Meselia Hill

Personnel: Mihály Borbély (kaval, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Miklós Lukács (cimbalom); Zoltán Lantos (violin); Cseke Gábor (piano); Balázs Horváth (double bass).
Audio Mixer: Attila Kolcsenyi.
Recording information: Tom-Tom studio, Budapest, Hungary (04/05/2004-09/12/2004).
Photographer: István Huszti.
Unknown Contributor Role: Gábor Bachman.
Mihaly Borbely named this CD after Meselia Hill, a cultural melting pot in his native Hungary. His original music is improvised jazz that is influenced by his Hungarian folk heritage and open to classical music and various forms of world music; it is symbolically a musical melting pot. In addition to alto, tenor, and soprano saxes, Borbely plays some exotic wind instruments that interact with the cymbalom of Mikjos Lukacs on five brief pieces titled "Dera #1" through "Dera #5." The other selections are more extended and usually have Borbely joined by a rhythm section that includes the Keith Jarrett-inspired pianist Gabor Cseke. Violinist Zoltan Lantos is a special guest on two numbers, adding both a bit of gypsy jazz and the flavor of Indian music. This is an intriguing set of modern music that grows in interest with each listen. ~ Scott Yanow