Jazz is the art of improvisation the raw material of which can be almost anything. Current dictates of fashion favour folk music from the world over as the springboard for improvisation or, at the other extreme, they demand a sort of classical approach to spontaneous creation. The material on this album will be classed as straight jazz - there are no Gipsy cimbaloms, Andean nose flutes or Balinese thumb-pianos in evidence, nor do we hear echoes of Bach or Bartók - yet this is mainstream with a difference. The themes used are old Hungarian popular songs, most of them penned when none of the musicians heard on this record were even born. Yet these songs have transcended generations, they are imbedded in the musical subconscious of today's Hungarians, in fact they are part of our urban folklore. Melodically the songs composed in the once vibrant coffee houses of Budapest are almost as idiosyncratic as Parisian chansons but what lends special piquancy to their present reincarnation is the tremendously fresh approach of the musicians, who constitute the top echelon of two generations of Hungarian jazzmen. - by Peter Pallai, from the CD cover
"Elemér is one of the best drummers around right now, in my opinion. He plays with such musicality and finesse and has the ability to listen inside each musical moment with the kind of spontaneous decision making that allows everyone that plays with him to sound their best. He also has a wonderful touch on the instrument - I always enjoy the chance to play with him and to hear him." - Pat Metheny
Artist: Elemer Balazs Group
Album: Always that Moment 2
Year: 2008
Label: BMC
Runtime: 55:13
Tracks:
1. Nem mondhatom el / I Can't Tell (Jeno Horvath) 7:01
2. En mindenkiben csalodtam / Every One of Them Let Me Down (Pal Koszegi/Jeno Partos) 8:08
3. Csak a szepre emlekezem / I Only Remember the Good Times (Julia Hajdu/Rudolf Halasz) 5:34
4. Felteni kell / Hold on to Love (Szabolcs Fenyes/Ivan Szenes) 4:14
5. Ha arulnak majd gesztenyet / If there are Chesnuts for Sale (Andras Fay/Tamas Nemenyi) 6:37
6. Felig sem szerelem / It Was Nothing Like Love (Pal S. Gabor/Ivan Szenes) 4:46
7. Hol van az a nyar / What Happened to that Summer (Lajos Lajtai) 5:14
8. Hullo falevelek / Autumn Leaves (Jozsef Kozma) 13:39
Personnel:
Elemer Balazs (Drums)
Jozsef Balazs (Piano)
Jozsef Barcza Horvath (Double Bass)
Zoltan Zana (Tenor Saxophone)
Gabor Bolla (Tenor Saxophone)
Marton Fenyvesi (Guitar)