Djabe with Chieli Minucci - Tour Of Waterfalls (2025)

The material for the double CD was recorded by Djabe during the Budapest stop of the 2024 Tour Of Waterfalls with Chieli Minucci, using 24-track analog technology. Thanks to the excellent recording and the world-renowned sound engineering work of Tamás Barabás, an audiophile-quality master was once again created. The two CDs contain the entire concert material, half of which are Djabe compositions, to which Chieli Minucci gave new impetus and sound. The rest of the album features Chieli Minucci compositions, mostly Special EFX tracks.
The title Waterfall compositions are of course performed from both repertoires, which both work very well in this renovated, joint arrangement.
From the consistently strong program, Chieli's composition Without You stands out, which was performed live for the first time on this tour. The mostly highly emotional compositions created a special atmosphere at each tour stop.
Djabe's musical quality and unique sound gave these recordings a new voice. Minucci spoke highly of the band, the concerts and the recording.
Tour Of Waterfalls is not only the first album of Chieli and Djabe's collaboration, but also the introduction of the new Djabe wind player, Zoltán Zana. Zoli excels in both Minucci's compositions and older Djabe compositions. His exciting saxophone and EWI playing simultaneously evokes the beginning of Djabe and the band's first heroic era, while also refreshing and modernizing the wonderful fusion compositions.

The material was released on blu-ray disc and in 3 LP format; the latter as part of the impressive 6 LP + 2 CD joint Djabe - Panta Rhei box.

The film recording of the concert was shared on YouTube by Attila Égerházi at the beginning of the year. (By the way, several of their albums are also available on Spotify and Deezer.)

Chieli Minucci is a New York guitarist who founded the jazz-rock band Special EFX in 1982, which is also influenced by Latin/African influences, with Hungarian drummer György Jinda (who moved with his wife to Western Europe and then to America in 1966.)
By 1995, they had made 13 albums with different musicians, then they parted ways, Jinda kept the band name. However, he had a stroke in 1997, and died in 2002 - according to some sources in 2001.
While he was still alive, he and his wife, who cared for him, approved that Minucci should continue the band name.
Since then, he has performed and recorded under the name "Chieli Minucci and Special EFX", (at least 9) but has also contributed to the albums of countless artists, including Celine Dion and Anastacia.

How he came to be with the band Djabe is a hazy topic for me at the moment, but anyone interested can probably dig it up....