Slavek Hanzlik is a contemporary bluegrass and instrumental musician who came to prominence in the mid-'90s. Hanzlik was born and raised in Prague, Czechoslovakia and he stayed there until 1982, when he became a political refugee. He moved to Canada and was a citizen of that country for over a decade. He released his American debut, Spring in the Old Country, on Flying Fish in 1991. By the mid-'90s, he moved to the US, making his home in Chicago. In 1995, he signed the Hollywood subsidiary Sierra and released Summer Solstice. The album received strong reviews from contemporary instrumental and progressive bluegrass circles and was a modest New Age hit. It was followed two years later by Fall of My Dreams. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine