The music of this album you hold in your hands, hear in
and led by him. The septet is – after his trio with bass
your ears and hopefully keep in your minds is the most
player Ervin Malina and drummer István Csík, which
developed output of Szilárd Mezei’s creative activity
can be seen as the nucleus – Szilárd Mezei’s musical
with his septet so far. It can’t be seen other than as a work
home.
in progress, a living process; as improvisation which
Each of the players has his/her individual sound, and
cannot be frozen into ink on paper. CET allows us to
altogether this handpicked band has developed a
dive into Szilárd Mezei’s musical cosmos, experiencing
unique kind of sonic sensation. This can be seen as
a multitude of sonic relationships, strongly connected
part of the jazz tradition, a soundworld which is of
to his cultural background as well as to his continuous
central importance to the ensemble. The combination
drive to transcend categories and to expand his own
of these seven instruments allows for a wide range
boundaries.
of expressions and stylistic allusions. Although all
Although the pieces on this record have distinctive
the players are equal in their interactions, it seems
characters and differ in structural approach, form
interesting that Szilárd Mezei decided on the viola
and dynamics, there is an overall atmosphere which
early in his career – an instrument not as bright and
connects them. As Szilárd Mezei has pointed out,
virtuosic as the violin, but deeper in sound and possibly
his creative work derives from archaic Hungarian
even deeper in soul. György Ligeti once characterized
folk music, the free expressions of jazz, and modern
the viola as an instrument which remains in the realm
composed music. You will detect links to all these
of shadows, an instrument with a special acerbity,
sources, but what emerges is definitively a world of his
compactness, somehow hoarse with the smoky
own, transformed through the processes of studying
taste of wood, earth and tannin. As the septet plays
and practising, and working with ensembles formed
without amplification, the viola becomes the lead 5 5