Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Lajos Dudas: The Lake and the Music

Lajos Dudas: The Lake and the Music

By C. Michael Bailey
May 25, 2020
View read count

At 80-years old, clarinetist Lajos Dudas is dropping off the keys to the recording studio while making his way out—Dudas claims this is his last recording and, if true, he ends things on a high note at the intersection of The Great American Songbook and free jazz. Dudas' previous recording, Return to the Future (Jazzsick Records, 2018) was a jogging approach to this present, and last, The Lake and the Music, where Dudas uses 10 tried-and-true standards as his jumping off point for an investigation of exactly how far he can push form against progress.

For these ten selections, Dudas is anchored by guitarist

Philipp van Endert

guitar, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Philipp van Endert and drummer

Kurt Billker

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Billker and a collection of bassists,

Martin Gjakonovski

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Martin Gjakonovski, Leonard Jones, and

Vitold Rek

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Vitold Rek. The result is an aggressive-progressive tone and attitude. To be sure, "The Lady is a Tramp" has never been heard like this. Endert takes a rock front-forward approach with his accompaniment giving the song a Miles Davis-circa-1970s vibe. His tone is fat and broad, freshly reckless and pioneering. The guitarist's interplay with Dudas is empathic and potent, driving the song's funky soul all the way into the red.

That is only the beginning of Endert's contributions. His playing transforms the old war horse "Sweet Georgia Brown" in ways not heard since

Anita O'Day

vocals
1919 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">Anita O'Day deconstructed the song in performance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. The guitarist sets up an undulating slowburn, allowing Dudas to introduce his slippery clarinet to the old notes in a new and novel way. Each principal solos off of and against the other creating an old/new dichotomy. This is transformatory.

Dudas and company do color beautifully between the lines on Atilla Zoller's breezy "A Thousand Dreams" and "Out of Nowhere." On Rezs? Seress's "Gloomy Sunday" Endert sets up a volume-dynamic background for Dudas to wring all that is melancholy from his clarinet, rendering the composition a Hungarian "Goodbye." The most entertaining piece is Dudas' neo-traditional take on the standard "All of Me," sparring with

Gerd Dudek

saxophone, soprano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerd Dudek's soprano saxophone...think a cosmic Benny Goodman and Sidney Bechet reconstructing Bach's counterpoint. "A Foggy Day" is performed beautifully, making sore the point that Lajos Dudas is coming to rest in the studio.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

The Lady Is a Tramp; Sweet Georgia Brown; A Thousand Dreams; Gloomy Sunday; Out of Nowhere; All of Me; A Foggy Day; Filthy McNasty; St. Thomas; But I..?.

Personnel

Lajos Dudas

clarinet

Philipp van Endert

guitar, electric

Martin Gjakonovski

bass, acoustic

Leonard E. Jones

bass, acoustic

Vitold Rek

bass

Kurt Billker

drums

Karl Berger

vibraphone

Gerd Dudek

saxophone, soprano

Album information

Title: The Lake and the Music | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: JazzSick Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Music Never Stops: Tales of Wond...
< Previous

Passion Flower: The Music of Billy S...
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.