Polka Jukebox
by Steve Litwin

Brave Combo is 25 years old. Using a complex mathematical formula (addition), we added all the ages of the members of Brave Combo and they are certainly more than 25. Of course, those in Brave Combo never really grow older. They do, however, grow! They grow in their musical venues. They grow in their approach to their music. They grow in audience. And, they grow in polkas. "Let's Kiss" is their "official" polka album for 2004 and it also marks the band's 25th year together.

They definitely aren't your grandfather's polka band, yet Brave Combo isn't meant to be. They travel a slightly different road but still do it with an understanding of what was, what should be, and how it should be connected. That's why Carl Finch knows the nuances of "Scrubby" on a particular Dynatones recording, or the dynamics of Joe Oberitis on Polish polka music. It's why Bubba Hernandez strives to learn the correct pronunciation of a Polish vocal on a tune, or why Jeffrey Barnes does a lick on clarinet that fits with a classic polka melody.

Would I consider Brave Combo exclusively a polka band? Definitely not. But, would I listen to anyone from Brave Combo in a one-on-one conversation about polka music? Yes I would and I have. Although some may argue differently, Brave Combo produces polka music with a unique interpretation, but with a reverence for its origins.

Whether it be the "Dutch Hornpipe" schottische, with its Adams family flavor, or the "Red River Valley" country/polka with a distinct twang, the "Combo" creates their own musical versions of each tune. The accordion of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and the clarinet/trumpet of an uptempo rendition of the Oberaitis' "Starlight" polka connect the band to the mainstream of the polka music I know, but they still manage to add their own twists and turns that make them who they are.

Add the title track, "Let's Kiss," a unique oberek arrangement of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," a "perky, yet creepy Conjunto" polka version of "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White," "Willkommen Oktoberfest" along with a few others, and you have a polka fest, Brave Combo style. They aren't your basic polka band, but they are the polka band they want to be, starting on their second 25 years.

Brave Combo is Jeffrey Barnes on clarinet, sax and tambourine, Alan Emert on drums, Carl Finch on accordion, guitar and keyboards, Bubba Hernandez on bass, tuba and guitar and Danny "O'Brien on trumpet. "Let's Kiss" is on the Dentone label.

Reprinted with the permission of Steve Litwin