Canarro Jazz Manouche at Heldeke!

On a recent Thursday I made my way down to Heldeke! for the Canarro Jazz Manouche show, a Hungarian quartet visiting with the support of the National Cultural Fund of Hungary in time for the Finno-Ugrian Days. The audience tonight arrives in small groups of friends, family, and peers, settling in with drinks early as the band mingles and chats. A mix of classic jazz types, musicians, and those seeking out a gypsy twist to their evening, I notice old heads and new faces mingling, tables pushed back from the stage to create room for a dance floor. With the promise of “old Budapest salon music”, we make a merry crew as we settle into our seats as the four-piece takes the stage.

Featuring a violin, guitar, double bass, and drumset, the violinist/vocalist Tamás Szakál introduces us to tonight’s ensemble, admitting that they’re actually many bands in one – the musicians have smaller performance groups within this crew and involving folks not on stage this evening. With the wide grin of a salesman – or indeed, a true showman – he launches us into the first song, a rendition of “My Blue Heaven”, kicking off an incredible set that, much like the audience, was well-known and unfamiliar, from all over the world. Prepared for a brief but enjoyable hour or so, it was a surprise and delight for the ending to in fact be an intermission, giving the chance for the audience to refill their glasses and the band to rest at the bar, charming locals in the manner of mutual enchantment found anywhere a traveling band swings through.

István Gyárfás’s thumb-led guitar and wordless vocalisations provided counterpoint to Szakál’s sly style, with the two front men providing harmony and comedy, and the drum (Balázs Cseh) and bass (Márton Soós) attempt to keep the peace by increasing the pace to the point of exuberant standoff. Cseh’s soft hands exquisitely adapted the drumset to the space, a skill often overlooked until on stage in an intimate venue. The ensemble unites in jazz standards, elaborations, solo and duets and duels, playful and precise, technically complex in composition and execution: an enjoyable evening of historic, euphoric jazz.

Author: Laurie

Laurie likes alliteration, ambiance, and lists with three things.