Most Jöttem

Félix Lajkó is Hungary's most groundbreaking violinist and this is one of his best recordings in years. He inhabits an undefinable world between folk, jazz and improvised music. But, featuring several collaborators from the Hungarian folk scene, this recording is firmly rooted in the traditional camp. Lajkó plays violin and occasionally zither in novel arrangements of traditional tunes like ‘Kicsi Madár’, which features a lovely interplay between voice and violin. ‘Verbunk’, which might seem traditional from its title, is a Lajkó composition with traits of the dance-like verbunkos style. The instrumental track ‘Román’ has a strong Transylvanian Romanian feel, while ‘Most Jöttem’ (I Have Just Arrived) combines two Transylvanian tunes, a waltz from the Saxon community and a Hungarian song from the Mezőség region. The concert was recorded live at the Fonó dance house in Budapest. Alongside his regular musical partners – Antal Brasnyó on viola and Gergő Szabó Csobán on double bass – there is violinist László Porteleki and three female singers, Bea Palya, Anna Csizmadia and Gabriella Tintér, who bring some vocal guts to the music.