Record Reviews

ONDREJ KRAJNAK ~ FOREVERNEST HEVHETIA 0067 (Barcode: 8588005257046) ~ SLOVAKIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is a wonderful solo piano album by Slovak Jazz pianist / composer / arranger Ondrej KrajnakFind albums by this artist. It is a loving and beautiful tribute to the music of Slovak pianist / composer Ernest OlahFind albums by this artist, an outstanding figure of the first post WWII generation, who never truly achieved the recognition and fame he deserved, and who died prematurely in 2002 at the age of sixty, never releasing even a singular album as a leader during his lifetime. This album presents six original compositions by Olah and one original composition by Krajnak, dedicated to him. The album was produced by Ernest Olah´s son Roman OlahFind albums by this artist. Olah was not only a great pianist but also a wonderful composer of Jazz and contemporary Classical music and it is sad that his work is almost unknown. This album remedies the situation slightly, but hopefully more of Olah´s music will be rediscovered in the future. Olah admired Oscar PetersonFind albums by this artist and was able to imitate his playing very reliably, but of course his most important contributions were his original works. Krajnak emerges as an ideal choice of a pianist, who was trusted with the responsibility to present Olah´s music as perhaps he would have done himself. A pianist of virtuosic ability but more importantly exceptional feeling Krajnak is able to expose all the wonderful Eastern European lyricism of Olah´s compositions. Delicate, sophisticated and aesthetically challenging, every touch of the keyboard is simply right there exactly where is fits the music in the best way possible. This album is like a string of pearls with the individual notes sitting next to each other, gleaming in the light of a flickering candlelight, building the overwhelming effect of the whole string, which is after all much more than a collection of the individual pearls. A true gem in every respect, it is timeless, beyond classification and comparison; it simply is…

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