Hungarian Moods
2011 · TCB Records (2) (01272) · CD Album · Switzerland
Laszlo Spiro
Tracklist
- Hungarian Moods
- I Remember Arthur
- Dorian Rise
- Darumadar
- Locrian Gates
- Cimbalom
- Az Ajtok Zarodnak
- Sormin
- Jungle
- Thrillian
- Csardas
- Voicelead
- Eastern Promises
- 74
- Christmas
- Keringö
- Manhattan
Personnel & credits
- Dietmar KirchnerBass
- Daniel Schmid (3)Drums
- Herbert BaumgartnerDrums
- Laszlo SpiroGuitar, Composed By, Guitar [To Midiviolin], Producer
- Hubert HungenbühlerPiano, Cimbalom
- John VoirolSaxophone
- Michael GassmannTrumpet
About this record
Reception
No genuine critical reviews of "Hungarian Moods" from established jazz publications (AllMusic, All About Jazz, JazzTimes, Down Beat, Musica Jazz, jazz'n'more, jazzthing, Concerto, JazzConvention, Europe Jazz Network) could be located. This is the expected outcome for a small-label release. The album is well-documented as a catalog item: a 2011 release on TCB - The Montreux Jazz Label (cat. 01272), 17 tracks, roughly 61 minutes, with a strongly Hungarian-folk-inflected jazz concept evident in titles such as "Cimbalom," "Csardas," "Az Ajtok Zarodnak" and "Keringo." The only descriptive/critical text found is a short label/promotional blurb (surfaced via retail/aggregator listings) praising Spiro's instrumental technique and his blending of his ancestral Hungarian homeland's sounds with jazz-influenced playing; this is marketing copy, not independent press. No reviews specific to this album, and no critical commentary singling out the trumpet/Appearance contribution (Michael Gassmann's credited role), were found. Disambiguation note: searches surface a Swiss jazz trumpeter Michael Gassmann distinct from the classical musicologist of the same name, but nothing tied this specific album to either by name in any review.
Background
"Hungarian Moods" was released 1 October 2011 on TCB - The Montreux Jazz Label (catalog 01272), 17 tracks, about 61 minutes, credited to Laszlo Spiro. The concept is explicitly Hungarian: track titles draw on Hungarian folk/classical idioms (cimbalom, csardas, keringo/waltz) blended with modern/contemporary jazz, reflecting Spiro's stated rooting in his ancestral homeland's musical traditions. Spiro is a Hungarian-born jazz guitarist active in the Swiss/European scene; related discography includes "Requiem/Missa Nova" (2012, Altrisuoni, listed as contemporary/avant-garde jazz) and "Stand-Arts" with the Orlando Ribar Group (2014), placing him in the same Swiss small-label jazz milieu as the trumpeter Michael Gassmann. The album is distributed/listed through Challenge Records International and appears on Presto Music's TCB label catalog, plus streaming (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music) and retail (Amazon, eBay). Personnel/credits beyond the leader could not be confirmed from accessible sources; the trumpet credit (role: Appearance) is per the Discogs entry, which was not directly readable (see gaps).