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"The basic creative ideas of the group, represented by the new compositions of the album, haven't undergone radical changes: the pieces are clearly structured compositions mingled with organic, free improvisations. We try to approach the uniquely rich musical heritage of our region with a Bartókian attitude instead of just enriching them with jazzy harmonies. These works are partly inspired by the traditional music of the Carpathian Basin; but they are neither quoting nor trying to reproduce it. They are attempts to redefine an archaism, by esteeming the ancient methodology and expressing it by the use of present time's opportunities. Our music converses also with the language and way of expression of representatives of newer musical traditions. In particular, with that of the leading figure of Hungarian contemporary jazz, the late György Szabados, as well as with those of the new European musical tradition of the East, such as Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Schnittke or others." Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer

Track Listing

Press Quotes

Trio Kontraszt consists of Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer/p-key, Istavan Grencso/ts-ss-bcl-fl and Szilveszter Miklos/dr for eleven intriguing originals. Moods range with Grencso's' sedgy tenor hovering over the kintetic pulses on the scattering 'Hesitated' to the ominous 'De Ira' with growing reed and hovering organ. Tickmayer's piano gallops on the frantic 'Passamezzo Ongaro Per Trio' with his prepared piano creating the effects of a Japanese garden for Greencso's Bodhi Tree of a flute on the pastoral 'Zeno's Aporia.' Sepia tones and shadows.

     —George W. Harris, jazzwekly.com

Things Left at Ebb Tide links up the reedist plus Szilveszter Miklós, the Hungarian-Slovenian drummer, who has been a member of the Grencsó collective since 2010, with two players who usually roam the notated area of Free sounds: pianist Barnabás Dukay, who is also a respected composer and pedagogue in Budapest and Tibor Szemző, who works in contemporary music ensembles and multi-media projects. The inverse of the experimental cast on the 11 tracks of the other CD, From Dyonisian Sound Sparks to the Silence of Passing, is more concerned with changes and swinging. Seven out its eight tracks were composed by Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, a Serbian who moves easily between improvised and notated music and here plays piano, prepared piano, harmonium and keyboards, with the Trió Kontraszt - an apt name - filled out by Grencsó and Miklós.

     —jazzword.com

The compositions mood is constantly changing - because of plenty musical expressions, unusual decisions and innovative playing techniques the mood and sound of the compositions is very dynamic.

     —Avant Scena, avantscena.wordpress.com

In their playing you hear not only precision, color and balance, but thunder, lightning and the language of the heart which, in turn, brings out the music's inherent drama, with deft touch, while indulging their instrumental lyricism instinct to the full.

     —Raul Da Gama, jazzdagama.com