Name/Title
EP record "Les Enfants du Pirée and Other Tunes" — Karel Vlach and His Orchestra (Supraphon SUL 33 200)Entry/Object ID
2025.1.281Description
A 7-inch, 45 rpm extended-play vinyl record in its illustrated paper picture sleeve, issued by Supraphon, the Czechoslovak state record label. The disc carries four instrumental dance-band arrangements by the Czech bandleader Karel Vlach and his orchestra, all cast as foxtrots: "Dancing in the Dark" (Arthur Schwartz), "I Got It Bad" (Duke Ellington), "Les Enfants du Pirée" (Manos Hadjidakis, a slow foxtrot), and "Rockin' Chair" (Hoagy Carmichael). The front sleeve pairs a tinted photo of a young woman with a stylized blue rendering of a harbor and moored caïque boats — a visual nod to Piraeus, the Greek port named in the title track. The back lists the program and cross-promotes three other Supraphon releases (Gery Scott with the Brázda/Brom orchestras, SUK 33385; Karel Krautgartner, SUED 1040-M; Karel Vlach, SUH 23291), and is marked "Made in Czechoslovakia" with a copyright caution citing the Czechoslovak Copyright Act of 1953. The disc label shown (B-side, matrix 45/1142) bears the Supraphon lyre-and-lion device, "EP 45," and the BIEM mark. Sleeve toned and edge-worn; disc appears intact.Context
Supraphon was the channel through which a great deal of "Western" popular repertoire remained legally available inside the bloc: here, American Songbook standards by Ellington and Carmichael, plus a French-titled Greek film hit, all rendered as ballroom-dance arrangements by a local orchestra and pressed domestically. The title track, "Les Enfants du Pirée," is the French name for the song from the 1960 Greek film Never on Sunday (Pote tin Kyriaki), composed by Manos Hadjidakis, which won an Oscar for its music; it became a major international hit in 1960, which is what brought it into Vlach's program. Karel Vlach (1911–1986) was one of the central figures of Czech dance and jazz music, who recorded prolifically with Supraphon, with output spanning light-orchestral, jazz, and pop big-band arrangements.Audio Format
33 RPM RecordCollection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Gálvez collectionAlbum Detail
Contributors
Contributor
Karel Klach and His OrchestraRole
OrchestrationRecord Label
Supraphon Music PublishingRelease Date
circa 1962Place Recorded
City
PragueCountry
CzechoslovakiaRegion
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeAlbum Artwork Description
The front cover depicts the face of a young woman standing in front of an illustrated boat. The background is bright blue and the woman has dark brown hair and eyes.
The back of the album sleeve lists the four songs on the record above a listing of other Supraphon recordings.Track Details
Title
Dancing in the darkTrack Contributors
Contributor
Arthur SchwartzRole
ComposerTitle
I got it badTrack Contributors
Contributor
Duke EllingtonRole
ComposerTitle
Les enfants du piréeTrack Contributors
Contributor
Manos HadjidakisRole
ComposerTitle
Rockin' chairTrack Contributors
Contributor
Hoagy CarmichaelRole
ComposerRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús GálvezNotes
ownerPerson or Organization
Supraphon Music PublishingNotes
publisherPerson or Organization
Karel VlachRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
usePlace
City
PragueCountry
CzechoslovakiaRegion
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeNotes
productionResearch Notes
Notes
Dating: 45cat records no release date. The song's international success dates to mid-1960, and Supraphon's own recording of Vlach's "Děti z Pirea" carries a ℗ 1962 marking, so the EP is best dated to the early 1960s (c. 1960–1962). Neighboring catalog numbers in Vlach's Supraphon run (SUL 33184, SUL 33451) bracket it consistently with that window.Created By
Hana FlammCreate Date
March 25, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 16, 2026
