Not Two, 2012 | MW 893-02 | CD
Szilard Mezei – viola | Peter Bede – tenor sax | Adam Meggyes – trumpet, cornet | Erno Hock – double bass | Hunor G. Szabo – drums
Recorded 25 May 2010 by Laszlo Valik, L.V. Hang Studio, Budapest, Hungary. Mixed and mastered by Szilard Mezei. Cover graphic by Erzsébet Mezei.
All compositions by Szilard Mezei.
Tracklist: 1. Among Carbon [09:23] 2. Leopard [09:11] 3. Beautiful Lilly’s Sorrow [14:01] 4. Big Street (to Mamaka) [13:35] 5. Cocoa [09:08] 6. Singing Elephant [11:35] 7. 1 Piper in 5 Inn [09:38]
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With a free afternoon and a relatively clear head, I had the time and wherewithal to let my mind wander for a bit. I digressed to a solo trip I took to Hungary when I was much younger. I remember the food and the friendly locals, the opera and the great gypsy music everywhere but especially a violin trio playing on a bridge overlooking the Danube river. I went to my music collection to find something to accompany these fond memories. I soon realized that I still had two unheard Szilárd Mezei recordings. Perfect. I started with the “Singing Elephant” recording by his Szabad Quintet.
This is a very diverse recording with some straight ahead jazz moments, some folk music that Mezei’s viola adds to perfectly, and a few tracks that will leave you scratching your head. ‘Leopard’ comes at you in a series of punctuations as if the group were counting the cat’s spots. Over time they separate and soon you are wrapped up in their cat and mouse game before everything catches to itself again.
Hunor G. Szabo (drums) and Emo Hock (bass) start ‘Beautiful Lilly’s Sorrow’ at a breakneck pace and maintain it as the backbeat and pulse for Mezei (viola), Péter Bede (tenor sax) and Adam Meggyes (trumpet, cornet) to play some beautifully tortured notes over. The subtle beauty of ‘1 Piper in 5 Inn’ make it a superb star attraction of the show. The band are precise and controlled like they are creeping around you waiting for the perfect moment to add sound. Mezei’s viola manages to keep everything organic and grounded, his sound perfectly suited to this style. Beautifully timed and executed. I needed to get out and wander for a bit.