Personnel:
Ramona Horvath (p), André Villéger (ts), Nicolas Rageau (b), Antoine Paganotti (d)
Reference: SA 053
Bar code: 8427328450539
Official release date: October 24, 2025
The first time I heard Ramona Horvath I was struck by her style and sound.Due to the influence of schools, almost all young pianists today sound close to Evans, Hancock, Corea, Jarrett, as if the whole history of jazz piano could be summed up in those musicians. Upon hearing Ramona, one quickly realizes that her influences are quite different. She very well knows the jazz piano tradition, and along with a consummate mastery of the instrument and a solid background of the romantic impressionist piano, she features a very singular cocktail of references on which she builds her language. In her playing one can also feel the legacy of her teacher Jancy Korossy, a jazzman of great stature who would have deserved a much greater diffusion in his lifetime.
In the recording, Ramona is backed up by a solidly entangled trio with Nicolas Rageau on the double bass and Antoine Paganotti at the drums, who address very well the different musical atmospheres that Ramona provides. The album presents a daring repertoire, in which two sessions are combined: One offers an approach of the pop melodies that marked Ramona’s childhood, but played in her own jazz language; in the second session, the trio benefits from the lyricism and impeccable taste of the great saxophonist André Villéger, and presents little known melodies signed by greats like Billy Strayhorn, Kurt Weill or Harry Warren.
No doubt a jazz album from beginning to end that you will surely be listening to more than once.
—Ignasi Terraza
"When you listen to a great jazz musician, the first thing that moves you is their sound and rhythm. Ramona Horvath is a great pianist and jazz musician with soul, swing, and a distinctive voice that deserves to be listened to and followed closely."
—Albert Bover
"Ramona Horvath offers here music of great freshness, whose omnipresent swing carries an always rich melodic
and harmonic discourse. Wonderfully surrounded in trio, quartet, or sometimes solo, she leads us happily in a repertoire of covers that we are delighted to rediscover from a different angle, each arrangement bringing into focus its core message. And as we go along the eclectic range of the repertoire, a joy of playing that warms the heart becomes all the more obvious."
—Pierre de Bethmann
"Timeless versions of songs that are just as timeless, the hallmark of a fine work on choice materials. While this recording crosses generations and eras, the talent here stands clearly the test of time. Bravo!"
—Giovanni Mirabassi
