Personnel:
Matyas Gayer (p), Matyas Hofecker (b), Pete Van Nostrand (d)
Reference: FSNT-1009
Bar code: 8427328480093
"At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old reviewer, what ever happened to sleeve notes? Despite the obvious answer of having moved from 12” recordings to CD and now to streaming, there is an almost irreversible trend to put virtually no information on an album other than track titles and personnel. I get the “music speaks louder than words” concept, but I can’t be alone in wanting to know more and don’t even get me started on the topic of album art! Rant aside - the music is good - in fact very good.
According to his website (matyasgayer.com), Gayer is a young pianist who is “successfully forging his own distinctive style out of the greatness of a jazz piano tradition”. With that I can agree, although there is definitely a feel of Keith Jarrett (think Standards Trio) about the album. Hungarian by birth, Gayer has performed extensively and won some prestigious jazz awards; but this appears to be his first solo recording. The backing of Hofecker and Van Nostrand on bass and drums are reminiscent of Peacock and DeJohnette in the Jarrett trio - and you can’t get a better compliment than that.
There are some cleverly arranged standards - Lullaby Of The Leaves and I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face just to mention a couple. Gayer has also composed five originals in similar style. The album was a pleasure to listen to and will stay on my playlist for some time. I also appreciated the fact that you get a lot of music for your money - with the average track length being just over six minutes. Pity about the absence of information but I guess websites and social media are now the new sleeve notes!"
Ian Lomax
Jazz Journal (June, 2018)
