Two generations, two amazing jazz musicians, one Eastern European country. Ferenc Nemeth and Attila Laszlo are among the best drummers and guitarists, respectively, Hungary has to offer. The two have combined their collective talents are composers and performers for this special collaboration called Bridges of Souls — out on October 28, 2014 from Nemeth’s Dreamers Collective Records — and it’s a pleasing mesh of Old World and New World all wrapped in a modern sensibility.
A lot of that “New World” sensibility comes not just from Nemeth and Laszlo’s detailed understanding of American music, but also by completing the quartet with two standout American musicians, Russell Ferrante (keyboards) and Jimmy Haslip (electric bass), the linchpins of the fabled fusion group The Yellowjackets, with which Ferrante remains active.
Ferrante and Haslip have also enjoyed extensive careers as first-call session players and those credentials alone justify their presence on this engagement. But the urbane strains from Nemeth and Laszlo that strikes the right balance between the contemporary drive of fusion and the complexity and dynamism of jazz. That sounds a lot like the Yellowjackets, doesn’t it? Moreover, this configuration brings us back to the original incarnation of the Yellowjackets when there was a guitar where there is now a saxophone, only Laszlo is jazzier than Robben Ford and Nemeth is…well, he’s just his uncommonly splendid self.
Nemeth grooves like all the greats, but the deft, light timbres he gets from his cymbals and snare powers songs without dominating the other players. He does this particularly well on the slyly funky “Downhill,” where Laszlo and Ferrante combine on chiming lead lines. Ferrante then peels off for piano asides that are perfectly in the pocket. Laszlo, who has been leading ensembles for four decades, is also a consummate pro at getting the right timbres: his rich, gooey notes grace that aforementioned “Downhill” and with Nemeth, pilots the twisting, mod jazz progressions of “It’s Already That” and then bastes tasty licks over it. Later on, he lets it all hang out for the soul fusion take on Radiohead’s “Creep.”
Ferrante and Haslip more than contribute their fair share of chops, too. Ferrante is just as often heard on electric piano as on acoustic piano and even leaving occasional synth washes. His diversity serves these songs well, such as the Rhodes he employs on “Dance,” where he harmonizes with Laszlo and then in a Herbie Hancock dialect engages in some engaging back and forth with the guitarist. Haslip gets in a few spotlights as well, most notably a delicate solo on “The Untouchable Number.”
It’s not like any of these guys have to solo to impress you; they collectively make “Bridges of Souls” a lithe, elegant dance that does much to show the élite musicianship of these four.
Two songs get vocal treatment. “Alone” features Charlie Horvath, and the Hungarian rock star has an endearing Joe Cocker croak. That song’s lyrics were penned by the Spaniard Lara Bello, who completely composed and sang “Little Heart.” Her Spanish accent is readily apparent on this waltzing ballad but that’s also part of the charm of her voice.
Bridges of Souls is a tasteful fusion excursion that leaves no doubt that Ferenc Nemeth has barely scratched the surface on an already impressive career and Attila Laszlo shows no sign of winding down his.
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