputable athlete he was a member of soccer organizations such as the Croatian Football Federation (Hrvatski nogometni savez), Zagreb Football Association (Zagrebački nogometni savez) and Dinamo Zagreb soccer club where he spent the majority of his career as a player and was also the club’s board member for over 20 years.
Branko Kralj managed to teach numerous young musicians how to play the harmonica, with some of them reaching enviable levels of musicianship. Although he tried, he was never able to form a band that would follow in the footsteps of his quintet. One of the main reasons for this was the fact that harmonicas are very expensive and have a short “lifespan”.
When the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra visited Zagreb (they performed at the Student Centre in 1956), an interesting jam session took place that included Branko Kralj's Harmonica Quintet alongside the members of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band. Quincy Jones, who performed with Dizzy’s big band particularly lauded Kralj and the members of his quintet for their excellent playing skill. Branko Kralj was also a welcome guest at jam sessions at the B. P. Club, the sole jazz club in Zagreb, where he performed with guitarist Damir Dičić, Boško Petrović and his trio (with Mario Mavrin on electric bass and Salih Sadiković on drums), guitarist Primož Grašič, Boško Petrović All Stars, and foreign guests Gergi Fame and Kenny Drew. On the 10th anniversary of the B. P. Club he performed alongside famed Belgian harmonica virtuoso Toots Jean Thielemans and together they co-wrote and recorded a beautiful twelve-tone jazz number40 Jubilarni Blues (“Jubilee Blues”) where the alternating solos of two sublime musicians entwine and create a delightful whole.
Finally, we should stress that Branko Kralj has been an indefatigable promoter of jazz music since he started playing music. He is one of the first publicists of the genre in this country and has remained one of the most active members and the president of the Croatian Composers’ Society Zagreb Jazz Club. He was president of the committee of the Jazz Fair festival that was hosted by Zagreb, and was noted for heading the organizational committees of successful jazz events such as Zagrebački dani jazza (Zagreb Jazz Days) and Međunarodni dani jazza (International Jazz Days) for nine consecutive years, even during wartime.
Kralj has been recognized with numerous plaques and awards for the contributions he has made to his vocation as an expert and a man who is enthusiastic when it comes to social activities, yet he has always been modest about it, no matter how significant they may be. Still, we should highlight some of the awards from his abundant “collection”: he is the recipient of the Legends of Jazz (Legende jazza) golden plaque of the Croatian Musicians’ Union (Hrvatska glazbena unija) for his extensive contribution to the development of jazz music and for his harmonica playing, the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport (državno odličje za sport), the Faust Vrančić Lifetime Achievement Award (nagrada za životno djelo Faust Vrančić), the Oton Kučera Lifetime Achievement Award (nagrada za životno djelo Oton Kučera) and he is especially fond of the medal given to him by the Kingdom of Belgium granting him honorary knighthood for his innovations.
In 1997 Croatian Radiotelevision’s record company Orfej released his only CD Moja usna harmonika (“My Harmonica”), which was produced by Boris Ciglenečki and includes six quality arrangements by Miljenko Prohaska and the Zagreb Soloists (Zagrebački solisti).
Branko Kralj is also the author of several books on sports as well as scientific articles and he wrote an interesting manual on learning how to play the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas titled Moja usna harmonika (“My Harmonica”) and subtitled Želim svirati usnu harmoniku (“I Want to Play the Harmonica”) that was published in 1994. Still, Branko Kralj’s versatility has not been examined and evaluated nowhere near enough, so let this text be only a small contribution and incentive for future research. At each one of my meetings with Branko Kralj in the last couple of years he would be supportive and give numerous pieces of advice regarding the publishing of this book. These meetings were important to me, especially after I had stopped working on it twice. Kralj is a thoroughly pleasant interlocutor as he recalls events from his early childhood, especially from the 1930s, which is invaluable when it comes to the portrayal of musicians of his generation. He is always in a good mood and smiling, and is a huge optimist, always ready to discuss sports, music and everyday topics. I am living proof of this after our many encounters and talks in his apartment. Branko Kralj singled out a few photographs from his wide array of photo albums that are printed in this book, and I wholeheartedly thank him for this.
Kralj, despite being a jazz musician, has spent much of his life as an athlete. He played for years as a goalkeeper for various team handball and soccer clubs such as Zagreb and Dinamo, and was a member of the Yugoslav national soccer team.
He was also renowned among jazz aficionados, especially fans of the harmonica, a scarce instrument in jazz. It is impossible to speak of Croatian jazz, especially jazz music that was played in Zagreb after World War II, without mentioning the name of Branko Kralj, who has always been called “King” by friends and collaborators alike, and his “royal” contribution to jazz as a musician and publicist.
Branko Kralj exhibited his propensity for music at an early age. When he was six years old he started playing his father's guitar, an instrument he would return to later in life. He received his first instrument, a small diatonic harmonica, from his mother. She purchased it in July of 1931 while on a pilgrimage in Marija Bistrica in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region, which is the location of a famous Marian shrine. The petite instrument has been Kralj's favorite ever since. For over 70 years, up to this day, Kralj has been relentless in his struggle to elevate the status of this tiny Hohner instrument and has undoubtedly been one of its foremost advocates.
Branko Kralj nurtured his love for jazz by listening to radio stations that usually played oldies and dance music, but with rhythmized, syncopated and improvised ragtime and dixieland performed by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Chick Webb, Django Reinhardt or Kid Ory also thrown in the mix for good measure. Being enamored with this “new” type of music, Kralj also influenced the musical taste of his schoolmates, making it more popular with his peers. This lead to the creation of a core of jazz musicians formed around Kralj in Peta muška realna gimnazija. The Devils Club on Bošković Street in Zagreb also contributed heavily to jazz music bringing youth together. It was the first jazz club in the country, founded in 1935 by Marko Marjanović (1916 – 1992), a jazz pioneer and its indispensable supporter. It was a gathering place for jazz admirers who would listen to this “new” music, play jazz and discuss it, although, according to Kralj, their knowledge of jazz music was slight. There were numerous ways of acquiring records. “Hard” vinyl records (72 revolutions per minute) at the time consisted of only two recordings, one on each side. Zvonimir Braco Urbić would usually bring the records to the club. He traveled frequently, so he took the opportunity to buy jazz records. He recalls the existence of the Swing Trio in Zagreb during the mid-1930s, consisting of Uroš Jurković (drums), Srećko Tekauc (piano, later relocated to London) and Robert Donat (guitar), who were later joined by the excellent clarinetist Srđan Krizman (moved to the United States). Kralj also remembers the Devils lead by Marijan (Moša) Marijanović from the period between 1934 and 1935, then Nenad Grčević's the Devils 2, Uroš Jurković's Quick Swingers, the Bojan Hohnjec Big Band from 1939 and the Johan Brothers Big Band lead by brothers Maks and Miroslav.
