Gustav Brom (May 22, 1921; Velke Levare, September 25, 1995), was a Czech composer, arranger, clarinetist, and band leader. From the 1940’s to his death in 1995, he was a well-known figure in Europe and elsewhere. He was prolific and well-known for his commitment to jazz big bands. His first efforts were with swing and Dixieland, and then, with the help of his musicians, he moved into the West Coast jazz sound. Gustav Frkal was born in June 1940. The Radhost Hotel, Roznov pod Radhostem was his first professional engagement. Brom’s band played in Brno, Bratislava, and for several months in Switzerland shortly after World War II. Kamil Behounek, Prof. Ladislav Habart, and Karel Vlach were the other Prague big band leaders at that time. In 1955, Brom won the Leipzig Fair in East Germany. He was praised for his arrangements and for the band’s wonderful playing and swinging sound. G. Brom was joined by J.Hnilicka and L.Hulan in this Brom band. Brom was also signed to Supraphon in Prague in 1950. He recorded and arranged prolifically with many guest musicians, including Gery Scott (Britain), Igo Fischer (Germany), Hana and Petr Ulrych, Tena and Martha Elefteriadu, and Czech singers Karel Gott. American jazz polls ranked Brom’s group as one of the top ten biggest-bands worldwide in the 1960s. Maynard Ferguson, Dizzy Gillespie, Diana Ross
