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Mihály Dresch's oeuvre is rich and consistent enough for his admirers to start repeating themselves. But there is no avoiding it: over and again, the Dresch albums are considered to be the cornerstones of 'Hungarian jazz', in which the dialects of Hungarian folk music sound crystal clear through the universal language of jazz. Beyond the obvious self-identity of Dresch's works, and in view of it, the things that distinguish Straight music are precisely those steps which show a more conspicuous intimacy or sensitivity than before. These steps not only make his pieces more dramatic, but it is as if they suggested that from now on we are dealing with something qualitatively different. This is a quality in which folk music and jazz merge not because Dresch managed to keep control of the forms and proportions, but because they have 'no other option'. Just as Dresch can do nothing else. His sound can no longer be unravelled from the sound of 'Hungarian jazz'. They belong together - in their gut feeling, their blood, their fate and their mother tongue. Whether we speak of folk music arrangements or original compositions inspired by folk music is, in essence, neither here nor there. The sound is one and the same, and that is the truth. László Marton Távolodó

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This is a very interesting CD that fuses together straight-ahead jazz with East European folk music, melodies taken from Hungary and Romania. Mihály Dresch, who is heard on tenor, soprano, and recorder, stretches the forms without discarding the themes or the rhythms. Although the Dresch Quartet has worked with such top members of the avant-garde as Dewey Redman, David Murray, Roscoe Mitchell, and John Tchicai, the music on Straight Music is more melodic and accessible. A major asset to the group is violinist Ferenc Kovács, who adds a great deal to some of the gypsy music while having a jazz sensibility, too. Mihály Dresch's daughter Anna has a brief vocal on 'Csipkefa Bimbója' and there are guests on cimbalom and koboz (a Hungarian lute). This set is quite intriguing and well worth several listens.

     —Scott Yanow, AllMusic