Matyas Gayer Trio: Westbourne Park

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Dave Green (b)
Steve Brown (d)
Matyas Gayer (p)

Label:

Ubuntu

September/2024

Media Format:

CD, DL

Catalogue Number:

UBU0171

RecordDate:

Rec. 14 April 2023

I’ve heard Hungarian-in-London Gayer subbing in Five-Way Split and playing for the Nat Steele-Mark Crooks Quintet, and have been impressed with his facility and flow of ideas, this explaining the readiness of local groups to call on him. It’s clear that Gayer is adept at immersing himself into his musical surroundings; and good at finding interesting ways to enhance a gig.

Happily, these qualities are foregrounded in this new album, his first made in the UK, the pianist having enlisted Scott Hamilton’s durable rhythmic pair, Green and Brown, as his help-mates. These performances maintain Gayer’s obvious keyboard ease, his improvisations, especially when centred on a standard song like ‘Yesterdays’ or ‘On Green Dolphin Street’, underpinned by advanced harmonic variations, the piano extrapolations often quite complex yet evenly executed. There are no Mcoy Tyner tumults here, more the ordered structures as seen in the work of Cedar Walton or even Chick Corea.

The title track is a Gayer original, a homage to the area in London where he first settled, its comely shape inviting and receiving swinging resolutions, Green walking perfectly and Brown in the pocket, as they say. It’s a cheerful piece, nicely constructed and has space for Green to solo and Brown to place helpful accents. ‘Gilemma’ is quieter, limpid almost, with Green and Brown aiding and abetting its subtle flow whereas ‘That’s All’ is another swinger, Green and Brown having a ball, Gayer buoyed up by these two rhythmic stars. Shades of Monty Alexander. Brown told me that "It was a delight to make music with Matyas – he’s such a natural performer". Quite so.

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