Bendegúz Varga Quartet - No Excuses - Grunge in Jazz (2026) [Hi-Res]

No Excuses – Grunge in Jazz is a concept album by Hungarian drummer and bandleader Bendegúz Varga — the culmination of a long-standing dialogue with the grunge genre. Having previously covered Chris Cornell and Soundgarden on Goldmund (2018) and Chasing Your Dreams (2023), Varga here devotes an entire record to the music of the Seattle movement of the early 1990s, reworking carefully chosen songs — iconic and obscure alike — in the language of modern mainstream jazz. The result transcends the cover-album format: through inventive arrangements and focused improvisation, the material becomes unmistakably the quartet's own.
Recorded at Pannónia Stúdió in Budapest and engineered by Márton Fényvesi — former guitarist in Varga's quintet, now based in Vienna — the album achieves a crystalline, intimate sound that preserves the raw emotional intensity of grunge while filtering it through jazz sensibility. JazzMa.hu critic Géza Bárczik compares the ensemble's sonic density to the bands of Jack DeJohnette and Ginger Baker, and its internal cohesion to Pat Metheny's 80/81. The vinyl artwork draws comparisons to Herbie Hancock's conceptual tribute projects The New Standard and River: The Joni Letters.
The quartet brings together four voices with sharply individual profiles. Ádám Bögöti, Varga's musical partner since 2015, anchors the rhythm section with equal command of hard grooves, walking swing, and lyrical arco passages. János Áved weaves Hungarian folk inflections into the jazz fabric on tenor and soprano saxophone. Áron Komjáti ranges across the full dynamic spectrum on guitar, from delicate harmonics to full hardcore intensity. For the vocal tracks, Varga enlisted Kriszta Koncz — winner of the 2024 Müpa Jazz Showcase Audience Award — whose deep, dark, ballad-rich voice reframes melodies originally written for male rock singers, revealing entirely new emotional dimensions. The title track "No Excuses," co-arranged by Júlia Károsi and Varga, stands as the album's defining statement and the recommended entry point for new listeners.



Tracklist:
1-1 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Smells Like Teen Spirit [6:04]
1-2 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - All Night Thing [5:28]
1-3 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Even Flow [5:17]
1-4 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Say Hello 2 Heaven [5:56]
1-5 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Outshined [6:12]
1-6 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - No Excuses [5:09]
1-7 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Lithium [4:59]
1-8 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Would? [4:47]
1-9 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - Intro For My Wave [1:50]
1-10 Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Bendegúz Varga Quartet;Koncz Kriszta - My Wave [2:35]