Jazz
Jazz Fusion
LIVE
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Live in Győr (2020) by Hungarian jazz-fusion veterans Djabe and Genesis guitar legend Steve Hackett captures an extraordinary, high-octane concert performance engineered with audiophile clarity, vast three-dimensional staging, and a vibrant, open-air ambient airiness. Recorded with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, the album’s acoustic signature effortlessly balances the heavy, multi-layered textures of progressive rock and jazz fusion with the sweeping, wide-stage dynamics of a full classical ensemble.
Steve Hackett’s performance sits as a luminous focal point in the stereo field. His signature Gibson Les Paul tone—characterized by smooth, singing sustain, delicate volume swells, and weeping, chorus-drenched lead runs—cuts through the dense symphonic arrangements with pristine mid-range presence. When he shifts to nylon-string classical guitar, the detail is startlingly intimate, capturing the tactile click of finger-picks and subtle string squeaks amidst the hall's natural reverb. Attila Égerházi’s electric and acoustic guitar work complements Hackett seamlessly, panning wide to anchor the harmonic rhythms with clean, jazz-inflected chording.
The Győr Philharmonic Orchestra expands the soundstage into a widescreen, cinematic horizon. Sweeping string sections fill the upper-mids with silky warmth, while deep brass swells and thunderous orchestral timpani add immense physical weight and dramatic dynamic contrast. Synthesizer textures and fluid wind instruments—including expressive trumpet and saxophone solos—weave through the center channel, adding shimmering color to classic Genesis material ("Firth of Fifth," "In That Quiet Earth") and Djabe originals alike.
Tamás Barabás’s bass performance is an audiophile highlight: recorded with razor-sharp articulation and deep, rounded low-end authority, his lightning-fast fingerstyle lines and resonant thumb-slaps give the bottom end a punchy, elastic drive. Péter Kaszás’s drumming anchors the massive hybrid ensemble with ironclad precision—featuring a snappy, wood-shell snare crack, deep tom resonance, and sparkling cymbal decay that blooms naturally into the hall acoustics. The result is a magnificent, highly detailed, and emotionally expansive live recording that stands as a pinnacle of symphonic progressive rock production.