Influenced by the Polish band of harmonica players lead by Bora Minjevich (who was working in the United States at the time), Branko Kralj formed his own band of harmonica players consisting of his classmates. Kralj's quintet had their first performance in 1938 when they played at a prom named “Dancing Beneath the Wings”, the venue of which was the Croatian Music Institute. The members of the quintet were: Miljenko Prohaska (still one of the most prominent Croatian jazz musicians), Zdravko Gmajner (who would go on to become a renowned architect in Zagreb), Berislav Mencl (who would go on to make a name for himself in electronics) and Artur Tot (tragically killed in an accident shortly after World War II), with Braco Reiss (who would go on to become a famous soccer player and entertainer) and Čedo Dinter (who would go on to earn a PhD in economics) alternating between themselves.
The performances of Branko Kralj's quintet at Zagreb night clubs were quite the spectacle back in 1942 and 1943, which ensured them a few gigs, like the ones at the bar of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts on 49 Ilica Street. Branko Kralj enthusiastically spoke about the band of tenor saxophonist Antun (Johnny) Remenar from 1940 and 1941, with Zlatko Černjul taking over in the fall of 1941 and leading the band until mid-1942 (the year he joined the partisans). The
86
orchestra's concert held at the Grič movie theater on Kvaternik Square was shrouded in secrecy. Close friends were informed about the performance by word of mouth only, because of the fear that the authorities would ban the concert. Branko Kralj vividly remembers Zeno Vukelić, a superb cellist, pianist and composer who was the first person to arrange his composition “Hela”. He emigrated to Rome in late 1944 and became a full-time member of the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra. Branko Kralj considered Vlado Francetić, known to his friends as Franci, the most talented jazz guitarist in the period between 1939 and 1943. Musicians would rehearse in his apartment on Tkalčić Street36 on a regular basis, up until 1944, when he emigrated to Caracas and then to the United States. He corresponded with his jazz musician friends from Zagreb for years, contacting composer and guitarist Aleksandar Bubanović the most often.
Shortly after the end of World War II, every other week Radio Zagreb's audience had the opportunity to tune in and listen to the live performances of Branko Kralj and his trio at the studio on 116 Vlaška Street. Kras and Kovač, an excellent duet of jazz guitarists also performed every other week in a similar timeframe of 20 minutes. Guitarist Aleksandar Bubanović (who would later go on to become a well known film score composer and an amateur painter), Edo Smolej (electrical engineer and the author of the excellent Škola za gitaru [Guitar Lessons]), and occasionally Boris Sorokin (who would go on to become a well known psychologist and a full professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, and who was also an exceptional clarinetist, arranger, composer and big band conductor, essentially an all round jazz musician) all took turns in the band, with Miljenko Prohaska and Miloš Đurić alternating between themselves on upright bass. The trio performed on radio shows until early 1948 when the state issued a decree banning jazz music, which was labeled as pro-western and “capitalist”, effectively canceling the shows.37 Cultural events at the time were organized according to Eastern Bloc policy, which made promoting jazz a pioneering and arduous endeavor. It was even harder to make the small harmonica, which was at the time considered an instrument used by amateurs on hiking trips, a part of a tight-knit family of jazz instruments.
As previously mentioned, Branko Kralj was highly regarded as an athlete and a team handball and soccer international. On his frequent trips abroad he would, almost as a rule, attend concerts of famous jazz musicians and buy vinyl records, making him the proud owner of an extensive record collection, at the center of which are harmonica recordings.
Following the end of what was an enviable athletic career, Branko Kralj fulfilled his dream of founding a harmonica quintet, which successfully performed for 11 years, up until 1969. Tomislav Simović, a renowned composer (who was known for his cartoon scores) and arranger from Zagreb well versed in piano, upright bass, harmonica and guitar is credited with creating the defining programmatic jazz feature of the quintet. When talking about Simović, Kralj never fails to point out how much he admires him and how prominent his role was in the successful performances of his quintet. Tomica Simović arranged almost all of the harmonica quintet's music and also performed with the band, given his dexterity in playing the harmonica.
The quintet was comprised of decent musicians who taught themselves how to play different harmonicas. Darko Borak played the second chromatic harmonica, while Dr. Damir Kišić alternated with Dr. Rudi Čop in playing the chord harmonica, which was a backing instrument. The harmonette, a special instrument in the harmonica family that resembled the typewriter, was played by Vlado Sinković, an otherwise exceptional baritone saxophonist. The bass harmonica was played by the engineer Marijan Kolić, while Branko Kralj played the second (with three octaves) and the third (with four octaves) chromatic harmonica. During performances the quintet was joined by a rhythm section, with drummers Petar Spasov, Eduard Utrobičić, Silvije Glojnarić, and occasionally Aleksandar Skale and Branislav Kovačev alternating between themselves. Miljenko Prohaska was the upright bassist of choice, with Krešimir Remeta and Rajko Milosavljević occasionally stepping in. The quintet performed at the Bled Jazz Festival in 1960, held concerts and recorded music in Graz and Paris and they were even guests on the popular show Music Knows No Limits that aired on Europe's biggest radio stations.
Branko Kralj's harmonica quintet recorded two LP's, with Tomica Simović deserving special praise for his accomplished arrangements. His ideas enriched the quintet, and under his guidance Kralj recorded an LP with four trombones and a rhythm section as a solo artist, alas these recordings are no longer available on the market.
The quintet disbanded and its members went their separate ways after an invitation from Moscow to do a three-month tour of the Soviet Union. Since the band members were only musical enthusiasts, they all had full time jobs and professional commitments and none of them was able to get three months off, meaning that they were forced to politely decline the offer. Thus the activities of a band whose recordings have earned a place in the highest echelons of jazz came to a halt. It should also be noted that Branko Kralj's Harmonica Quintet, with their manner of interpretation and a jazz flavored selection of compositions charged with forceful swing were in their own way a unique occurrence not only in Croatia, but also Europe.
Unfortunately, due to the supposed “crampedness” of Radio Zagreb's record library, whose studios were located on Šubić Street, some of the recordings were destroyed, including the ones recorded by Branko Kralj's Harmonica Trio and Quintet from their early jazz period. Fortunately, many were preserved by becoming parts of musicians' private audio collections, meaning that Croatian Radio was able to retrieve the majority of the recordings.
Besides being a jazz musician, Branko Kralj was also a terrific athlete (he was capped three and called up 39 times for the Yugoslav national team, usually sitting on the bench as a substitute for Vladimir Beara, whom he considered a phenomenal goalkeeper), and he spent his entire working life as an analyst, marketing expert and manager in the market economy, his primary sources of income. He was particularly interested in development projects and the expansion of technical culture, and he was a part of the Association of Inventors and Authors of Technical Advancements (Savez izumitelja i autora tehničkih unapređenja)38 in addition to being a lifetime honorary president of the Croatian Association for Technical Culture (Hrvatska zajednica tehničke kulture), ex-People’s Technology (Narodna tehnika).
He was a contributor and author of the notable weekly show Govorimo o jazzu (Let’s Talk About Jazz) that aired on Školski radio (School Radio) between 1964 and 1966, with Dora Brajević as the editor and Saša Novak (another jazz buff and a longtime announcer of shows edited by the author of the book) as the hostess.
