JUST DON’T CALL IT A MAGAZINE: CZECH JAZZ FANZINES OF TWO TOTALITIES (1944-1958).

The emerging research on music fanzines in Central and Eastern Europe focuses almost exclusively on the production of the late 1980s (such as punk, skinhead, rock, metal), but leaves aside historically older periods. This article maps for the first time the terrain of privately (i.e. illegally) published Czech jazz fanzines across two totalities: in the final phase of the Nazi occupation and in the first phase of the communist regime. The case studies of Okružní korespondence [Circular Correspondence], Boptime and Jazz Express are followed by an analysis of other so far little-known independent publications as well as the so-called semi-official jazz press. I also deal with the issue of the repression of their creators. In the conclusion, I suggest how the research of fanzines and sources of a private nature can contribute to a re-evaluation of the “official jazz history” and to a deeper insight into the lived experience of jazz musicians and their supporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]