CD Jazzinfection Trio

The debut of the Jazzinfection Trio was introduced by one of the three protagonists, Sisa Michalidesová, in an interview for the 1st Slovak jazz portal skjazz as follows:
“Listeners can look forward to a joyful album with impressive interplay between the performers and great virtuosity. I think we came together in unity, as if we were one. We’ve been playing together for two years.”
I agree with her without reservation!

The trio’s original music is characterized by rich dynamics and original arrangements, drawing on jazz, jazz-rock, and world music. More than half of the repertoire (the album contains nine tracks) is the work of flutist Sisa Michalidesová (5x), with two compositions each contributed by guitarist Pavol Bereza and bassist Róbert Vizvári. The compositions don’t lack strong melodies or ample space for arranging and instrumental finesse.

The trio of protagonists is – and I say this without hesitation – world-class! Their common denominator is not only gripping virtuosity, but also heart and soul in their playing, which is reflected in the trio’s richly expressive and colorful music. Michalidesová achieves this in a pure manner, similar for example to Herbie Mann; she “deforms” the flute more noticeably only in the opening track Five Minutes To Eight. Bereza’s guitar mastery matures from album to album; at times his performance made my head spin! For example in the Hispano-heat jazz-rock showpiece Little Feritto, in which the guitar not only blazes sharply, but can also sound mysterious. For me, one of the absolute peaks of the album!

The second musical eight-thousand-meter peak is Dark Heritage, a blues-soaked piece with a deep psychedelic plunge; the trio truly masterfully builds an atmosphere of unrest, softened by Michalidesová’s ethereal vocals. Vizvári’s fretless bass guitar funks excellently, pulsates, thickens, weaves through, and in the solos is gripping without becoming overloaded by itself – for example in the closing track Bunnies & Kittens.

The expressive range makes the Jazzinfection Trio debut literally a royally laid table full of musical delicacies. You’ll find everything from Balkan fire with a hint of medieval patina (Crna Dirka), through drama (in the case of Rumcajs surprisingly so, given the character from a bedtime cartoon), sunny ease (Eternal Tide) and easy-listening fusion (Singing Dog), all the way to a chain of briskly dance-driven solos (Joanna's Dance).

Simply and briefly: A MASTERPIECE!

Review: Ján Hocek