Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ferenc Snetberger: TITOK

18

Ferenc Snetberger: TITOK

By

Sign in to view read count
Ferenc Snetberger: TITOK
Hungarian nylon-string guitarist Ferenc Snetberger made his ECM debut playing live solo guitar on In Concert (2016). Here he shares the musical space with Swedish bassist Anders Jormin and U.S. drummer Joey Baron—a combination suggested by producer Manfred Eicher, and cemented by three concerts in Hungary before the recording session.

Jormin and Baron have played together on live shows, but never on record, despite their many individual ECM appearances. Baron has considerable experience playing with guitarists: he has worked with John Abercrombie for twenty years, most recently appearing on Up and Coming (ECM, 2017); has a long association with Bill Frisell, going all the way back to Lookout for Hope (ECM, 1987); and was a member of Jakob Bro's trio on Streams (ECM, 2016).

The new trio was comfortable enough to produce the improvised performances that bracket the program: "Cou Cou" (featuring Baron playing drums with his hands) and the title tune open, while "Clown," "Rush" and "Inference" close. "Titok" is set up by Jormin's unaccompanied bass, and the brief "Inference" finds the leader unaccompanied. The rest of the music is a mix of older Snétberger compositions and new music written for the trio. "Kék Kerék" is one of the old ones, a beautiful waltz that makes an especially strong impression coming out of the improvised material that precedes it.

"Rambling" is the first of the new selections, a lyrical guitar piece that sounds like it could work very well as a solo piece (although sensitively accompanied by the rhythm section here). "Orange Tango" shows the trio in full conversational mode. It opens with unaccompanied drums, only hinting at the tango rhythm. The guitar enters in the lead, but constantly in dialog with the bass. "Leolo" features gentle guitar harmonics, with a spotlight on a beautiful arco bass solo. "Renaissance" finds Snétberger's guitar in a lute-like role, reflecting the song's title, but also has room for a pizzicato bass solo.

Ferenc Snetberger's style is just as distinctive in this trio setting as it was solo: blending classical, jazz, Gypsy jazz, and Latin American musics, but melded together into a singular voice. Jormin and Baron are completely attuned—nylon-string guitar fans should take note.

Track Listing

Cou Cou; Titok; Kék Kerék; Rambling; Orange Tango; Fairytale; Álom; Leolo; Ease; Renaissance; Clown; Rush; Inference.

Personnel

Ferenc Snetberger: guitar; Anders Jormin: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Album information

Title: Titok | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: ECM Records

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.