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Dol Dauber was the central figure in one of the leading Czech dance or jazz band groups of the interwar years. Between Europe wide appearances, Dauber often headed the bill during the summer season at Mariánské Lázně’s plush hotels with the spa providing inspiration for many of his compositions. Dauber’s band also featured in several Czech film hits.

“Texas-Czech, Bohemian-Moravian Bands: Historic Recordings, 1929-1959” is a wonderful compilation featuring groups such as the Joe Patek Orchestra, Bacova’s Ceska Kapela and Adolph Pavlas and His Bohemians. One of Tom Waits’s favourite 20 LPs, the album offers a fascinating take on the dechovka (brass band) music that the Lone Star State’s huge Czech community brought with them from the old country.

Singer and songwriter Zuzana Michnová is one of the most distinct vocalists of the Czech folk rock scene. For many years, she was part of the legendary band Marsyas, and has also released an acclaimed solo album. After a long break, the band recently made a comeback, and can again be seen – and heard – in clubs across the country.

This week’s Sunday Music show profiles a respected name on the Czech music scene -Dagmar Andrtova Vonkova. A self-taught guitarist, singer and song writer Vonkova seeks inspiration in folk music and draws on her own experiences, for a truly unique style that has captivated audiences at home and abroad.

This week we are profiling the band Ahmed má hlad (Ahmed is hungry) a band that revives and draws on Balkan and East European folk music, while giving these traditional gems a modern slant.

The Czech hard rock band Katapult formed in the early 1970s to become one of the most popular acts of the era. With its straight-forward, heavy sound and simple lyrics, the trio drew large crowds at a time when rock music was often targeted by the communist authorities.

Republic of Two comprise a pair of songwriters, Jiří Burian and Mikolas Ruzicka. Their debut Raising the Flag in 2010 earned the duo, who both play guitar and alternate on vocals, an Anděl award for best newcomer. Since then the pair have released a remixes LP and another regular album of gentle, acoustic-guitar driven indie inspired by the likes of Norway’s Kings of Convenience.

Today’s programme will be dedicated to the Velvet Revolution which brought down the communist regime in November 1989. The events of November and December 1989 had a very distinctive soundscape: the rattling of the keys that thousands of protesters shook above their heads as well as slogans chanted by the crowds. But the soundtrack to the Velvet Revolution is much richer. A number of songs became unofficial anthems of the political change and the heady days of late 1989 are forever connected with music.

In this week’s show, we will listen to some music by a young singer named Debbi. She’s put out two albums before turning 20, and captured the attention of Czech, and even some international audiences with her husky voice and bubbly personality. Her music has given the Czech pop scene a bit more depth, a few more good songs in English and even a slightly retro dimension.

It has been twenty years since the release of the Czech film Šakalí léta, director Jan Hřebejk's debut.