40 years playing on the best stages around the world, brought their fusion of Jazz and Funk to Madrid by the hand of Smooth Hot Jazz in an unforgettable night to open the #HotJazzEvents
A new gastronomic-musical project was launched, led by Smooth Hot Jazz, which promised to bring the best Jazz to Madrid with the best music in the world to give rhythm to these gala dinners called #HotJazzEvents at the NuBel – Reina Sofía restaurant.
The beginning of the cycle took place on Saturday, November 2, 2019, with the participation of the Icelandic band Mezzoforte, references of Jazz-Funk in Europe. This Icelandic band, with more than 40 years of experience and various awards that endorse them, surprise with music that stands out for the sophistication, elegance and warmth that they transmit on stage. Spanish fans already had the opportunity to see them at the closing of the Lugo Jazz Festival in 2011, and since then we had not been able to enjoy their incredible musical quality on Spanish stages.
The performance did not disappoint, with an insurmountable sound quality from the hand of veteran Icelandic artists, they gave 14 songs to attendees who marked that night as one of the best in musical history for jazz lovers in Madrid.
If you could not attend or if you do not remember what was that song that you liked so much, we invite you to review with us the sample that they developed for Smooth Hot Jazz:
The concert started with their song Prime Time,, a song they released in 1989 on their Playing for Time album, with a magnificent Gulli Briem on drums that enlivened the atmosphere.
The second song chosen was Daybreak, a 1993 song released on his self-titled album Daybreak, 5 minutes with more Funk to make way for the next theme that spun perfectly: Its a Funk Thing, from his 2019 album Volcanic, which was the single and first track on the album that sold thousands of copies.
They opted for another of their successes in the fourth song Hard Wired, one of the most recognized songs of the band, from their 2004 album Forward Motion, with old school jazz funk touches, then their lively song High Life from their album Volcano (2010) upped the tempo of the performance with a more rocky edge.
They continued the concert with their songs Beyond the Horizon, Cobra and Expressway, to calm the rhythm a bit at the hands of E.G. Blues and raise the mood for a great culmination by Bright and Early.
Thereafter they poured all the magic into their instruments to perform a magnificent Four Corners, followed by the Suprise Suprise theme that gives name to Mezzoforte’s 1982 studio album on Steinar. Their fourth album, originally released in Iceland as 4 with a different cover, made the band famous worldwide when, after the international release, the single Garden Party hit the charts, with this song they put honey on their lips to his most well-known and praised song Garden Party.
With this theme they placed Iceland on the jazz map, Mezzoforte achieved a significant impact throughout Europe in 1983, including the disco tracks. In Germany, Great Britain – where they even performed in Top of the pops, the famous program in which the charts are reviewed – or Spain played one of their songs ‘Garden party’ incessantly, which became tuned for years from radio and television shows, and commercial jingles. A melody that is still as fresh and danceable live as it was 40 years ago.
And to finish the encore he ran from the hand of his Medley theme. With which the public ended up dancing.
A night with Mezzoforte for the history of lovers of Smooth Jazz and Jazz in Madrid that they will not be able to forget.
