POLKA PATTER
Prepared and Distributed by the Polonia
Media Network
The Jan Lewan Orchestra will hold a
Reunion Dinner Event on Sunday, October 24, 2010, at the J.J.
Ferrara Performing Arts Center in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The event
will star Jan "Lewan" Lewandowski and his original 14-piece
Orchestra and feature singer Ania Piwowarczyk, Music Director
Stephen Kaminski and Emcee Peter Danielczuk. In addition, a special
appearance by Amber Lewandowski is also planned.
International Media, the company
handling the airing of "The Jimmy Sturr Show" on all PBS stations,
has reported that the show has aired 563 times covering a total of
72.22% of the total households on the PBS system. The response from
the airings have been tremendous.
The Continentals held their "Polka
World" CD release party on June 27, 2010, at Blob's Park in Jessup,
Maryland. The groups 1tyh recording is a 2-disc CD containing 30
songs. It contains polkas, waltzes, and a few surprises including
tango, cha-cha, mambo. The band performed most (I not all) of the
songs at the release event.
On the heels of their successful 2009
release, "Live at St. Stan’s A.C. Polish Fest," and to mark their
34th straight year playing at the fest, the Steve Drzewicki Band
recorded their sets r for another "live" CD at this year’s festival.
Among the surprises during their performance were guest vocalists,
brand new fiddle tunes and original songs penned by the band.
In a related matter, users of YouTube
can enjoy a variety of music by the Steve Drzewicki Band at
http://www.youtube.com/user/pma4usa#p/u/14/q3SnYU4mqm0. Among
other things, there is new music written by Mike Corbin of the band
and the very talented young fiddle player, Brien Ahern.
A Cleveland television icon passed away
on June 18, 2010. Paul Wilcox, 85, of Fort Myers, Fla., hosted the
hour-long "Polka Varieties" on WEWS in Cleveland every Sunday for 27
years, from 1956 to 1983. The show aired across northeast Ohio and
was syndicated during its later years to 30 television markets. The
program featured various popular bands that played Slovenian,
Polish, Italian and Bohemian-style music.
Marc Bouchard’s accordion polka band
plays at many events in Florida, but few in the North are familiar
with his music. Thanks to YouTube, Bouchard may now be seen at
http://verobeachlocalnews.com:80/2010/06/marc-bouchard-polka-band-at-vero-beach.html.
It seems, however, to be the only video available of the band
online.
After a short hiatus, PhoCus is back
and hard at work in rehearsals this summer, planning to have their
third CD recorded and released this fall. Jimmy Nova, Chaz
Wroblewski, Andy Kuchmarski, Jimmy Johnson and Mike Melymuka are
looking forward to purveying at least a dozen brand new polkas,
along with four "Phocusized" polka classic arrangements, to their
patient polka fans very soon.
Suddenly, new polka CDs are coming out
fast and furious. Dave Bonczkiewicz & the Varitones celebrated the
release of their debut CD, "Good Time Polkas - Introducing the
Varitones Polka Band" at the Pulaski Club in Phoenix, Arizona, on
June 18, 2010. There were drink specials at the dance, so it is
hoped that the crowd was in condition to enjoy the music.
After over four years of everyone
asking The Honky Express when they were going to make a CD, they
announced that the band has finally gone into the studio for the
first day of recording at Peppermint Records. A title has yet to be
announced.
John Gora, leader of John Gora & the
Gorale, announced that the award winning "Polka Playin' Fool" is
available at every Duty Free Store across the Canada and U.S. border
on the Canadian side. Sobieski Vodka may be your favorite, but when
you purchase a bottle of Luksusowa Vodka you get a free CD with it …
so you can stray just this one time to get a really good recording.