Hermann Szobel-Szobel (1976)

Born in Austria, Hermann Szobel was a classically trained pianist who, in the mid-1970s, released a seminal work within the jazz-rock genre. In 1974, at just 17 years old and observing the lack of interest in jazz in his native country, he decided to move to New York. In the city of skyscrapers, he not only perfected his jazz style but also caught the attention of Arista Records. With a contract in hand, he set out to record an album, forming a band composed of Michael Visceglia (bass), Bob Goldman (drums), Dave Samuels (percussion and vibraphone), and Vadim Vyadro (saxophone, flute, and clarinet). On his first and only album, "Szobel", the young Hermann included five extensive, heterogeneous tracks, featuring intricate yet complex melodic arrangements of great creativity, firmly grounded in jazz with passages infused with classical music and avant-garde elements. Halfway between modern and progressive jazz, Hermann transforms musical landscapes with small doses of his instrumental virtuosity, allowing the rest of the band to showcase their immense talent as well. Vibrant rhythmic passages like "Mr. Softee" or sophisticated and intense tracks like "The Szuite" are just a small sample of the album's exceptional quality. But Hermann also knows how to navigate accessible and down-to-earth sounds in pieces like "Between 7 & 11" or "Transcendental Floss", or more avant-garde atmospheres with the effective "New York City, 6 AM".