Branko Kralj was also among the first publicists, if indeed, not the first. During 1947 and 1948 he wrote about jazz in the weekly Globus (Tomislav Golubić was editor-in-chief).
As a reputable athlete he was a member of soccer organizations such as the Croatian Football Federation (Hrvatski nogometni savez), Zagreb Football Association (Zagrebački nogometni savez) and Dinamo Zagreb soccer club where he spent the majority of his career as a player and was also the club’s board member for over 20 years.
Branko Kralj managed to teach numerous young musicians how to play the harmonica, with some of them reaching enviable levels of musicianship. Although he tried, he was never able to form a band that would follow in the footsteps of his quintet. One of the main reasons for this was the fact that harmonicas are very expensive and have a short “lifespan”.
When the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra visited Zagreb (they performed at the Student Centre in 1956), an interesting jam session took place that included Branko Kralj's Harmonica Quintet alongside the members of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band. Quincy Jones, who performed with Dizzy’s big band particularly lauded Kralj and the members of his quintet for their excellent playing skill. Branko Kralj was also a welcome guest at jam sessions at the B. P. Club, the sole jazz club in Zagreb, where he performed with guitarist Damir Dičić, Boško Petrović and his trio (with Mario Mavrin on electric bass and Salih Sadiković on drums), guitarist Primož Grašič, Boško Petrović All Stars, and foreign guests Gergi Fame and Kenny Drew. On the 10th anniversary of the B. P. Club he performed alongside famed Belgian harmonica virtuoso Toots Jean Thielemans and together they co-wrote and recorded a beautiful twelve-tone jazz number40 Jubilarni Blues (“Jubilee Blues”) where the alternating solos of two sublime musicians entwine and create a delightful whole.
Finally, we should stress that Branko Kralj has been an indefatigable promoter of jazz music since he started playing music. He is one of the first publicists of the genre in this country and has remained one of the most active members and the president of the Croatian Composers’ Society Zagreb Jazz Club. He was president of the committee of the Jazz Fair festival that was hosted by Zagreb, and was noted for heading the organizational committees of successful jazz events such as Zagrebački dani jazza (Zagreb Jazz Days) and Međunarodni dani jazza (International Jazz Days) for nine consecutive years, even during wartime.
Kralj has been recognized with numerous plaques and awards for the contributions he has made to his vocation as an expert and a man who is enthusiastic when it comes to social activities, yet he has always been modest about it, no matter how significant they may be. Still, we should highlight some of the awards from his abundant “collection”: he is the recipient of the Legends of Jazz (Legende jazza) golden plaque of the Croatian Musicians’ Union (Hrvatska glazbena unija) for his extensive contribution to the development of jazz music and for his harmonica playing, the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport (državno odličje za sport), the Faust Vrančić Lifetime Achievement Award (nagrada za životno djelo Faust Vrančić), the Oton Kučera Lifetime Achievement Award (nagrada za životno djelo Oton Kučera) and he is especially fond of the medal given to him by the Kingdom of Belgium granting him honorary knighthood for his innovations.
In 1997 Croatian Radiotelevision’s record company Orfej released his only CD Moja usna harmonika (“My Harmonica”), which was produced by Boris Ciglenečki and includes six quality arrangements by Miljenko Prohaska and the Zagreb Soloists (Zagrebački solisti).
Branko Kralj is also the author of several books on sports as well as scientific articles and he wrote an interesting manual on learning how to play the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas titled Moja usna harmonika (“My Harmonica”) and subtitled Želim svirati usnu harmoniku (“I Want to Play the Harmonica”) that was published in 1994. Still, Branko Kralj’s versatility has not been examined and evaluated nowhere near enough, so let this text be only a small contribution and incentive for future research. At each one of my meetings with Branko Kralj in the last couple of years he would be supportive and give numerous pieces of advice regarding the publishing of this book. These meetings were important to me, especially after I had stopped working on it twice. Kralj is a thoroughly pleasant interlocutor as he recalls events from his early childhood, especially from the 1930s, which is invaluable when it comes to the portrayal of musicians of his generation. He is always in a good mood and smiling, and is a huge optimist, always ready to discuss sports, music and everyday topics. I am living proof of this after our many encounters and talks in his apartment. Branko Kralj singled out a few photographs from his wide array of photo albums that are printed in this book, and I wholeheartedly thank him for this.
///////
Branko Kralj nació el 10 de marzo de 1924 en Zagreb y es licenciado en economía. Perteneció a la generación que abrió el camino de la música de jazz en la región.
Kralj, a pesar de ser músico de jazz, ha pasado gran parte de su vida como deportista. Jugó durante años como portero en varios equipos de balonmano y fútbol, como el Zagreb y el Dinamo, y fue miembro de la selección nacional de fútbol de Yugoslavia.
También era conocido entre los aficionados al jazz, sobre todo a la armónica, un instrumento escaso en el jazz. Es imposible hablar del jazz croata, especialmente de la música de jazz que se tocaba en Zagreb después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, sin mencionar el nombre de Branko Kralj, al que siempre llamaron "Rey" tanto amigos como colaboradores, y su contribución "real" al jazz como músico y publicista.
Branko Kralj mostró su propensión a la música a una edad temprana. A los seis años empezó a tocar la guitarra de su padre, instrumento que retomaría más adelante. Su madre le regaló su primer instrumento, una pequeña armónica diatónica. La compró en julio de 1931 durante una peregrinación a Marija Bistrica, en la región de Hrvatsko Zagorje, donde se encuentra un famoso santuario mariano. El pequeño instrumento ha sido desde entonces el favorito de Kralj. Durante más de 70 años, hasta el día de hoy, Kralj ha sido implacable en su lucha por elevar el estatus de este pequeño instrumento Hohner y ha sido, sin duda, uno de sus principales defensores.
Branko Kralj cultivó su amor por el jazz escuchando emisoras de radio que solían poner música antigua y de baile, pero con ragtime y dixieland rítmicos, sincopados e improvisados, interpretados por gente como Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Chick Webb, Django Reinhardt o Kid Ory. Enamorado de este "nuevo" tipo de música, Kralj también influyó en el gusto musical de sus compañeros de colegio, haciéndolo más popular entre sus colegas. Esto condujo a la creación de un núcleo de músicos de jazz formado alrededor de Kralj en Peta muška realna gimnazija. El Devils Club de la calle Bošković de Zagreb también contribuyó en gran medida a que la música de jazz reuniera a los jóvenes. Fue el primer club de jazz del país, fundado en 1935 por Marko Marjanović (1916 - 1992), pionero del jazz y su indispensable defensor. Era un lugar de encuentro para los admiradores del jazz, que escuchaban esta "nueva" música, tocaban jazz y discutían sobre ella, aunque, según Kralj, sus conocimientos sobre la música de jazz eran escasos. Había numerosas formas de adquirir discos. Los discos de vinilo "duro" (72 revoluciones por minuto) en aquella época consistían en sólo dos grabaciones, una en cada cara. Zvonimir Braco Urbić solía llevar los discos al club. Viajaba con frecuencia, por lo que aprovechaba para comprar discos de jazz. Recuerda la existencia del Trío Swing en Zagreb a mediados de la década de 1930, formado por Uroš Jurković (batería), Srećko Tekauc (piano, más tarde trasladado a Londres) y Robert Donat (guitarra), a los que luego se unió el excelente clarinetista Srđan Krizman (trasladado a Estados Unidos). Kralj también recuerda a los Devils liderados por Marijan (Moša) Marijanović del periodo entre 1934 y 1935, luego a los Devils 2 de Nenad Grčević, a los Quick Swingers de Uroš Jurković, a la Bojan Hohnjec Big Band de 1939 y a la Johan Brothers Big Band liderada por los hermanos Maks y Miroslav.
