Lajos Dudas: Radio Days Vol. 2

The previous compilation Radio Days: The Music Of Lajos Dudas (JazzSick Records, 2016) was released to celebrate German-Hungarian jazz clarinetist/composer Lajos Dudas' 75th birthday. It collected performances dating from 1984 to the early 2000s: about twenty years. The new volume's coverage is both wider and deeper. The dates range from 1976 to 2017—over forty years—and the total time is about the length of three CDs. It comes on a special memory card, an unusual format well-suited to what Dudas describes as "the ultimate summary" of his long playing and composing career (he composed 13 of the 25 selections). None of the first volume's sessions are repeated; "Urban Blues" is the only tune to reappear, in a different performance.

The program begins in the 1980s, an especially busy period for radio recordings and broadcasts. "Soft Waves" and "Detour" come from the SWF Record Of The Week in 1980 and feature Dudas' clarinet accompanied by vibraphonist Tom Van Der Geld, bassist Ali Haurand and drummer Kurt Billker (the drummer who appears on the most tracks here). The personnel might suggest chamber jazz, but the music has more of a fusion edge to it. Dudas used a bit of echo on his clarinet, and there is lots of space for solo vibes. The fusion feel is even stronger on the 1984 Studio Köln session, with a band including guitarist Toto Blanke, keyboardist Ernst Gaida-Hartmann (who also covered bass duties) and drummer Imre Kőszegi. Blanke got in a strong, high-energy solo on "Back to LA." Trumpeter Charles Tolliver's funky "Suspicion" benefits from the addition of trumpeter Bela Weissbach. The leader switched to alto saxophone, and sounds just as comfortable soloing as he does on his usual clarinet.

"Salut to Benny & Lionel" swings, with Dudas standing in for Benny Goodman and vibraphonist Tommy Vig standing in for Lionel Hampton, then pauses for a rubato unaccompanied clarinet solo. Hungarian guitarist Attila Zoller added harmonic spice to 1982's driving "Urban Blues," then contributed an exploratory solo. "Mistral" is back to bebop, in a trio with bassist Teodossi Stoikov and steadfast drummer Billker (these are all live tracks from Münster, Wuppertal and Neuss). The exuberant "Children at Play" added saxophonist Sebastian Buchholz}and vocalist Márta Szirmay's scat singing to the funk/jazz fusion. The Paul Desmond jazz standard "Take Five" (from his time with Dave Brubeck) got a slight contemporary update, mainly courtesy of guitarist Philipp van Endert's rhythm playing.

1976's "Fragments" is the oldest track here, recorded live in Neuss with the SJW Workshop Band. The title is literal, as the track is made up of a series of short solo excerpts featuring trumpeter Weissbach and Dudas' soprano and alto saxophones over a big band with a rock-flavored electric rhythm section. Dudas' heart clearly belongs to the clarinet, but he sounds equally impressive on both saxophones. He even quotes the head of Sonny Rollins' "Tenor Madness" at the end of his final solo. "Adagio" and "Fuga" find Dudas back on clarinet playing J.S. Bach with a rhythm section. Next there are four selections from 1989's SWF New Jazz Meeting in Baden Baden. "Haddapple Beach" features trumpeter Charles Tolliver, while Dudas' composition "Gambler" spotlights the reeds without rhythm section, including a very conversational free section.

"Reni's Ballad" and Attila Zoller's composition "Homage to O.P." introduces the duo with guitarist Philipp van Endert that became a frequent performance format for the latter part of Dudas' career. The guitarist was such a steadfast partner that he appears on all of the tracks from here to the end of the album. In the duo format he effectively accompanies Dudas, then manages the difficult feat of comping for himself while soloing. "Bourree (BWV 996)" is another Bach arrangement (this time incorporating more improvisation), adding drums and percussion from Kurt Billker and Jochen Büttnerto form an unusual quartet. There is very un-Bachlike rock energy during the guitar solo, egged on by the drummers. The standard "All of Me" begins with unaccompanied clarinet before an unusual arrangement with a back beat.

As the title implies, "Blueduet" returns to the van Endert/Dudas duet. Recorded in 2006 at BR2 München, it also demonstrates van Endert's growth since the earlier recordings. "Miles" and "Toledo" (a catchy tune with a distinctive flamenco flavor) add percussionist Jochen Büttner to form a trio. The live recordings were broadcast by SWR Jazz Session in 2007. The album closes with a sweet rendition of the standard "Deep Purple" from MTVA Radio Bartók in 2017 (making it the most recent recording of the collection). It reunites the duo with drums and percussion, this time from Kurt Billker and János Szudy. A reflective ending to a lengthy and very diverse compilation, which documents the vitality of jazz music on European radio as well as Dudas' long-term contributions to it.

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