DJABE

This album features the live continuation of what once was a great jam session, involving both great artists, the hungarian jazz-fusion band and the English prog-rock iconic guitarist, an encounter derived from mutual interest and admiration. Enjoyable as it was the result in its own terms, that venture wasn't in the same vein of Steve's general work, but rather followed the lines of Djabe's sound, adding his re-invention as a brand new fusion guitarist. Long relaxed fusion compositions from the band, fantastic mesmerizing trumpet solos, and Mr. Hackett's new persona crossing a new boundary. Precisely that's the tone prevailing in the first four tracks of the present recording. In the fifth and sixth tracks, Steve's voice and a more recognizable guitar tone emerge, conducting the proceedings towards a more familiar territory, not very dissimilar of Hackett's solo stuff, but enriched with the jazzy sounds of the band. The blend of trumpet and voice sounds particularly fortunate to my ears.

And yes, they pay a (re) visit to Genesis back catalogue too. A fusion-like Genesis of sorts, which certainly cannot take the place of the original, but I don't dislike either. If you can accept an instrumental-only take on Firth of Fifth, then pass and enjoy the show.

A very polished and well sounding jam session, fruit of the encounter of both great artists, the hungarian jazz-fusion band and the english prog-rock iconic guitarist, a very fortunate occasion (derived from mutual interest and admiration), which took place in an unparalleled natural environment on the Mediterranean Sea.

Enjoyable as it is the result in its own terms, one should not expect here another record in the same vein of Steve's general work, but rather be prepared for his immersion in Djabe's sound, and his re-invention as a brand new fusion guitarist. Long relaxed jazzy compositions from the band, fantastic mesmerizing trumpet solos, and Mr. Hackett's new persona crossing a new boundary.

The Jazz/Rock fusion band "Djabe" takes its name from the Akan people of Ghana's language. The word means "freedom". This band plays a mix of jazz and Hungarian/African music. They have worked with Steve Hackett on previous collaborations, including the album "Back to Sardinia" which was released in December of 2019. In the case of this album, which is unique from the collaboration's previous albums, Djabe recorded at the church of Nostra Signore di Tergu. Steve Hackett's schedule made it impossible to join them there, so he recorded his parts separately from Budapest and they were later added to the recordings.

The album starts off smooth and slow as the soft guitar, rolling bass and splashes of muted trumpet, along with airy vocals make you feel like you are alone on a sandy beach watching the waves roll in and you can almost picture yourself standing at the point of view of the album cover. The atmospheric guitar provides the detail needed for the music, playing with a melody and improvising around that. After the title track, "Lonely Cactus" follows with the same atmosphere as the previous track. However, there are some obvious traditional Hungarian elements brought into the music. Steve's guitar also shifts to a more aggressive sound and later in the track, the mute is taken off of the trumpet. "Happy Tergu" focuses more on the trumpet and features a lively rhythm that also brings more of the African element into the picture. "Lake By the Sea" continues with the smooth jazz sound with more interplay between the guitar and trumpet and some nice keyboard textures.

At this point, the length of the tracks gets longer as they approach 10 minutes, and the album begins to allow the musicians to have time in the spotlight, and you get the feeling things are loosening up as the music becomes a bit more freestyle and improvisational. In "Girl in the Palau Woods", the trumpet passes to the guitar which in turn passes to the keys and then back to the guitar, and at this point, the intensity builds and builds to a surprisingly heavy jam that stands out even more against the previous mellow-ness of the album. It all comes back together as the soft, airy vocals tie it back to the album again. "Walking Around" follows, and more western elements get added in as the guitar recalls the sound of a western movie soundtrack and the music softly meanders along freely. The track continues this way until past the midway point, where again intensity build at a lower level than the previous track, but allows for Hackett's solo work to come in.

"Flying Kites" returns to the more melodic based sound, but allows the band's guitarist to show off this time. After this solo, Hackett provides his own solo, and then the piano gets to have some time alone, and then later backs up the muted trumpet. The sound remains calm and smooth through this track. "Purple Dream" is a short, atmospheric piece. "Dancing in a Jar" provides another highlight for the album as it relies more on traditional elements and retains a nice riff that backs up mysterious sounding bass and brass. This track is the only one that Hackett does not participate in, allowing for a nice and unique sounding track to stand out on the album. The track has a nice Hungarian beauty to it all, and I swear there are flutes and clarinet in there, or at least some kind of reed instrument.