Influenciado por la banda polaca de armonicistas liderada por Bora Minjevich (que en ese momento trabajaba en Estados Unidos), Branko Kralj formó su propia banda de armonicistas formada por sus compañeros de clase. El quinteto de Kralj actuó por primera vez en 1938, cuando tocó en un baile de graduación llamado "Dancing Beneath the Wings", cuyo lugar de celebración era el Instituto Musical Croata. Los miembros del quinteto eran: Miljenko Prohaska (que sigue siendo uno de los más destacados músicos de jazz croatas), Zdravko Gmajner (que llegaría a ser un renombrado arquitecto en Zagreb), Berislav Mencl (que llegaría a hacerse un nombre en la electrónica) y Artur Tot (trágicamente fallecido en un accidente poco después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial), alternándose con Braco Reiss (que llegaría a ser un famoso jugador de fútbol y animador) y Čedo Dinter (que llegaría a obtener un doctorado en economía).
Kralj, a pesar de ser músico de jazz, ha pasado gran parte de su vida como deportista. Jugó durante años como portero en varios equipos de balonmano y fútbol, como el Zagreb y el Dinamo, y fue miembro de la selección nacional de fútbol de Yugoslavia.
También era conocido entre los aficionados al jazz, sobre todo a la armónica, un instrumento escaso en el jazz. Es imposible hablar del jazz croata, especialmente de la música de jazz que se tocaba en Zagreb después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, sin mencionar el nombre de Branko Kralj, al que siempre llamaron "Rey" tanto amigos como colaboradores, y su contribución "real" al jazz como músico y publicista.
Branko Kralj mostró su propensión a la música a una edad temprana. A los seis años empezó a tocar la guitarra de su padre, instrumento que retomaría más adelante. Su madre le regaló su primer instrumento, una pequeña armónica diatónica. La compró en julio de 1931 durante una peregrinación a Marija Bistrica, en la región de Hrvatsko Zagorje, donde se encuentra un famoso santuario mariano. El pequeño instrumento ha sido desde entonces el favorito de Kralj. Durante más de 70 años, hasta el día de hoy, Kralj ha sido implacable en su lucha por elevar el estatus de este pequeño instrumento Hohner y ha sido, sin duda, uno de sus principales defensores.
Branko Kralj cultivó su amor por el jazz escuchando emisoras de radio que solían poner música antigua y de baile, pero con ragtime y dixieland rítmicos, sincopados e improvisados, interpretados por gente como Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Chick Webb, Django Reinhardt o Kid Ory. Enamorado de este "nuevo" tipo de música, Kralj también influyó en el gusto musical de sus compañeros de colegio, haciéndolo más popular entre sus colegas. Esto condujo a la creación de un núcleo de músicos de jazz formado alrededor de Kralj en Peta muška realna gimnazija. El Devils Club de la calle Bošković de Zagreb también contribuyó en gran medida a que la música de jazz reuniera a los jóvenes. Fue el primer club de jazz del país, fundado en 1935 por Marko Marjanović (1916 - 1992), pionero del jazz y su indispensable defensor. Era un lugar de encuentro para los admiradores del jazz, que escuchaban esta "nueva" música, tocaban jazz y discutían sobre ella, aunque, según Kralj, sus conocimientos sobre la música de jazz eran escasos. Había numerosas formas de adquirir discos. Los discos de vinilo "duro" (72 revoluciones por minuto) en aquella época consistían en sólo dos grabaciones, una en cada cara. Zvonimir Braco Urbić solía llevar los discos al club. Viajaba con frecuencia, por lo que aprovechaba para comprar discos de jazz. Recuerda la existencia del Trío Swing en Zagreb a mediados de la década de 1930, formado por Uroš Jurković (batería), Srećko Tekauc (piano, más tarde trasladado a Londres) y Robert Donat (guitarra), a los que luego se unió el excelente clarinetista Srđan Krizman (trasladado a Estados Unidos). Kralj también recuerda a los Devils liderados por Marijan (Moša) Marijanović del periodo entre 1934 y 1935, luego a los Devils 2 de Nenad Grčević, a los Quick Swingers de Uroš Jurković, a la Bojan Hohnjec Big Band de 1939 y a la Johan Brothers Big Band liderada por los hermanos Maks y Miroslav.
Influenciado por la banda polaca de armonicistas liderada por Bora Minjevich (que en ese momento trabajaba en Estados Unidos), Branko Kralj formó su propia banda de armonicistas formada por sus compañeros de clase. El quinteto de Kralj actuó por primera vez en 1938, cuando tocó en un baile de graduación llamado "Dancing Beneath the Wings", cuyo lugar de celebración era el Instituto Musical Croata. Los miembros del quinteto eran: Miljenko Prohaska (que sigue siendo uno de los más destacados músicos de jazz croatas), Zdravko Gmajner (que llegaría a ser un renombrado arquitecto en Zagreb), Berislav Mencl (que llegaría a hacerse un nombre en la electrónica) y Artur Tot (trágicamente fallecido en un accidente poco después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial), alternándose con Braco Reiss (que llegaría a ser un famoso jugador de fútbol y animador) y Čedo Dinter (que llegaría a obtener un doctorado en economía).
Las actuaciones del quinteto de Branko Kralj en los clubes nocturnos de Zagreb eran todo un espectáculo en los años 1942 y 1943, lo que les aseguraba algunas actuaciones, como las del bar de la Cámara de Oficios de la calle Ilica 49. Branko Kralj habló con entusiasmo de la banda del saxofonista tenor Antun (Johnny) Remenar de 1940 y 1941, en la que Zlatko Černjul tomó el relevo en otoño de 1941 y dirigió la banda hasta mediados de 1942 (año en que se unió a los partisanos). El concierto de la orquesta celebrado en el cine Grič de la plaza Kvaternik estuvo envuelto en el secreto. Los amigos cercanos fueron informados de la actuación sólo de palabra, por temor a que las autoridades prohibieran el concierto. Branko Kralj recuerda vivamente a Zeno Vukelić, un magnífico violonchelista, pianista y compositor que fue la primera persona que arregló su composición "Hela". Emigró a Roma a finales de 1944 y se convirtió en miembro a tiempo completo de la Orquesta Filarmónica de Roma. Branko Kralj consideraba a Vlado Francetić, conocido por sus amigos como Franci, el guitarrista de jazz con más talento en el periodo comprendido entre 1939 y 1943. Los músicos ensayaban en su apartamento de la calle Tkalčić36 con regularidad, hasta 1944, cuando emigró a Caracas y luego a Estados Unidos. Durante años mantuvo correspondencia con sus amigos músicos de jazz de Zagreb, siendo el compositor y guitarrista Aleksandar Bubanović el que más veces se puso en contacto con él.
