Gábor Horváth Trio - Tricks (2022)

Gábor explains: “In a way it’s a return to my childhood, when the aim of these tricks was to bring simple, honest joy. I tried to show these emotions and feelings as a composer on this record. As pianist I discovered the improvement of dexterity as the tricks require a lot of practice and sleight of hand movements which felt good to my hands and I’m certain they made an impact on my piano playing.”

The regular rhythm section of the Trio was a partner in this on the album. After a decade of working together the band is so tuned to each other that they play with ease and composedness. The drumming, improvisational skills and sensibility of Attila Gálfi brings not only elements of swing, but groovy, hard rhythms to the colorful and rhythmically whirling compositions. The robust, punctual, and sensible play from Balázs Horváth on the upright bass is a good complement for their music.

The compositions on the album are playful, full of humor and emotional diversity. The upbeat and magical energy bombs with plenty of rhythmical changes are paired with ambitious solos and hymnic ballads. Gábor’s compositions are expressive: full of moods, clear and precise framing of feelings, all perfectly executed through their instruments.

There is a piano solo piece on the album called “Back in Time”. Gabor says “This is a look back in to the past, a nostalgic remembrance of my childhood. I teach kids and I always wanted to write a composition that is easy to play and learn for my younger students, but it gives a different vibe for them, different form than the other pieces we use for studying.”

Gábor couldn’t get himself away from the effects of the pandemic. This was summarized in the composition called “Lonely Robot at the Time of Pandemic”: “It’s the robotic ostinato, a rhythmically repetitive musical motif that I used to express the lockdowns daily routine, all the negative effects and beauty that comes with it.

“There is a recurring, repetitive monophonic note that I used as a tracing for all the compositions, tying them together in a way. They are either at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the songs. I recognized a lot of similarities with a build up of a magic trick and the composition structure of a jazz piece. A trick is always three acts. The first one is “The Pledge”: The magician shows you something relatively ordinary, like a pack of cards, or a dove that can be examined by the audience. The second act is “The Turn”: the magician turns something ordinary into extraordinary, for example he makes the dove disappear. Then comes the third act, “The Prestige” when the magician makes the dove reappear.

Gabor added: “To me, this structure perfectly rhymes with the structure of jazz standards or compositions. The audience gets to know a melody, a musical theme, that the musicians start to play with, improvise and transform, and the theme comes back at the end with a different meaning, maybe with different reharmonizations and rhythms. I tried to carry this concept through the album with musical “tricks” such as changes in time signatures, tempo or rhythm, key changes, and I tried to “hide” these from the audience, just as a magician would do with a magic trick, keeping the secrets to himself. Enjoy!”

Gabor Horvath – Piano & Composer
Balazs Horvath – Upright Bass
Attila Galfi – Drums