Polka in the United States

A fast style in 24 time, and often associated with the pre–World War II era, polka remains a dynamic niche music in America.

The different genres are united by the characteristic 24 time signature that exists in all polkas as well as by instruments and lyrics that are similar throughout all styles.

Polka remains an enduring and evolving style of music core to the Czech American identity.

The typical Chicago-style polka band includes one or two trumpets, an accordion, a concertina, drums, a bass, and sometimes a clarinet, saxophone, or fiddle.

Both were highly influenced by the style of Li'l Wally Jagiello, a polka performer of an earlier generation.

[7] An important venue for live performances of polka music was Club 505 at 13505 S Brainard Ave in the Hegewisch neighborhood on the Southeast side of Chicago.

Eastern-style polka is similar to Chicago style but is played at a faster tempo, usually includes a bigger section of horns and reeds, and is connected to big-band era music rather than rock-and-roll.

[9] Other important Eastern-style performers include Frank Wojnarowski, Bernie Witkowski, Walt Solek, Larry Chesky, Ray Henry, and the Connecticut Twins.

Whereas the Polish style utilizes trumpets and concertinas, the main melody instruments in the Slovenian band are the accordion and tenor saxophone.

The epicenter of the Slovenian-American style of polka is undoubtedly Cleveland and northeast Ohio, but it is also popular in Pennsylvania and in many other cities in the Great Lakes region.

The German-American sound is often described with the term "oom-pa-pa" and is characterized by an emphasis on brass (especially the tuba), accompanied by drums and reed instruments (including the accordion or concertina, although for the most part the Chemnitzer concertina is usually favored over the accordion in German-American bands).

[11] German-American style bands perform primarily in the Upper Midwest and in the so-called "polka belt" of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

He later added more popular music to his band's repertoire, which enabled him to spread the polka throughout America by way of his famous television show.

The instrumentation involves a combination of accordion, bajo sexto (a Mexican twelve-string guitar), bass, and drums.

Papago-Pima style is more commonly referred to as "chicken scratch" and is associated with the Native American Tohono O'odham tribe (who were once the Papago).

[14] The most important modern performers in this genre are Southern Scratch, the Joaquin Brothers, Papago Raiders, the Molinas, and T.O.

While Keil's six genres cover the majority of traditional polka performers, other bands mix them and combine them with influences from other types of music.

The Dreadnoughts and Russkaja are two bands that are notable for fusing polka with punk rock, creating the "polka-punk" subgenre (sometimes considered a type of folk-punk).

They write that polka music has a strong cross-generational connectivity, and is able to "counteract the relentless negativity and irony that saturates popular culture.

From tiny ethnic dance halls to larger-scale national organizations, there is a huge network of people working to keep the polka alive.

[1] Modern communication has also allowed polka fans to organize through national newsletters such as the Polish-American Journal, and the Post Eagle.

Beginning as an "International Polka Convention" in the mid-1960s, the IPA was officially established in 1968 with Leon Kozicki as the "organization builder" and John Hyzny as the "entrepreneur".

In 1982, a museum was established, now located above Polonia Banquets, a century-old dance hall at 4608 S. Archer Ave. in the Brighton Park neighborhood, and open by appointment.

[17] These festivals usually last several days and involve performances, dancing, jam sessions, beer, ethnic and local foods, athletic events, parades, and polka masses.

He also asserts that the polka mass "brings the community into the church" because it involves music and lyrics that the congregations are more familiar with.

Dr. Ann Hetzel Gunkel describes the polka as a means of protecting ethnic heritage from the invasion of "American mass culture."

It allows entire communities to choose an alternate approach to worship that helps them preserve their ethnic origins.

Keeping the polka alive allows these communities to establish a tangible aspect of their culture that can be maintained amidst the changes American society faces.

"[16] Charles Keil describes the paradox that "polka is a modern urban style that enables traditional cultures to persist".

The problem of attracting a broader audience while still preserving cultural heritage is an ongoing challenge in the polka world.