Record Reviews

EAST SIDE JAZZ COMPANY ~ BORA BMM 0303 (Barcode: 5998272705721) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2003 Released: 2003 This is the 1st album by the excellent Hungarian Jazz ensemble East Side Jazz CompanyFind albums by this artist, fronted by the female vocalist Agnes LakatosFind albums by this artist and led by bassist / composer Tibor Csuhaj-BarnaFind albums by this artist, who is responsible for the original music performed by the ensemble. The band also includes saxophonist Bela AgostonFind albums by this artist, violinist Tamas GombaiFind albums by this artist, pianist Attila BlahoFind albums by this artist and drummer Gyorgy JeszenszkyFind albums by this artist. The music is a great mixture of modern Jazz and folklore elements, creating a fresh and very interesting innovative sound. The lyrics are in English, but the singer uses her voice mostly in vocalese. The overall level of composition and performances is quite excellent, which of course is consistent with the rest of the great Hungarian music scene. Warmly recommended, especially to listeners interested in East European Jazz explorations!

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EAST SIDE JAZZ COMPANY ~ FATA MORGANA BMM 0504 (Barcode: 5998272706490) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 This is the 2nd album by the excellent Hungarian Jazz ensemble East Side Jazz CompanyFind albums by this artist, fronted by the female vocalist Agnes LakatosFind albums by this artist and led by bassist / composer Tibor Csuhaj-BarnaFind albums by this artist, who is responsible for the original music performed by the ensemble. The band also includes saxophonist Istvan ElkFind albums by this artist, cimbalom player Miklos LukacsFind albums by this artist, guitarist Mihaly GyorgyFind albums by this artist and drummer Gyorgy JeszenszkyFind albums by this artist. The music is a great mixture of modern Jazz and folklore elements, creating a fresh and very interesting innovative sound. The lyrics are in English, but the singer uses her voice mostly in vocalese. The overall level of composition and performances is quite excellent, which of course is consistent with the rest of the great Hungarian music scene. Warmly recommended, especially to listeners interested in East European Jazz explorations!

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TIBOR MARKUS / EQUINOX ~ ARE YOU FREE? BMM 0208 (Barcode: 5998272705097) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2002 Released: 2002 This is the 3rd album by Hungarian Jazz pianist / composer Tibor MarkusFind albums by this artist and his ensemble EquinoxFind albums by this artist. On this album the core of the ensemble consists of saxophonist Zoltan ZanaFind albums by this artist, bassist Balazs HorvathFind albums by this artist and drummer Gyorgy JeszenszkyFind albums by this artist, and six guest musicians participate on most tracks, including two female singers. Markus is an incredible composer and his beautiful music, typical of Eastern European lyricism and full of musical ingenuity is a true treasure. This album presents a four-part Jazz suite, which is quite incredible. Of course the musicianship of the players and their respective virtuosity is also evident throughout. Stylistically the music is a unique kind of modern European Jazz, mostly very melodic with some tendencies towards freer passages. Altogether this is a great example of the superb music created in places, which are rarely associated with Jazz, but can be very surprising. Warmly recommended!

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TIBOR MARKUS / EQUINOX ~ THREE TREES BMM 9903 ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 This is the 2nd album by Hungarian Jazz pianist / composer Tibor MarkusFind albums by this artist and his ensemble EquinoxFind albums by this artist. On this album the core of the ensemble consists of saxophonist Imre HederFind albums by this artist, bassist Balazs HorvathFind albums by this artist and drummer Gyorgy JeszenszkyFind albums by this artist, and three guest musicians participate on most tracks. Markus is an incredible composer and his beautiful music, typical of Eastern European lyricism and full of musical ingenuity is a true treasure. Of course the musicianship of the players and their respective virtuosity is also evident throughout. Stylistically the music is a unique kind of modern European Jazz, mostly very melodic with some tendencies towards freer passages. Altogether this is a great example of the superb music created in places, which are rarely associated with Jazz, but can be very surprising. Warmly recommended!

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VIKTOR TOTH ~ TARTIM BMC 150 (Barcode: 5998309301506) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 This is an excellent album by Hungarian saxophonist / composer Viktor TothFind albums by this artist, one of the most prominent young European Improvised Music advocates, who has been very active in the last few years releasing several important recordings and performing many concerts. The album, recorded live in Budapest, includes 13 tracks with original music, of which Toth composed the first nine and the remaining four are collective improvisations. The music is presented gradually, starting with a trio format (the first five tracks), where Toth is accompanied by the excellent bassist Matyas SzandaiFind albums by this artist and the legendary American drummer Hamid DrakeFind albums by this artist. Next the trio is expanded to a quartet with the addition of the trumpeter / violinist Ferenc KovacsFind albums by this artist (on the next four track) and finally the group is expanded into septet with the addition of saxophonist Mihaly DreschFind albums by this artist, viola player Adam JavorkaFind albums by this artist and another drummer Gyorgy JeszenszkyFind albums by this artist, which takes the music into the group improvisation realm. In spite of its adventurous nature, the music is quite straightforward and often retains a strong melodic element, which makes it accessible to a large Jazz-loving audience well beyond Free Jazz / Improvised Music purists. The performances are excellent, with Toth displaying a complete command of his instrument as well as fruitful imagination. The rhythm section is brilliant with Drake dazzling, as usual, with his incredible musicality. This is something people not aware of how good Eastern European Jazz is should definitely try out at the earliest opportunity!

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