Poco después del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cada dos semanas la audiencia de Radio Zagreb tenía la oportunidad de sintonizar y escuchar las actuaciones en directo de Branko Kralj y su trío en el estudio de la calle Vlaška 116. Kras y Kovač, un excelente dúo de guitarristas de jazz, también actuaron cada dos semanas en un horario similar de 20 minutos. El guitarrista Aleksandar Bubanović (que más tarde se convertiría en un conocido compositor de partituras cinematográficas y en un pintor aficionado), Edo Smolej (ingeniero eléctrico y autor del excelente Škola za gitaru [Lecciones de guitarra]), y ocasionalmente Boris Sorokin (que llegaría a ser un conocido psicólogo y profesor titular de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales de Zagreb, y que también era un excepcional clarinetista, arreglista, compositor y director de big band, esencialmente un músico de jazz completo) se turnaban en la banda, con Miljenko Prohaska y Miloš Đurić alternándose en el bajo vertical. El trío actuó en programas de radio hasta principios de 1948, cuando el Estado emitió un decreto por el que se prohibía la música de jazz, tachada de prooccidental y "capitalista", lo que supuso la cancelación de los espectáculos.37 Los actos culturales de la época se organizaban de acuerdo con la política del Bloque del Este, lo que hizo que la promoción del jazz fuera una tarea pionera y ardua. Fue aún más difícil hacer que la pequeña armónica, que en aquella época se consideraba un instrumento utilizado por aficionados en excursiones, formara parte de una familia de instrumentos de jazz muy unida.
Como ya se ha dicho, Branko Kralj era muy apreciado como atleta e internacional de balonmano y fútbol. En sus frecuentes viajes al extranjero asistía, casi por norma, a conciertos de famosos músicos de jazz y compraba discos de vinilo, lo que le convertía en el orgulloso propietario de una extensa colección de discos, en cuyo centro se encuentran las grabaciones de armónica.
Tras el final de lo que fue una envidiable carrera deportiva, Branko Kralj cumplió su sueño de fundar un quinteto de armónicas, que actuó con éxito durante 11 años, hasta 1969. A Tomislav Simović, un compositor de renombre (que era conocido por sus partituras de dibujos animados) y arreglista de Zagreb muy versado en el piano, el bajo vertical, la armónica y la guitarra, se le atribuye la creación de la característica programática de jazz que define al quinteto. Cuando habla de Simović, Kralj no deja de señalar lo mucho que lo admira y lo prominente que fue su papel en las exitosas actuaciones de su quinteto. Tomica Simović hizo los arreglos de casi toda la música del quinteto de armónicas y también actuó con el grupo, dada su destreza para tocar la armónica.
Poco después del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cada dos semanas la audiencia de Radio Zagreb tenía la oportunidad de sintonizar y escuchar las actuaciones en directo de Branko Kralj y su trío en el estudio de la calle Vlaška 116. Kras y Kovač, un excelente dúo de guitarristas de jazz, también actuaron cada dos semanas en un horario similar de 20 minutos. El guitarrista Aleksandar Bubanović (que más tarde se convertiría en un conocido compositor de partituras cinematográficas y en un pintor aficionado), Edo Smolej (ingeniero eléctrico y autor del excelente Škola za gitaru [Lecciones de guitarra]), y ocasionalmente Boris Sorokin (que llegaría a ser un conocido psicólogo y profesor titular de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales de Zagreb, y que también era un excepcional clarinetista, arreglista, compositor y director de big band, esencialmente un músico de jazz completo) se turnaban en la banda, con Miljenko Prohaska y Miloš Đurić alternándose en el bajo vertical. El trío actuó en programas de radio hasta principios de 1948, cuando el Estado emitió un decreto por el que se prohibía la música de jazz, tachada de prooccidental y "capitalista", lo que supuso la cancelación de los espectáculos.37 Los actos culturales de la época se organizaban de acuerdo con la política del Bloque del Este, lo que hizo que la promoción del jazz fuera una tarea pionera y ardua. Fue aún más difícil hacer que la pequeña armónica, que en aquella época se consideraba un instrumento utilizado por aficionados en excursiones, formara parte de una familia de instrumentos de jazz muy unida.
Como ya se ha dicho, Branko Kralj era muy apreciado como atleta e internacional de balonmano y fútbol. En sus frecuentes viajes al extranjero asistía, casi por norma, a conciertos de famosos músicos de jazz y compraba discos de vinilo, lo que le convertía en el orgulloso propietario de una extensa colección de discos, en cuyo centro se encuentran las grabaciones de armónica.
Tras el final de lo que fue una envidiable carrera deportiva, Branko Kralj cumplió su sueño de fundar un quinteto de armónicas, que actuó con éxito durante 11 años, hasta 1969. A Tomislav Simović, un compositor de renombre (que era conocido por sus partituras de dibujos animados) y arreglista de Zagreb muy versado en el piano, el bajo vertical, la armónica y la guitarra, se le atribuye la creación de la característica programática de jazz que define al quinteto. Cuando habla de Simović, Kralj no deja de señalar lo mucho que lo admira y lo prominente que fue su papel en las exitosas actuaciones de su quinteto. Tomica Simović hizo los arreglos de casi toda la música del quinteto de armónicas y también actuó con el grupo, dada su destreza para tocar la armónica.
El quinteto estaba formado por músicos decentes que aprendieron por sí mismos a tocar diferentes armónicas. Darko Borak tocaba la segunda armónica cromática, mientras que el Dr. Damir Kišić se alternaba con el Dr. Rudi Čop para tocar la armónica de acordes, que era un instrumento de acompañamiento. La armónica, un instrumento especial de la familia de las armónicas que se asemeja a la máquina de escribir, la tocaba Vlado Sinković, un saxofonista barítono excepcional por otra parte. La armónica baja la tocaba el ingeniero Marijan Kolić, mientras que Branko Kralj tocaba la segunda (con tres octavas) y la tercera (con cuatro octavas) armónica cromática. Durante las actuaciones, el quinteto contaba con una sección rítmica, con los bateristas Petar Spasov, Eduard Utrobičić, Silvije Glojnarić y, ocasionalmente, Aleksandar Skale y Branislav Kovačev, que se alternaban. Miljenko Prohaska era el bajista vertical preferido, y Krešimir Remeta y Rajko Milosavljević intervenían ocasionalmente. El quinteto actuó en el Festival de Jazz de Bled en 1960, dio conciertos y grabó música en Graz y París, e incluso fueron invitados en el popular programa Music Knows No Limits que se emitía en las mayores emisoras de radio de Europa.
