àbáse: laroyê
Francisco Espregueira
We always come back to Àbáse’s music. For the last couple of years we’ve listened, appreciated and covered the fantastic work of the collective led by Szabolcs Bognár, a Budapest-born, Berlin-based, pianist and multi-instrumentalist. Although his roots were established in the vibrant jazz culture of Budapest, he’s always journeyed further in his quest for inspiration and found himself pulled towards the tantalising expanse of Afro-Brazilian sounds. Laroyê, his new album, is a reflection of this sonic-wanderlust and drops tomorrow via Oshun Records.
Blending West African and Brazilian rhythms, Laroyê was created in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. It revolves around sessions and apartment jams with Brazilian musicians during a five-month expedition to Bahia and beyond. And sounds like it, with Africa, South America and contemporary jazz being constantly referenced. Cinematic, touching, inventive, Àbáse’s new project is definitely an album that warms and involves us. Available on vinyl.