The Beguiling Sound of Rozina Pátkai : Taladim

Rozina Patkai Taladim (self-produced)

There is a Hungarian vocalist, Rozina Patkai, that I recently listened to for the first time on her latest release Taladim, and I must admit that I found her voice gentle and beguiling. Patkai has been an educator and you can see her fascination with moving poetry on this recording.

Patkai is supported by a creative and talented group that includes tenor and soprano artist Janos Aved, who also plays piano; acoustic guitarist Istan Toth Jr.; cellist Ditta Rohmann; Andras Des, who provides acoustic and electronic percussion and her husband Marton Fenyvesi, who plays synth bass and creatively arranges the music.

The rhythms employed are an amalgam of progressive styles that include acoustic folk music, electronic accents, avant-garde chamber music and at times is strongly influenced by a lilting Brazilian Bossa style and don't forget the Hungarian folk music tradition.

Toth's delicate guitar, the airy McCandless-inspired soprano of Aved, an achingly moving cello work by Rohmann, and the deft rhythmic use of percussion and electronic augmentation by Des and Fenyvesi create clever and modern music that incorporates literary poetry. The music comes alive with Patkai's voice and delivery. The album has thirteen songs, poems that include Patakai, Fenyvesi's and other band mates musical transformations. Poets that offer inspiration for this music include T.S. Eliot, William Blake, Jane Tyson Clement, Gyula Juhasz, Fernando Pessoa. Federico Gracia Lorca and Caetano Veloso.

Rozina Patkai (photo credit-unknown)

Some of the highlights that capture my attention include Lorelei, Sea Song, Poe-Me As Maos Nos Ombros and the delightful Joao Donato's A Ra. The music, at times,  creates a Middle Eastern-like drone that can be mesmerizing. Patkai's voice, especially on a beautiful ballad like Juhasz's Szerelem, which she sings in Hungarian, is so movingly sung that it can be a rapturous experience.

For anyone looking for a new experience in cross-genre music that is sure to move, seize you and take you prisoner than Rozina Patkai's Taladim will not disappoint.