El quinteto de armónicas de Branko Kralj grabó dos LP, en los que Tomica Simović mereció un elogio especial por sus logrados arreglos. Sus ideas enriquecieron al quinteto, y bajo su dirección Kralj grabó un LP con cuatro trombones y una sección rítmica como solista, por desgracia estas grabaciones ya no están disponibles en el mercado.
El quinteto se disolvió y sus miembros tomaron caminos distintos tras una invitación de Moscú para realizar una gira de tres meses por la Unión Soviética. Como los miembros de la banda sólo eran entusiastas de la música, todos tenían trabajos a tiempo completo y compromisos profesionales y ninguno de ellos pudo conseguir tres meses libres, por lo que se vieron obligados a rechazar educadamente la oferta. De este modo, se interrumpieron las actividades de un grupo cuyas grabaciones se han ganado un lugar en las más altas esferas del jazz. También hay que señalar que el Quinteto de Armónica de Branko Kralj, con su manera de interpretar y una selección de composiciones con sabor a jazz y cargadas de swing contundente, era a su manera un acontecimiento único no sólo en Croacia, sino también en Europa.
Desgraciadamente, debido a la supuesta "estrechez" de la fonoteca de Radio Zagreb, cuyos estudios se encontraban en la calle Šubić, algunas de las grabaciones fueron destruidas, incluidas las grabadas por el Trío y el Quinteto de Armónica de Branko Kralj de su primera época de jazz. Afortunadamente, muchas se conservaron al pasar a formar parte de las colecciones privadas de audio de los músicos, lo que significa que la Radio Croata pudo recuperar la mayoría de las grabaciones.
Además de músico de jazz, Branko Kralj era también un excelente deportista (fue convocado tres veces con la selección nacional de Yugoslavia, normalmente sentado en el banquillo como sustituto de Vladimir Beara, al que consideraba un fenomenal portero), y pasó toda su vida laboral como analista, experto en marketing y gestor de la economía de mercado, sus principales fuentes de ingresos. Estaba especialmente interesado en los proyectos de desarrollo y en la expansión de la cultura técnica, y formó parte de la Asociación de Inventores y Autores de Avances Técnicos (Savez izumitelja i autora tehničkih unapređenja)38 , además de ser presidente honorífico vitalicio de la Asociación Croata de Cultura Técnica (Hrvatska zajednica tehničke kulture), ex Tecnología del Pueblo (Narodna tehnika).
Fue colaborador y autor del notable programa semanal Govorimo o jazzu (Hablemos de Jazz) que se emitió en la radio Školski (Radio Escolar) entre 1964 y 1966, con Dora Brajević como redactora y Saša Novak (otra aficionada al jazz y antigua locutora de programas editados por el autor del libro) como presentadora.
Branko Kralj fue también uno de los primeros publicistas, si no el primero. Durante 1947 y 1948 escribió sobre jazz en el semanario Globus (Tomislav Golubić era redactor jefe).
Como reputado deportista, fue miembro de organizaciones de fútbol como la Federación Croata de Fútbol (Hrvatski nogometni savez), la Asociación de Fútbol de Zagreb (Zagrebački nogometni savez) y el club de fútbol Dinamo Zagreb, donde pasó la mayor parte de su carrera como jugador y fue también miembro de la directiva del club durante más de 20 años.
Branko Kralj consiguió enseñar a tocar la armónica a numerosos jóvenes músicos, algunos de los cuales alcanzaron un nivel musical envidiable. Aunque lo intentó, nunca pudo formar una banda que siguiera los pasos de su quinteto. Una de las principales razones fue el hecho de que las armónicas son muy caras y tienen una corta "vida útil".
El quinteto de armónicas de Branko Kralj grabó dos LP, en los que Tomica Simović mereció un elogio especial por sus logrados arreglos. Sus ideas enriquecieron al quinteto, y bajo su dirección Kralj grabó un LP con cuatro trombones y una sección rítmica como solista, por desgracia estas grabaciones ya no están disponibles en el mercado.
El quinteto se disolvió y sus miembros tomaron caminos distintos tras una invitación de Moscú para realizar una gira de tres meses por la Unión Soviética. Como los miembros de la banda sólo eran entusiastas de la música, todos tenían trabajos a tiempo completo y compromisos profesionales y ninguno de ellos pudo conseguir tres meses libres, por lo que se vieron obligados a rechazar educadamente la oferta. De este modo, se interrumpieron las actividades de un grupo cuyas grabaciones se han ganado un lugar en las más altas esferas del jazz. También hay que señalar que el Quinteto de Armónica de Branko Kralj, con su manera de interpretar y una selección de composiciones con sabor a jazz y cargadas de swing contundente, era a su manera un acontecimiento único no sólo en Croacia, sino también en Europa.
Desgraciadamente, debido a la supuesta "estrechez" de la fonoteca de Radio Zagreb, cuyos estudios se encontraban en la calle Šubić, algunas de las grabaciones fueron destruidas, incluidas las grabadas por el Trío y el Quinteto de Armónica de Branko Kralj de su primera época de jazz. Afortunadamente, muchas se conservaron al pasar a formar parte de las colecciones privadas de audio de los músicos, lo que significa que la Radio Croata pudo recuperar la mayoría de las grabaciones.
Además de músico de jazz, Branko Kralj era también un excelente deportista (fue convocado tres veces con la selección nacional de Yugoslavia, normalmente sentado en el banquillo como sustituto de Vladimir Beara, al que consideraba un fenomenal portero), y pasó toda su vida laboral como analista, experto en marketing y gestor de la economía de mercado, sus principales fuentes de ingresos. Estaba especialmente interesado en los proyectos de desarrollo y en la expansión de la cultura técnica, y formó parte de la Asociación de Inventores y Autores de Avances Técnicos (Savez izumitelja i autora tehničkih unapređenja)38 , además de ser presidente honorífico vitalicio de la Asociación Croata de Cultura Técnica (Hrvatska zajednica tehničke kulture), ex Tecnología del Pueblo (Narodna tehnika).
Fue colaborador y autor del notable programa semanal Govorimo o jazzu (Hablemos de Jazz) que se emitió en la radio Školski (Radio Escolar) entre 1964 y 1966, con Dora Brajević como redactora y Saša Novak (otra aficionada al jazz y antigua locutora de programas editados por el autor del libro) como presentadora.
Branko Kralj fue también uno de los primeros publicistas, si no el primero. Durante 1947 y 1948 escribió sobre jazz en el semanario Globus (Tomislav Golubić era redactor jefe).
Como reputado deportista, fue miembro de organizaciones de fútbol como la Federación Croata de Fútbol (Hrvatski nogometni savez), la Asociación de Fútbol de Zagreb (Zagrebački nogometni savez) y el club de fútbol Dinamo Zagreb, donde pasó la mayor parte de su carrera como jugador y fue también miembro de la directiva del club durante más de 20 años.
