After 40.
The After 40 group played one of their performances on September 8, 2022 for about thirty invited friends and comrades at the Prague club "Zavěšený kafe". The cool September evening on the terrace overlooking the Petřín lookout tower was accompanied by an intimate, almost family atmosphere. The concert had one unusual moment, right after the first intermission. The band's frontman announced to the audience that the British Queen Elizabeth II had just died, and that the second part of the programme would therefore not feature the announced song Stará páka, but something quieter. Subsequently, After 40 actually inserted Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door" with Czech lyrics by Petr Kalandra "Nebeská brána". This particular performance will therefore always be easily identifiable by its association with a significant historical event. The five-member ensemble of mature musicians, consisting of drummer Pavel Mašika, bassist Petr "Kamont" Kadeřabek, keyboardist Pavel Jiroušek, guitarist Miloš Paleček and singer, mouth organ player and guitarist Karel Gemperle, had prepared a set of twenty-five songs, most of which were written by Karel Gemperle.
The opening section of the concert clearly defines the style. Basically classic blues, with elements of rock or rock 'n' roll. The lyrics of the songs are exclusively Czech, which on the one hand allows the listeners to follow the thought processes of the lyricist, on the other hand it creates a lot of pressure on the fluent phrasing of the versions and choruses. Words such as "could" or "back" at the end of the verses are almost unsolvable. Among standard compositions based on classical twelve-note templates, occasionally a progression creeps into the dominant and subdominant lines to spice up the piece and make it musically interesting. An example of this is It Was Morning with its tantalizing modulation and solid keyboard solo. Slightly better sounding are tracks with a slower tempo, such as Time's Gone That Time or Life is the Blues, which also feature solo parts for individual instruments. There is relatively little harmonica blowing, but it is in the right places. There are audible inspirations or patterns on some of the songs, whether it's the white father of British blues John Mayall or the American Doors on Summer Rain. The band's sound is clear and seamless, the rhythm section works, and the lack of a second, live voice is made up for by the vocal effects processor.
After 40 are a likeable bunch of blues-rock devotees with an emphasis on their own work.
"