"Cinquecento Fragole" stretches out it's run-time to again allow for more interplay and improvisation among the musicians, Hackett's soloing standing out again, but still not taking it all over completely. Halfway through, the music shifts as all the instruments stop and allow the piano to play alone in a freestyle jazz solo with only occasional cymbal rolls backing it up. At 7 minutes, the full band kicks back in to finish with a trumpet solo followed by a short drum solo and then a more wild jazz climax. "Bottles in the Water" is a short track sandwiched in between the two long tracks with wave and seagull effects that ties in the last track "Floating Boat". This finishes the album the way it begins, with a smooth and floating jazz sound, but in this case it allows for more freestyle playing, and again the instruments all get a chance to have their say. It all ends with some banter between Hackett and the band.

This is a nice album which mostly centers on a smooth jazz sound with occasional wilder outburst in a few tracks and a nice tradeoff of some melodic based tracks and others that are more freestyle, but overall, the main mood is smooth and flowing jazz. Hackett's addition to the music is excellent and give it more power, and the addition of the one track without Hackett allows for the band to shine and show off it's unique sound. Even though there are some of the traditional folk-ish elements evident at times, it is one thing that tends to lack a bit in this album, and that is missed, however, it is still enjoyable and relaxing. It can work well as background music or for serious, more concentrated listening, though some might find it isn't quite variable enough. However, it is still an excellent album and is also another album where we can admire Steve Hackett's talent, yet he never tries to outshine the band either, but becomes one with them.

Last Train To Budapest

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.

Hackett is back in Hungary

You might perhaps be surprised to see me reviewing a release by an (from a Prog perspective at least, obscure) Hungarian Jazz-Rock/World-Fusion group. But the explanation is very simple: Steve Hackett participates in this live concert by Djabe and Steve is one of my biggest heroes, so I became interested. This nicely packaged double DVD set can be purchased from the former Genesis guitarist's official website, which is what I did. The content is a full live concert by Djabe with guests in front of a local audience. The whole event is held in honour of a former member of the band, András Sipos, who sadly passed away shortly before.

This unique (I have never heard/seen anything like it anyway) band is clearly very talented and everything here, from the actual performance to the stage setting, lighting, filming, recording, editing, production, packaging, etc. is very professional. In short, this is a professional product. As the band is playing in their home country, the in-between- songs-banter (including a long introduction of Steve) is in Hungarian and I must confess that I don't understand a single word of it! The liner notes in the booklet, however, as well as the DVD menus are thankfully in (both Hungarian and in) English. Steve joins the band about half-way through the first half of the show and adds his very distinctive electric guitar sound on top of what is otherwise a predominantly acoustic band. The many instruments played include trumpet, violin, flutes, sax, piano and dulcimer. The Rock element is ensured by the presence of guitars, electric bass and Rock drums. As always, Steve is dressed in black trousers and a black t-shirt and he is wearing his sunglasses as he walks on the stage! After one song playing his electric guitar with the band, the band leaves Steve alone on the stage to perform an acoustic medley featuring bits and pieces that those who have followed Steve's career will certainly recognize a few including a few by a certain famous band culminating in the timeless classic Horizons.

After Steve's medley, the band returns and Steve once again shifts to electric guitar. The music during this part of the show is very soothing and tranquil. Steve "colours" the sound with his floating guitar solos. After one more song Steve leaves the stage and lets the band carry on without him. The relaxing mood continues, however, until the closing of the first half of the show. Steve returns to the stage several more times during the second part of the show. His participation is often rather discrete here in order not to overshadow any of the many other instrumentalists on stage. For some songs there are more than ten people on the stage simultaneously! Occasionally, however, Steve bursts to the front of the sound with his expressive and distinctive guitar sound. Only towards the very end of the concert does Steve let it rip. It is also here that some of the very best songs enter.

As you can imagine this music is partly quite chaotic given the sheer amount of instruments and the strong tendency towards improvisation. This is extremely eclectic music, but as you might have inferred by now, this is by no means Prog.

There is one particularly interesting number where everyone on stage (including Mr. Hackett!) plays so called anklungs - a Southeast Asian instrument made out of two bamboo tubes attached to a frame. The base of the frame is held and shaken rapidly from side to side causing a rapidly repeating note to sound. Apparently, each of the angklung performers will play just one note and together complete melodies are produced!

In the bonus documentary there is a short interview with Steve filmed on a beach in Malaysia(!) as well as interviews with some of the members of Djabe commenting on, among many other things, the involvement of Steve. There is also footage of Steve performing the classic Firth Of Fifth solo together with some members from Djabe at some outdoor concert!

While this is certainly a fun concert film, I must say that this is far from essential stuff from a Prog perspective. It is tempting to give this a slightly higher rating, but to be perfectly honest, even for a Steve Hackett fanatic such as myself, this DVD is of only minor interest. This is particularly so given the existence of several absolutely excellent DVDs featuring Steve playing live with his own band (several of them also filmed in Hungary incidentally!). This Djabe concert is therefore probably best reserved for those fans and collectors with a very special interest.

