Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ferenc Nemeth/Attila Laszlo: Bridges Of Souls

Ferenc Nemeth/Attila Laszlo: Bridges Of Souls

By Dan Bilawsky
November 27, 2014
View read count

Ferenc Nemeth/Attila Laszlo: Bridges Of Souls

Drummer Ferenc Nemeth's work has always been about building bridges and making connections with a diverse assortment of artists. He's connected styles and cultures through his extensive work with West African guitar phenom

Lionel Loueke

guitar
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Lionel Loueke, supported Israeli bassist

Omer Avital

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Omer Avital, Cuban pianist

Elio Villafranca

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Elio Villafranca, and other top-shelf artists on record at different times, and built up an impressive body of work under his own name, crossing paths with saxophonist

Joshua Redman

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Redman, bassist

John Patitucci

bass
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">John Patitucci, pianist

Aaron Parks

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Aaron Parks, and saxophonist

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner in the process. On Bridges Of Souls, he further widens his circle of collaborators, teaming up with Attila Laszlo, an esteemed veteran guitarist from Hungary, and a pair of famed Yellowjackets—bassist

Jimmy Haslip

bass
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Haslip and keyboardist

Russell Ferrante

keyboards
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Russell Ferrante.

The music created by this foursome isn't fusion in its most common form, but it's a fusion of sorts. When you hear Haslip's bubbly electric bass soloing over Ferrante's celestial keyboard, you know from whence they've come and where they like to go, but nobody would mistake this for a Yellowjackets record; the surfaces aren't as slick here, and there are earthier elements at play in this music. That's what the co-leaders bring to the project. Laszlo can deliver it in down-and-dirty fashion, but he's also poetic in the way he paints with his guitar. Nemeth, likewise, knows when to barrel ahead and when to play it cool.

Much of the music rides high on the groove(s) and/or shimmers through the speakers, but not everything falls neatly under those generalized headings. Two vocal numbers—the reggae-soul-gospel-jazz of "Alone," complete with guest Charlie Horvath's winning sandpaper-y vocals, and "Little Heart," something of a jazz-inflected art song written and performed by guest singer

Lara Bello

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Lara Bello—stand out from the rest. But in the end, it's not the steady flow of a beat, the beauty of a voice, or the power of a solo that defines this album. It's the coming together of different and distinct personalities to work toward a common end that sums up Bridges Of Souls.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Bridges Of Souls; Downhill; The Untouchable Number; It's Already That; Sounds Of My Heart; Dance; Alone; Magic City; Little Heart; Creep; Missing You.

Personnel

Ferenc Nemeth

drums

Ferenc Nemeth: drums; Attila Laszlo: guitar; Russell Ferrante: piano, keyboard; Jimmy Haslip: bass.

Album information

Title: Bridges Of Souls | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Dreamers Collective

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Whahay
< Previous

Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of M...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.