Matyas Bartha Trio - From This Moment On

Elegance and passion are the outstanding qualities of Hungarian jazz pianist Matyas Bartha, and he recorded his second album From This Moment On in trio format once again: As a pianist, you really want to play in a trio, he believes, because you can't hide behind a wind player.It started with Ray Charles and the movie Ray, he recalled. I really liked it and I wanted to play blues too. My uncle played in a jazz band, which also inspired me quite a bit. Finally, I had a piano teacher who was a big jazz fan and gave me CDs by Keith Jarrett, Bud Powell and the Yellowjackets. I immediately fell in love with Bud Powell's playing. His way of playing fascinated me greatly. Later, I also discovered Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans.

The album opens with two of Bartha's own songs; Bumpily is dedicated to his partner Anna and Dr. Raible to jazz pianist Claus Raible. But American standards also play an important role on the album. Bartha merged two of them - It's The Talk Of The Town and Old Folks - in The Ballad Medley. Then there's Jerome Kern's I'm Old Fashioned and two songs by the immortal Cole Porter. Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye has been packed into a 5/4 beat by the trio, and the fast-paced From This Moment On even gave the album its title. I like everything that Cole Porter composed, the pianist admitted. I've always played 'Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye' and From This Moment On', and I can't say anything more about them than that I just really like these songs. For jazz musicians, they are simply a great basis for improvisation.

The two remaining pieces then come from the man who is the link between drums and piano with his supple tone. The Man from the Capital is dedicated to the owner of the Viennese jazz club Zwe. Finally, the album ends on a funky note: Ziemann's Green's Groove is inspired by the American jazz pianist Benny Green and shows the trio of Matyas Bartha from its spellbinding side.