Record Reviews
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  | BUDAPEST JAZZ ORCHESTRA / TONY LAKATOS ~ STORYTELLING NIGHT: THE MUSIC OF DANIEL MESTER
BJO 0016 (Barcode: 5999112320128) ~ HUNGARY ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 2024 Released: 2025
This is an album by the Hungarian Budapest Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist, featuring the guest soloist, saxophonist Tony LakatosFind albums by this artist, playing music by the member of the orchestra, saxophonist / composer Daniel MesterFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all bar one composed by Mester, and one composed by Miles DavisFind albums by this artist.
The music is absolutely brilliant from start to end, full of lyricism and wonderfully woven melodies, developing picturesque vistas, ideal for the Jazz Big Band / Orchestral environment. The orchestration and arrangements (not credited) are highly inventive and often quite complex, but not disturbing the accessibility of the music to a relatively wide audience. Lakatos, who never disappoints, adds his sublime soloing, which is the proverbial cherry on top of the cake.
The album is a textbook of European Jazz Big Band approach, with the emphasis on the overall sound of the orchestra, rather than serving as accompaniment for the soloists. This approach is wonderfully exemplified on this album, and the “storytelling” character of the music completely reflects the title and the composer’s intentions. The inclusion of Miles Davis’ “All Blues” is a great idea, as the version present here tells all the story about how American and European Jazz differ at the core.
Overall, this is a truly delightful Jazz Big Band / Orchestra album, full of sublime music and excellent performances by the orchestra’s members, which a true listening pleasure from start to end. I wholeheartedly recommend this album to all lovers of modern European Jazz Big Band, who can appreciate the finesse and elegance of this music. Thank you Daniel for sending me the album, and of course for creating the music in the first place – chapeau bas!
| | Updated: 18/01/2026Posted: 18/01/2026 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE ~ 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
KONNEX 5078 (Barcode: 718751297425) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 1996 Released: 1997
This is a live recording by the European Jazz EnsembleFind albums by this artist, a collective of European Jazz musicians run by German bassist Ali HaurandFind albums by this artist since 1976, which included in its ranks the absolute crème de la crème of instrumentalists, like German saxophonists Ernst-Ludwig PetrowskyFind albums by this artist and Gerd DudekFind albums by this artist, British saxophonist Stan SulzmannFind albums by this artist, Dutch trumpeter Jarmo HoogendijkFind albums by this artist, Danish trumpeter Allan BotschinskyFind albums by this artist, German trumpeter Thomas HebererFind albums by this artist, Dutch pianist Rob van den BroeckFind albums by this artist and British drummer Tony LevinFind albums by this artist. For the 20th anniversary Tour the nonet was expanded by nine additional musicians: American (resident in Europe) saxophonist Charlie MarianoFind albums by this artist, German pianist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, Italian trumpeter Enrico RavaFind albums by this artist, German trombonist Conrad BauerFind albums by this artist, Czech flautist Jiri StivinFind albums by this artist, German trumpeter Manfred SchoofFind albums by this artist, Swiss drummer Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist, Hungarian saxophonist Tony LakatosFind albums by this artist and German clarinetist Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist. Just reading these names should make any Jazz enthusiast dizzy, and I have had the pleasure to know all of them and attend this gig. The album presents just four lengthy tracks, featuring a long series of dazzling solos.
The music is kept in the form of a typical at the time European Big Band, which took a basic melodic theme and expended it, allowing many individual solos as well as collective improvisation, which of course was but a breeze for these superb musicians, who could find themselves at any musical environment with ease and elegance, and who respected each other immensely at all time. What could have developed into a cacophonic catastrophe, turned out to be a beautiful, completely well behaved display of Modern Jazz, which inspired all the musicians and the audience alike.
Sadly, such meetings of musicians of this scale are hardly possible any more, with the constantly diminishing public support for music in Europe and the decline of the appreciation of Art and Culture and a constant race after basic survival, which many of today’s musicians experience at all time. I have been lucky to live through the 1970s / 1980s / and to some extent 1990s, where public financial support enabled many musical (and other artistic) happenings, like the one captured on this album.
Overall, this is a brilliant and quite unique album, which presents an all-star (although nobody felt like a star) Jazz gathering of sublime talent, which produced heavenly music, captured herein. O tempora, o mores! – those were the days and “to se ne vrati…”
| | Updated: 17/04/2025Posted: 17/04/2025 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CHRIS HINZE ~ SENANG
KEYTONE 794 (Barcode: 8713094793001) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 1996 Released: 1996
This is an album by Dutch flautist / keyboardist / composer / bandleader Chris HinzeFind albums by this artist, recorded with a plethora of guest musicians / friends from all over the world, including American saxophonist Michael BreckerFind albums by this artist, German pianist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, American saxophonist Charlie MarianoFind albums by this artist, Hungarian saxophonist Tony LakatosFind albums by this artist, Dutch trumpeter Eric VloeimansFind albums by this artist and many others, including vocalists, percussionist, a choir, a string quartet etc.
The music is a wild mixture of Funky tunes with ethnic elements from many regions, strong percussive pulsations, brilliant Jazz soloing by the guest musicians, in short a unique amalgam of influences, which works together splendidly, and is even danceable, if needed.
Hinze is closely associated with Far East cultural influences, which he absorbed during his travels to the region, as well as meditative techniques and spiritual trends, but his music is always close to the Jazz influences he absorbed during his early days. His group Chris Hinze CombinationFind albums by this artist remains as one of the most important European Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion ensembles of the 1970s. Over the years he managed to record an impressive amount of albums, all of which are worth investigation.
Overall, this is a wonderful magic carpet ride above our globe, accompanied by splendid music performed by some of the best Jazz and World Music artists, which flows smoothly and is over way too soon!
| | Updated: 06/03/2025Posted: 06/03/2025 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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