Style makes the world go ’round; and to quote the bard: “ ’Tain’t what you do, it’s the way thatcha do it”. So it is with the music we call jazz. The sounds of Carl Fontana and the Hungarian Jazz Trombone Company are in a classic mainstream, straight-ahead, loose, swinging manner; in a style that used to be called “West Coast Modern”. Ah, but that was long ago, God only knows what passes for modern today. In any case here we've got the style in spades – with one of its masters, Carl Fontana, with three other trombonists, one of them even wielding a bass trombone.
The HJTC fits Fontana’s style to a “T”, it is a heady combination with mellow, velvety sounds galore. And that style is obviously as viable as it ever was – it hasn't changed much. And here it’s reached Hungary, taken root, and this group is creating new things within it; as if born to the manor. Quite a tribute to the persistence of style. Granted, this is no longer on the cutting-edge but still a pleasure – there in one of the backwaters of jazz – near Lake Dixieland, and by Be-Bop Bay! Jazz moves on, but as time gallops by, I find myself luxuriating in these warm backwaters!

Joe Muranyi (New York, 1998)

---

Carl Fontana

The great Carl Fontana – one of the best trombone players in the world of all time – was born in Monroe, Louisiana on July 18, 1928. Fontana's musical career began at age 13, when he played for his father's band during the war.
After graduating from Louisiana State University, Carl was hired in 1951 by Woody Herman, originally as a substitute for Urbie Green. When Green returned, Herman made space for young Fontana, who stayed until 1953. In 1954 he played with Lionel Hampton's big band, and in 1955 with Hal McIntyre. From 1955-56 Carl performed on three albums with the Stan Kenton big band and later worked with fellow trombonist Kai Winding.

In 1958, Carl settled in Las Vegas and became a regular performer with Paul Anka's band, recruiting trombone virtuoso Frank Rosolino. Later, Fontana performed with the Benny Goodman orchestra at the Tropicana in the mid-1960's. In 1966, he rejoined Woody Herman for an African tour. At the Concord Jazz Festival in 1976, Carl recorded live as co-leader with Jake Hanna. Another great live recording was made in June of 1978, when Carl played with Frank Rosolino as part of Bobby Knight's Great American Trombone Company.

Carl released his first album as leader, The Great Fontana, in 1985. Currently, Fontana performs regularly in Las Vegas, and may be seen conducting clinics around the country and at the International Trombone Association
conference.

He made more than 70 records with Kenton, Paul Cacia, Russ Garry, Bill Potts, Bill Watrous, Louis Bellson, Woody James, Dick Gibson, Tommy Víg, Dusko Gojkovic, Jimmy Cook, Bill Holman, Martial Solal, Billy Perkins, Max Bennett, Nat Pierce, Jake Hanna, Benny Goodman, Kai Winding, Lionel Hampton, Al Cohn, Jiggs Whigham, Bobby Shew... and many others.


Hungarian Jazz Trombone Company

The HJTC is a group of prominent Hungarian jazz trombone players (Dezső Selényi, Károly Friedrich, István Bazsinka, László Gőz, Zoltán Zakar, Zoltán Pados, Béla Szalóky, Ferenc Schreck, Zsolt Ivacs), who play together
occasionally. In the last 15 years they have made several radio and television recordings. Their first album, Bone Connection, was released in 1989. This was the first Hungarian version of the Trombone Workshop series, already
well-known in America, which played a significant role in the transformation of jazz trombone playing. In 1997 their guest star was Jiggs Whigham, one of the most distinguished personalities of the jazz trombone.


Béla Szalóky

Was born in Székesfehérvár, Hungary 1972. Master of Arts degree in jazz at the Jazz Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest (1995).

Often described as a „multiphonic artist”, since – besides the trombone – he also plays the flugelhorn, the cornet, the valve-trombone, and the euphonium. Mr. Szalóky is primarily a mainstream, bebop player, but he often performs in bands playing traditional jazz as well. He is also experienced in free jazz and contemporary composition music. He started his career in dixieland bands.

