Mindflowers - Improgressive

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Periferic Records/Stereo KFT
Catalog Number: BGCD 110
Format: CD
Total Time: 67:24:00

You don't need to be a genius to know that you'll be in for a real musical treat once you start reading the liner notes in the accompanying booklet. Mindflowers will most certainly be based around the person of Balazs Szendofi who is to be heard here on Chapman stick, classical guitar, acoustic guitar, wind bells and bass guitar. Yes, but what bass guitar? Well surely not your average everyday 4-string but a handmade 7-string bass and a Szendofi 12-string Grand Tapboard! Apparently next to Mindflowers, Szendofi is also active in the bands Self-Searching System, Holdudvar, Blow Up and Godspell's Band. I'm convinced however that the best parts of each of these bands have been used in one way or another to form the basis on which the Mindflowers built.

Contrary to a lot of similar groups, there are four people here, each giving the other enough space to shine on their own without losing the band concept. Influences ranging from John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy to Pat Metheny, Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson, Dave Weckl and more all find their way into the talented music of Mindflowers. "Sick Spirit" is composed by keyboard player Zsolt Nagy also nicknamed "Liszt." The title is well chosen because Nagy thinks of himself to have a "sick spirit." Here however, although it's his song, he nevertheless creates space for his fellow musicians as well. With it's repetitive pattern "Crying Skies" does hold some California Guitar Trio elements whilst the rainmaker certainly adds originality. The same inventive nature can be traced when a mobile phone plays the intro for "Knowing The Path." During the percussive "Flo's Kisses," a violin accompanies the bass capers. The album closes with the 22-minute long epic "Talk With Myself" which kicks off in an acoustic fashion. Soon the guitar spices it all up, whilst Nagy's keyboards occasionally deliver some Eastern themes. The tune then develops in what could easily be seen as a large chunk of improvisation, taking in all aspects of the fusion genre. To me it's the least interesting piece on the album, but then again there should be different tastes shouldn't there?

With this kind of music, I still think that the musicians have far more pleasure in creating and recording it than the listener has just absorbing it. Good musicians still don't necessarily compose the best music!

Tracklisting:
Red Spider (8:18) / Falling (5:46) / Sick Spirit (4:50) / Why ? (1:51) / Why Not? (5:07) / Crying Skies (7:01) / Knowing The Path (7:01) / Flo's Kisses (4:28) / Talk With Myself (22:37)

Musicians:
Balazs Szendofi - bass, stick
Zoltan Sczentpal - guitar
Zsolt Nagy - keyboards
Gergely Gaspar - drums

Discography:
Not This Time (demo) (2001)
Improgressive (2002)
Nuances (2005)

Genre: Fusion/Jazz Fusion

Origin HU

Added: October 5th 2003
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website:
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Language: english