A Jewel, February 6, 2006

Reviewer: Brownian Motion (State College, PA United States)
This 1991 date clocks in a just over 37 minutes in length, but its brevity in no way diminishes its loveliness. This is modern instrumental bluegrass at its very finest, featuring such masters of the form as Bela Fleck and Stuart Duncan. Hanzlik, a native of Czechoslovakia, is a first-rate guitarist and composer, and deserves a far wider audience than he has thus far captured.

not the same "new" bluegrass, August 22, 2002

Reviewer: Martin Davis (Huntington, Wv USA) - See all my reviews
Admist the "new" bluegrass movement following Alison Krauss and the "O Brother" soundtrack it was refreshing to hear this cd, which predates them both. The cd is not really your typical bluegrass, not is it purely New Age. It's somewhere in the middle of both genres. I had never heard Slavek's guitar work, but as I read who else was on the cd I was even more convinced of it's quality. Most notably Bela Fleck on banjo and Ron Ickes playing Dobro. The shear joy of playing music comes through on the entire album. The album is great "background" music or one to listen to purely for the outstanding musical talent displayed. All this music from a czech refugee, go figure.

A mellow bit of 'light country'

Spring in the Old Country

by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the May 29, 1992 issue of the North County Blade-Citizen (now North County Times).

You've heard of "light jazz," now meet "light country." Slavek Hanzlik is a talented, skilled guitarist – and very, very low-key. "Understatement" seems to be his rule of thumb.

Which isn't to say that "Spring in the Old Country" is bad; it is a melodic, pleasant album. But this is very mellow music, and thus won't appeal to those who like their country folk music on the bluegrass side, with lots of instrumental chases and breakdowns.

Hanzlik is joined on this all-instrumental album by well-known country musicians Bela Fleck on banjo, Stuart Duncan on violin and mandolin, and bassist Mark Schatz.