Later he started to perform all around the world, he played in Gran Canaria, almost every major city in Europe, even on Mauritius Island. Later Mr. Szalóky played several times in concerts in France as participant of jazz festivals. He was a member of the Kôszegi Quartet and worked as a co-leader with Tamás Berki in the Berki-Szalóky Quintet. He played with Jiggs Whigham as the first trombonist of the Trombone Workshop 3/4 9, a band of five trombonists. He participated in several concerts and records all around the world together with international stars like Tomasz Stanko, Stjepko Gut, Christian Muthspiel, Vladimir Tarasov, Anatolij Vapirov, Joe Muranyi, Mike Vax, Marcel Zannini....and many others. He made some jam-sessions with George Benson, Frank Foster, Mark Fosset, Birelli Lagrene...and others.

He played with all key Hungarian jazz artists. Currently Mr. Szalóky is a member of the Budapest Ragtime Band, one of the top Hungarian bands with a reputation that makes the Budapest Ragtime Band a popular guest of many prestigious festivals around the world. Regular performers of TV channels including German ZDF and American ABC. Successful performance at the international festival in Sacramento California, the Great Connecticut Jazz Festival and several other popular jazz events.


László Gőz

László Gőz was born in Budapest in 1954. He attended a secondary music school operating under the direction of Zoltán Kodály, where he played the violin for five years. He graduated from the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music with a degree in jazz and classical music, subsequently from the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music as a trombonist and a teacher of music in 1976. He has been teaching history of music, ear training and jazz improvisation at the jazz department of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music since 1978.

He was a founding member of the new music ensemble Group 180, renowned for its contemporary music concerts and recordings (Group 180: Coming Together with Steve Reich, László Melis, Béla Faragó). Between 1979 - 1989, as a member of Group 180, he played at several opening performances of contemporary music pieces. During this period the group played over 400 concerts all over Europe at various music festivals, recording for Hungarian Radio, Süddeutscher Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, Radio France and Hungarian Television, in cooperation with musicians like Steve Reich, Petr Kotik, Alvin Curran, Chris Newman, György Szabados, László Vidovszky and others.
He is a well-known studio musician and has performed on over 100 albums.

In 1989 he founded the group Brass Age, with which he recorded two albums: Brass Tones, Blue in Blue.
In 1994, together with Péter Erdélyi, he founded the ESP Group (the ESP album Waiting was released in 1995).
In 1996 he opened the Budapest Music Centre, an international music information centre of which he is managing director to this day.
He is owner-director of BMC publications begun in 1989.


Ferenc Schreck

Was born on the 4th April 1969 at Dorog. He started to study music when he was 8 in the local music school. He played in the local orchestras in his district until the age of 18. He graduated from high school in 1987. He then played in the military orchestra of Veszprém. Later he studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music and got his diploma in 1995. He is a member of the dance orchestra of the Hungarian Radio. He performs on many pop, rock and jazz records, participates in TV-shows and theater performances. He plays regularly with the Oláh Kálmán Sextet. The jury of the Hungarian Radio awarded him the “Jazz Sololist of the Year” prize in 1997.
He has performed with György Szabados, Dezső Ablakos Lakatos, Tommy Víg and Jiggs Whigham.
In March 1998 he played with the international big band EBU in Sweden.


Béla Szalóky: thanks to Gusztáv Hőna, who made the contact between Carl and the band; Károly Friedrich, trombonist, teacher, very good friend of ours; Carl Fontana, with his coming and playing our dreams came true; all the wonderful trombonists who inspired us: Kai Winding, Frank Rosolino, Bill Watrous, Jiggs Whigham, J. J. Johnson, Urbie Green ... and many others; my wife Judit, the most tolerant person in my life, my parents; Mr. Clark Terry, my all-time favourite musician.

László Gőz: thanks to my family and my mother, who always believed in me and supported my ambition to become a musician.

Ferenc Schreck: thanks to my wife Judit; my parents who made it possible to study music; John Coltrane and Miles Davis, my favorite jazz musicians.


This Album is dedicated to Dezső “Dudi” Selényi, who is the teacher and father of all the Hungarian jazz trombone players of all time.