Vrazels' Polka Band

Celebrating their 55th anniversary in 2008, Vrazels' Polka Band is arguably Texas most beloved Czech ensemble. Since their beginnings in the local country store playing for fellow Czech farmers on rainy days when agricultural work wasn't possible, to their appearance as part of the Folk Masters program at Wolf Trap, The Vrazels' have kept the buoyant and vibrant accordion-driven music of the Texas Czech community alive for over a half century. Built on a repertoire of folksongs that traveled with their ancestors from the Old World, the music is made up of dance rhythms that include the polka, of course, and waltzes as well. The ensemble's native habitat is the dancehall and they are making the rounds in 2008 to celebrate their long, successful run and their impending retirement.