For his latest release, drummer / composer Marton Juhasz has enlisted four worthy players and put together a quintet in the vein of Weather Report to do justice to eight of his progressive pan- continental compositions.
Metropolis is an album of many shades and many influences, all pieced together and underscored with an ever-evolving set of rhythmic ideas. Describing it as “post-modern instrumental groove music”, Marton — along with Charley Rose on sax, Fabio Gouvea on guitar, Lorenzo Vitolo on Fender Rhodes and Jeremie Kruttl on bass — takes the listener on a journey that may start somewhere familiar, but could end up in the back streets of Kinshasa or the favelas of Rio.
The first thing you notice on opener “Plato’s Cave” is the lightness of the drums setting up a smooth quick tempo. It’s slinky, with the sax and Rhodes combo an earworm delight. Lorenzo has the lightest touch on the Rhodes and the Django Reinhardt guitar break is feather-like with a lively flourish. The track skips to a ’70s beat, full of joy but also with a touch of mystery. The players are not afraid to slip off the beaten track for pastures unexpected but always returning refreshed.
On “Ancestral Drift”, a tribal rhythm with a cute high-life guitar is enlivened by further Rhodes explorations; but the key is the birdsong sax that makes like it is coming from high in the trees and although the track canters along nicely, they can’t allow things to continue. This desire to mix things up mid-track is a constant throughout the album.Percussive diversity is definitely the key here as, although instruments take centre stage, the ever-changing presence of the drums is what moves us across continents. The insistent single-note repetitive motif on “Helio” shows another side of the group, focusing the mind with the simple rhythm augmented by all manner of textures that work at undermining the mood, using peals of abstraction in the background.
In fact, the abstraction briefly continues in “Wren Song” before a tinkling Rhodes gauntlet is thrown down and taken up by the sax and expanded. You can really sense the fun they are having, but also the desire to see how the others react if a little curveball is lobbed their way.
They whistle through the light and joyful ‘”Winged Travelers” with its hypnotic, repetitive riff and then slow things down again for the closer “Mr Busyman Goes On Holiday”. Here, the African influence is subdued by a romantic sax as well as a sparkling guitar solo and assisted by the subtlest of Rhodes touches. It is a lovely way to see the album out, with all players given an opportunity to add their ingredient.
This is a strong set of songs that the well-chosen group does great justice to. If you are looking for a far-ranging album that takes progressive jazz as a starting point but then goes in any direction it pleases, you would do well to snap this up.-Mr Olivetti-
