Grencso Collective - Villa Negra (1997)

When the Masina Jazz Group, originally from Szombathely, first came on the Hungarian scene at the beginning of the 80's, their fresh, cliché free music easily won our hearts. István Grencsó's sketches were like short studies on life; musical snaphosts which strived to make use of the jazz vocabulary of the time. Since then the jazz vocabulary has widened considerably. We have become accustomed to how the quick notebook sketches are played with fewer and fewer restraints. Like a box that can never be closed, Grencsó has become the forst uninhibited eclectic musician to come out of the Hungarian jazz scene. He is like an amazingly self-assured magician pulling forms out of his hat that our central european label-loving, categorising society finds totally unimaginable; and than building those forms into James Joyce style stream of consciousness musical dramas. György Ránki's original score for the engagingly sincere, though a little bit outdated 1964 neo-realist film, "Hattyúdal" (Swansong), captures the atmosphere of the Budapest streets and is the East European relative of the french chansons, Kurt Weil and Nino Rota. Grencsó's eclecticism and dramatic way of thinking, has, of course, had its models and spiritual relatives. We hope that the listener will also consider this recording to be a continuation worthy of its predecessors. - by Peter Szigeti (orig. liner notes)

Tracks:
1. Villa Negra pt. 1 28:54
2. Villa Negra pt. 2 13:50
3. Villa Negra pt. 3 2:01
All compositions by György Ránki/arr. István Grencsó

Personnel:
István Grencsó (Alto Saxophone, Flute and Percussion)
István Regos (Tenor Saxophone)
Mihály Borbély (Clarinet and Soprano Saxophone)
Endre Juhász (Oboe and English Horn)
András Cserjési (Trumpet)
Tamás Beke (Accordion)
Mátyás Szandai (Double Bass)
György Jeszenszky (Drums, Xilophone)



(http://intotherhythm.blogspot.com)