Album Notes

The guitar music of The Rez Trio is woven from the threads of contemporary flamenco, Hungarian czardas, and French Gypsy swing. Istvan Rez, Nat Hulskamp and Guil Guimaraes bring disparate histories into their collaboration. Their compositions combine flamenco rhythms and techniques with the melodic influence of Jazz Gitan (created by the legendary Django Reinhardt) and the underlying ambiance of Hungarian czardas.

The Rez Trio has just released its second CD, Csoro Swing, which features 7 original songs plus an improvisation on Csardas, a Gypsy folk tune from Hungary. Lou Alexander joined the trio on violin for the swing tunes and the singer Keiko Ooka sat in on one of the flamenco inspired songs while in town from Spain.

PRESS RESPONSE TO CSORO SWING:

"Take the long way home on this wonderful release from the string trio of guitarist Istvan Rez, and you'll start from Hungary - and end there, too. The beginning and the end is the startling mix of abandon and age-old melancholy in the swirling steps of the czardas, but you'll go via the stately austerity of contemporary flamenco, the emotion and bravura of French Gypsy swing, and much more, with even some hop-a-long turns about the American musical corral, in Istvan's celebration of his adopted country.

Self-taught in the wide world, Istvan Rez has a huge imagination, a rare gift for composition, and a discerning ear for the folk musics of all the places where the Gypsies roamed. His tunes are informed be boisterous cafes, half-lit streets, smoky wayside taverns, and countless miles of open road that lead from Hungary, along the songlines and dancelines of Europe, to the sauntering French boulevards and the stamping and passionate Spanish dancehalls.

On Csoro Swing, tempos shift with the moods, so that after moments of sad pause, notes cascade in gleeful bunches and you throw back your head and laugh while the tears are still in your eyes. Longing for home balances with delight in the here and now - the warmth of company and the deliverance of music.

Nat Hulskamp on rhythm guitar and Guil Guimaraes on acoustic bass are responsive to the mood at every moment, while welcome contributions are also made by violinist Lou Alexander on two tracks and vocalist Keiko Olka on one. In their company, Istvan Rez is, as Seattle audiences have attested for a decade, simply extraordinary, thrilling, captivating."

-Peter Monaghan, Earshot Jazz & KBCS 91.3FM