Branko Kralj consiguió enseñar a tocar la armónica a numerosos jóvenes músicos, algunos de los cuales alcanzaron un nivel musical envidiable. Aunque lo intentó, nunca pudo formar una banda que siguiera los pasos de su quinteto. Una de las principales razones fue el hecho de que las armónicas son muy caras y tienen una corta "vida útil".
Cuando la Orquesta de Dizzy Gillespie visitó Zagreb (actuó en el Centro de Estudiantes en 1956), tuvo lugar una interesante jam session en la que participaron el Quinteto de Armónica de Branko Kralj y los miembros de la big band de Dizzy Gillespie. Quincy Jones, que actuó con la big band de Dizzy, elogió especialmente a Kralj y a los miembros de su quinteto por su excelente habilidad para tocar. Branko Kralj también fue un invitado bienvenido en las jam sessions del B. P. Club, el único club de jazz de Zagreb, donde actuó con el guitarrista Damir Dičić, Boško Petrović y su trío (con Mario Mavrin al bajo eléctrico y Salih Sadiković a la batería), el guitarrista Primož Grašič, Boško Petrović All Stars y los invitados extranjeros Gergi Fame y Kenny Drew. En el décimo aniversario del B. P. Club actuó junto al afamado virtuoso belga de la armónica Toots Jean Thielemans y juntos coescribieron y grabaron un hermoso número de jazz de doce tonos40 Jubilarni Blues ("Blues del jubileo") en el que los solos alternados de dos músicos sublimes se entrelazan y crean un conjunto delicioso.
Por último, cabe destacar que Branko Kralj ha sido un infatigable promotor de la música de jazz desde que empezó a tocar. Es uno de los primeros divulgadores del género en este país y ha seguido siendo uno de los miembros más activos y el presidente del Club de Jazz de la Sociedad Croata de Compositores de Zagreb. Fue presidente del comité del festival de la Feria de Jazz que acogió Zagreb, y destacó por dirigir los comités organizadores de exitosos eventos de jazz como Zagrebački dani jazza (Días de Jazz de Zagreb) y Međunarodni dani jazza (Días Internacionales de Jazz) durante nueve años consecutivos, incluso en tiempos de guerra.
Kralj ha sido reconocido con numerosas placas y premios por las contribuciones que ha hecho a su vocación como experto y hombre entusiasta cuando se trata de actividades sociales, aunque siempre ha sido modesto al respecto, por muy significativas que sean. Aun así, cabe destacar algunos de los premios de su abundante "colección": ha recibido la placa de oro Leyendas del Jazz (Legende jazza) de la Unión de Músicos de Croacia (Hrvatska glazbena unija) por su amplia contribución al desarrollo de la música de jazz y por su forma de tocar la armónica, el Premio Estatal Franjo Bučar al Deporte (državno odličje za sport), el Premio Faust Vrančić a la Trayectoria (nagrada za životno djelo Faust Vrančić), el Premio Oton Kučera a la Trayectoria (nagrada za životno djelo Oton Kučera) y tiene especial cariño a la medalla que le concedió el Reino de Bélgica otorgándole el título de caballero honorífico por sus innovaciones.
En 1997, la compañía discográfica Orfej de la Radiotelevisión croata publicó su único CD Moja usna harmonika ("Mi armónica"), que fue producido por Boris Ciglenečki y que incluye seis arreglos de calidad de Miljenko Prohaska y los Solistas de Zagreb (Zagrebački solisti).
Branko Kralj es también autor de varios libros sobre deportes, así como de artículos científicos, y escribió un interesante manual para aprender a tocar la armónica diatónica y cromática titulado Moja usna harmonika ("Mi armónica") y subtitulado Želim svirati usnu harmoniku ("Quiero tocar la armónica") que se publicó en 1994. Sin embargo, la versatilidad de Branko Kralj no ha sido examinada ni evaluada ni mucho menos, por lo que este texto será sólo una pequeña contribución y un incentivo para futuras investigaciones. En cada uno de mis encuentros con Branko Kralj en los últimos dos años me apoyaba y me daba numerosos consejos sobre la publicación de este libro. Estos encuentros fueron importantes para mí, sobre todo después de haber dejado de trabajar en él en dos ocasiones. Kralj es un interlocutor totalmente agradable, ya que recuerda acontecimientos de su primera infancia, especialmente de los años 30, lo que resulta muy valioso a la hora de retratar a los músicos de su generación. Siempre está de buen humor y sonriente, y es un gran optimista, siempre dispuesto a hablar de deportes, música y temas cotidianos. Soy una prueba viviente de ello tras nuestros numerosos encuentros y charlas en su apartamento. Branko Kralj seleccionó algunas fotografías de su amplio repertorio de álbumes fotográficos que se imprimen en este libro, y se lo agradezco de todo corazón.
Por último, cabe destacar que Branko Kralj ha sido un infatigable promotor de la música de jazz desde que empezó a tocar. Es uno de los primeros divulgadores del género en este país y ha seguido siendo uno de los miembros más activos y el presidente del Club de Jazz de la Sociedad Croata de Compositores de Zagreb. Fue presidente del comité del festival de la Feria de Jazz que acogió Zagreb, y destacó por dirigir los comités organizadores de exitosos eventos de jazz como Zagrebački dani jazza (Días de Jazz de Zagreb) y Međunarodni dani jazza (Días Internacionales de Jazz) durante nueve años consecutivos, incluso en tiempos de guerra.
Kralj ha sido reconocido con numerosas placas y premios por las contribuciones que ha hecho a su vocación como experto y hombre entusiasta cuando se trata de actividades sociales, aunque siempre ha sido modesto al respecto, por muy significativas que sean. Aun así, cabe destacar algunos de los premios de su abundante "colección": ha recibido la placa de oro Leyendas del Jazz (Legende jazza) de la Unión de Músicos de Croacia (Hrvatska glazbena unija) por su amplia contribución al desarrollo de la música de jazz y por su forma de tocar la armónica, el Premio Estatal Franjo Bučar al Deporte (državno odličje za sport), el Premio Faust Vrančić a la Trayectoria (nagrada za životno djelo Faust Vrančić), el Premio Oton Kučera a la Trayectoria (nagrada za životno djelo Oton Kučera) y tiene especial cariño a la medalla que le concedió el Reino de Bélgica otorgándole el título de caballero honorífico por sus innovaciones.
En 1997, la compañía discográfica Orfej de la Radiotelevisión croata publicó su único CD Moja usna harmonika ("Mi armónica"), que fue producido por Boris Ciglenečki y que incluye seis arreglos de calidad de Miljenko Prohaska y los Solistas de Zagreb (Zagrebački solisti).