Interesting, but probably not every Prog fans cup of tea

I liked Djabe's debut and early albums as one of the best examples of successful mix of very professional jazz fusion with tasteful world music elements.Step by step their music changed, and ten years after their debut they recorded "Message From The Road", solid report from their US/European tour of 2006.

It is a double album,first disc is CD and the second is dualdisc.The CD side of the dualdisc contains the Part II of the concert, meanwhile the DVD side offers the whole live material in surround 5.1 DTS and dolby digital.In the DVD as extra features can be found a radio interview originally broadcasted in Berlin in German and English language. The DVD also contains a 71 minutes road movie recorded during the tour with much live footage.A 32 pages colour booklet completes the Djabe tour documentations, gives a range view of great moments of the road life.

So, perfect package for fans. Now about music.

After three first very acoustic and colourful studio albums ( two first were great jazz fusion with some world elements, and third was more focused on world fusion music, in jazz arrangements), from 2001 they changed their music and sound radically. Now their music is based on keyboards with full-bodied rounded sound, pleasant, but far less inventive. During that time they changed two vocalists ( Herczeg Judit and moroccan Saïd Tichiti ) and stayed without vocal at all. Guest musicians as British sax player Ben Castle and ex-Genesis gutarist Steve Hackett participated on studio recordings, but didn't take a part in live tour.

So, at this album, based mainly on their last studio work "Slices Of Life"(2005) we have well balanced and pleasant pop-jazz-fusion with some world elements. Still enough professional musicianship,but very safe and not inspired.Quality easy listening,I can say. Not bad but far from their early beauty. And even being live recording, sounds very calculated.

Better go for first two albums and you will be surprised how good they were!

Fourth Djabe studio album bring many changes to their music again. Vocalist was changed ( to guest one Moroccan Saïd Tichiti), British sax player Ben Castle participated on album as guest as well, but most important, total music sound became different.

If two first albums contained aerial jazz fusion with world elements, and third album was mostly world fusion, fourth one contains very rich mix of jazz fusion and symphonic rock. In some songs you can hear almost pure symphonic prog, another are jazz fusion in key of Machavishnu Orchestra, and some compositions are made under heavy influence of Gong's "Zero To Infinity" (2000) album with soft melodic music, filled with sax solos.

All sound became more modern, clear acoustic or early albums changed to synth filled rich sound. World elements are everywhere but in very controlled quantities ( including oriental vocal).

Album is more mature and should attract wider circle of listeners, but I am missing fresh air of early albums in many moments. Anyway, very strong work.

After two perfect album, third one is different thing. I like Hungarian band "Djabe" for their excellent sound, complex and very professional compositions and unique mixture of world and jazz fusion, where world elements are only material for doing jazz fusion more rich in sound, melodies and techniques. First two band's albums were both like that. Not the third.

After two first albums band became very popular around country and decided to increase world component in their music. So, their third album is world fusion album with few jazz elements ( and I think it is most world oriented Djabe album till now).

Now even usual instruments sound different: they missed their aerial clear sound for more warm and rounded one. Arrangements became simplier,a ll music (still of great quality) sounds often as soundtrack to Travel Channel on TV.

Musically mixture of different world music areas, from Balkan and Slavic to African and South- East Asian, album missed it jazz or progressive component almost at all. Only deep bass and some sax in few places remind previous Djabe sound. To be honest, world fusion of this album is of highest quality, but it is music for another fans.

After very strong debut, Djabe released more mature double album in similar key. Known Hungarian jazz guitarist Snétberger Ferenc participated as guest.

Fantastic crystal clear sound and well balanced production will catch you from the very first sounds. Deep bass line, excellent brass and rare balance between world and jazz fusion elements. I believe that this album is one of greatest examples of Central European world jazz fusion.

This time there are more world, especially south-eastern Asian elements in album music, but sound never cross the border from jazz fusion to world music side. First CD from double album is more interesting musically. The second one contains 35 min concert video (mastered in Abbey Road Studio, London) in PC and MAC compatible CD -ROM and some radio remixes of songs from the first CD.

Really strong addition to their great début. Recommendable as well for any world jazz fusion fan.

Very strong debut album of Hungarian jazz fusion band "Djabe". Perfect sound, excellent balance of world elements and complex and very tasteful jazz fusion.

Many compositions have oriental scent, some African and oriental drums/percussion rhythms are completed with very aerial brass. Even some tasteful vocal is added in some compositions.

But album now way is just pure example or world influenced fusion. There are some compositions with blues guitar or modern city sounds. Very different, pleasant listening, but very professional at the same way.

That album started the serie of quite interesting band albums, and it's a bit pity that band's music isn't widely known ( but the band is enough popular in Central Europe and Baltics till now). Later Steve Hackett will become regular collaborator and even will participate in some band's tours.

Very recommended for modern world fusion or just beautiful music lovers.