Szilárd Mezei Tubass Quintet: Rested Turquoise

Pardon the quote from the American rock band Cracker's lyrics to "Low": Sometimes I want to take you down/Sometimes I want to get you low/ Brush your hair back from your eyes/Take you down let the river flow. It's relevant because Szilard Mezei's Tubass Quintet does carry out a mission to take you low. With a unique line up comprised of four double basses and a tuba, Mezei's Rested Turquoise does let a river of sound flow.

The music draws from both new music and improvisation. Mezei's compositions are executed in a methodical and efficient manner. That was essential, or this might have been chaos. By arranging two pairs of bassists, Ernő Hock (left) Zoltán Csányi (left middle); Szilárd Mezei (right middle), and Ervin Malina (right), we hear alternating bowed and pizzicato sounds with Kornél Pápista's tuba in the center. Think a stripped- down version of Henry Threadgill's Very Very Circus or Howard Johnson's Gravity.

What we hear is a disciplined ensemble. Mezei's arrangements allow for the separation of instruments and space for soloing. The marching "Hep 26" plows a deep and resonant furrow of sound before it blossoms into multidirectional patterns. Tuba is accompanied by crosstalk arco and plucked bass. Sure they are occupying the low end, but like a skilled tenor saxophonist, the upper registers of the bass offer aural delights. The four bassists also utilize the percussive parts of their instruments, tapping, humming, fizzing, and thumping a thunderous sound. All of this is choreographed by Mezei for maximum enjoyment. Let's get low.

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