Branko Kralj es también autor de varios libros sobre deportes, así como de artículos científicos, y escribió un interesante manual para aprender a tocar la armónica diatónica y cromática titulado Moja usna harmonika ("Mi armónica") y subtitulado Želim svirati usnu harmoniku ("Quiero tocar la armónica") que se publicó en 1994. Sin embargo, la versatilidad de Branko Kralj no ha sido examinada ni evaluada ni mucho menos, por lo que este texto será sólo una pequeña contribución y un incentivo para futuras investigaciones. En cada uno de mis encuentros con Branko Kralj en los últimos dos años me apoyaba y me daba numerosos consejos sobre la publicación de este libro. Estos encuentros fueron importantes para mí, sobre todo después de haber dejado de trabajar en él en dos ocasiones. Kralj es un interlocutor totalmente agradable, ya que recuerda acontecimientos de su primera infancia, especialmente de los años 30, lo que resulta muy valioso a la hora de retratar a los músicos de su generación. Siempre está de buen humor y sonriente, y es un gran optimista, siempre dispuesto a hablar de deportes, música y temas cotidianos. Soy una prueba viviente de ello tras nuestros numerosos encuentros y charlas en su apartamento. Branko Kralj seleccionó algunas fotografías de su amplio repertorio de álbumes fotográficos que se imprimen en este libro, y se lo agradezco de todo corazón.
Fuente: http://darhiv.ffzg.unizg.hr/4530/1/matesic_diplomski_rad.pdf
Update / Actualización:
Thanks to the collaboration of Bob (boppinbob) who shares with us the pdf indicated below, where on page 84 the biography of this musician is. Thanks Bob!
Gracias a la colaboración de Bob (boppinbob) que nos comparte el pdf indicado más abajo, en donde en la página 84 se encuentra la biografía (en inglés) de este músico. Gracias Bob!
Branko Kralj - Usna Harmonika
NASLOV: Branko Kralj I Ansambl Tomice Simovića "Usna Harmonika "
SNIMANO: 1962, in Zagreb
ETIKETA: 1962,Radio Televizija Beograd, EP 41.580 (7")
MUZIČARI:
Branko Kralj - harmonica; Tomica Simović - piano; Ivo Mosetig, Jurica Cukac, Ante Opašic, Marcel Fuchs - trombones; Vojislav Djonović - guitar; Rajko Milosavljević - bass; Silvije Glojnarić - drums
Strana A:
1. Afro Boogie (Roy Farell)
2. Splanky (Neal Hefti)
Strana B:
1. 96-th Street School (Red Norvo)
2. Cherry Point (Neal Hefti)
Kvintet Usnih Harmonika Branka Kralja
NASLOV: Kvintet Usnih Harmonika Branka Kralja
SNIMANO: 1962 in Zagreb
ETIKETA: 1962, Radio Televizija Beograd, EP 50.580 (7")
MUZIČARI:
Branko Kralj, Drago Borak - harmonica; Vlado Sinković - harmonetta; Rudolf Cop - rithm harmonica; Marijan Kolić - bass harmonica; Tomica Simović - arr.
Strana A:
1. Boogie Woogie
2. Boogie potpuri [Boogie Medley]
Strana B:
1. Jumpin' At The Woodside
2. Woogie za petoricu[Woogie For Five]
Branko Kralj - 4 Uspeha
NASLOV: Kvintet Usnih Harmonika - Branko Kralj "4 Uspeha"
ETIKETA: 1962, Radio Televizija Beoograd, EP 50.581 (7")
MUZIČARI:
Branko Kralj - Solo Harmonika
Drago Borak - Solo Harmonika
Vlado Sinković - Harmoneta
Rudolf Cop - Prateci Harmonijski Instrument
Marijan Kolić - Bas Harmonika
Rajko Milosavljević - Kontrabas
Branislav Lala Kovačev - Bubnjevi
Strana A
a01 Carioca
a02 Adios
Strana B
b01 Mockin' Bird Hill
b02 Good Morning Blues
MORE Harmonica ...
Update / Actualización:
Thanks to the collaboration of Bob (boppinbob) who shares with us the pdf indicated below, where on page 84 the biography of this musician is. Thanks Bob!
///////
NASLOV: Branko Kralj I Ansambl Tomice Simovića "Usna Harmonika "
SNIMANO: 1962, in Zagreb
ETIKETA: 1962,Radio Televizija Beograd, EP 41.580 (7")
MUZIČARI:
Branko Kralj - harmonica; Tomica Simović - piano; Ivo Mosetig, Jurica Cukac, Ante Opašic, Marcel Fuchs - trombones; Vojislav Djonović - guitar; Rajko Milosavljević - bass; Silvije Glojnarić - drums
Strana A:
1. Afro Boogie (Roy Farell)
2. Splanky (Neal Hefti)
Strana B:
1. 96-th Street School (Red Norvo)
2. Cherry Point (Neal Hefti)
NASLOV: Kvintet Usnih Harmonika Branka Kralja
SNIMANO: 1962 in Zagreb
ETIKETA: 1962, Radio Televizija Beograd, EP 50.580 (7")
MUZIČARI:
Branko Kralj, Drago Borak - harmonica; Vlado Sinković - harmonetta; Rudolf Cop - rithm harmonica; Marijan Kolić - bass harmonica; Tomica Simović - arr.
Strana A:
1. Boogie Woogie
2. Boogie potpuri [Boogie Medley]
Strana B:
1. Jumpin' At The Woodside
2. Woogie za petoricu[Woogie For Five]
NASLOV: Kvintet Usnih Harmonika - Branko Kralj "4 Uspeha"
ETIKETA: 1962, Radio Televizija Beoograd, EP 50.581 (7")
MUZIČARI:
Branko Kralj - Solo Harmonika
Drago Borak - Solo Harmonika
Vlado Sinković - Harmoneta
Rudolf Cop - Prateci Harmonijski Instrument
Marijan Kolić - Bas Harmonika
Rajko Milosavljević - Kontrabas
Branislav Lala Kovačev - Bubnjevi
Strana A
a01 Carioca
a02 Adios
Strana B
b01 Mockin' Bird Hill
b02 Good Morning Blues
MORE Harmonica ...
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Hello Egroj,
ReplyDeleteI found all the information you need on Branko Kralj here
http://darhiv.ffzg.unizg.hr/4530/1/matesic_diplomski_rad.pdf
go to pages 84 - 90. Very interesting reading.
Regards, Bob
Many Thanks Bob!
DeleteBranko Kralj (10 March 1924 – 18 December 2012) was a Croatian footballer who played as goalkeeper for Dinamo Zagreb. During his time with Dinamo he appeared in a total of 108 matches (including 61 Yugoslav First League games) and helped the club win the 1953–54 championship title. He retired the following season after sustaining a career-ending injury.
ReplyDeleteAfter retiring from active football he graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb and worked in Dinamo's club management.
He also played harmonica. In 1938 he founded first harmonica band in Kingdom Yugoslavia. Then in 1962 The Branko Kralj's Harmonica's Quintet. He played on on Jazz festivals.
He was also president of the Society of Inventors and Technicians for many years.
THANK YOU FOR THIS INFORMATION
ReplyDeleteREGARDS
Muchas gracias por compartir!
ReplyDelete;)
Delete"Mich"ísimas gracias. ♪♫ Salu2, Michel.
ReplyDelete;)
Delete