Mery Bobak — Jazz Pianist and Singer Whose Voice Carried an Era Maria Bobakova, known artistically as Mery Bobak, was born on May 4, 1949, in Presov. When she was two years old, her family moved to Komarno — the city that would become her lifelong home. Art ran in her blood. Her father, Prof. Juraj Bobak, was the director of a gymnazium (grammar school) in Presov, taught Latin and history, and conducted a 120-member ensemble while also composing music. It's no surprise, then, that at just four years old she began playing her first song by ear — "Jedna druhej riekla, ked kolace piekla" ("One told the other, while baking cakes"). Her father, overhearing her, enrolled her in music school at age five. She graduated seven years later. After finishing school, she took a job — but never left music behind. Alongside her work, she sang in two bands at once, one classical and one jazz, performing in clubs and at the Hotel Europa in Komarno. The turning point came at age twenty: she entered the Zlata kamera (Golden Camera) competition in Bratislava and won first place in the second round, singing "Blue Moon" by Ella Fitzgerald. That victory caught the attention of the chief conductor of VUS (the Military Art Ensemble) in Bratislava, who called her directly at work in Komarno to invite her to an audition. She passed with flying colors — cast in vocal solos and appointed repetiteur of a girls' vocal group, of which she was also a member herself. With the ensemble, she toured the countries of the Warsaw Pact, housed in garrison lodgings. After six years, she married and set singing aside for family life. The marriage lasted twenty-one years; after the divorce, she forged her own path once again. But art never truly left her — it carried her through international art courses and creative journeys, from which she brought home not only experience, but a wealth of artworks as well. Mery Bobak's story is that of a woman whose music accompanied her whole life — from small fingers on a piano keyboard to stages far beyond the borders of Komarno. We both Thank You Very Much for supporting the music collaboration and label: Mery Bobak & Tall Tunes. Stay safe, healthy, be most loved and blessed. Your support means more than all the world and space for us.
