DJABE SPECIAL GUEST STEVE HACKETT: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ATTILA AND GENGHIS

Djabe is a Jazz-Rock/World-Fusion band from Hungary that on several occasions have collaborated with Steve Hackett of Genesis fame. Being a huge fan of Hackett, I was curious to hear his collaborations with this obscure Hungarian group which I first did on the live concert DVD called Sipi Benefit Concert which I reviewed some four years ago. In The Footsteps Of Attila And Genghis is my second encounter with Djabe. This too is a live recording which again features Steve Hackett performing on stage with the band. What especially caught my attention this time was not only Hackett's participation in the proceedings, but the presence of several familiar Hackett numbers in the set list including two from his Genesis days.

After an opening Djabe number we are first treated to Steve's amazing trademark guitar solo from Firth Of Fifth. A couple of further good Jazz-Rock numbers follow before we Hacketteers get to hear another familiar piece in The Steppes originally from Steve's fourth solo album Defector. This oriental-sounding number is perfect for Djabe and is enhanced with trumpet and violin to great effect. What comes next is admittedly not much to my liking, a percussion solo that goes on for much too long for my taste and tends to get very boring. Some of the other numbers as well are too long for their own good and involves too much improvisation. But also some nice, memorable moments, especially if Jazz-Rock and World-Fusion is your thing. In my case, it is not really my cup of tea, but I enjoy it in limited doses.

The second disc of this double live album also contains two Hackett numbers in Last Train To Istanbul from Steve's recent solo album Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth and the Genesis piece In That Quiet Earth. The former features Steve on lead vocals and works very well here as it also (like the instrumental The Steppes) has an oriental sound that is perfect for Djabe. In That Quiet Earth is another of Steve's trademark pieces and is performed here in a slightly jazzed-up version featuring trumpet.

Compared to the aforementioned DVD Sipi Benefit Concert, In The Footsteps Of Attila And Genghis is clearly a lot more interesting for fans of Steve Hackett. Unlike on the DVD there are no acoustic Hackett performances on this album, but a lot more of familiar Hackett stuff which makes this a lot more interesting for a Steve Hackett fanatic like me.