Szakcsi Jr. Trio - Stolen Tears (2023)

If I didn’t know them, I would still feel, listening to this album, that they are good friends in private life – not “just” colleagues – who know each other’s thoughts and feelings and pay maximum attention to each other’s every musical and human emotion. The heart and soul are also very much in evidence. As the way the themes are played and shaped in each case brings out their beauty and sentimentality.

Szakcsi Jr.’s textbook, beautiful strumming, captivating “intros”, uplifting harmonies and improvisations captivate the listener. They have everything that makes us jazz lovers! The subtlety and tastefulness as well as the swinging, the excellent “time” or the “supreme” level of melodic development.

Krisztián and Elemér are a tightly knit, world-class rhythm section who, among other traits, are masters of the mainstream. They accompany with full attention to the soloist, in a way that even inspires Béla to a great extent. They do all this with the utmost love and humility, as the goal is the pinnacle of chamber music performance, which these wonderful artists achieve!

Of course, they also show us their virtuosity through their solos (too), and the swing feeling is tight yet airy, something that every soloist in the world craves.

Szakcsi Jr. Trio
Bela Szakcsi Jr, Steinway D Concert Piano
Krisztian Pecek Lakatos, Double Bass
Elemer Balazs, Drums