Szilard Mezei

Fifth episode of Talking & Improvising. This episode features conversations in words and music between bass player Jesper Nordberg and the Hungarian viola player Szilard Mezei, based in Senta, Serbia. The podcast was recorded in September 2024, with financial support from the Swedish Arts Council. 

The multi-instrumentalist and composer Szilárd Mezei is one of the most original and interesting voices working in the fields of jazz and improvised music today. His multi-faceted work includes leading multiple groups, both inside of Serbia and internationally. A major cornerstone of his work is the blending of traditional Hungarian folk music with free jazz, as well as his endeavors in solo and ensemble free improvisation.

Jesper Nordberg is a young Swedish double bass player. He has studied at the famed Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. He has worked with a number of prominent European and American improvising musicians, such as Okay Temiz, Brandon Lopez, Jesper Zeuthen, and Kasper Tranberg. With a grand tone and characteristic feel for rhythmical changes and displacements, he has established himself as a individual voice at the jazz scenes of Copenhagen and Malmö. He takes a big interest in folk music from the Balkans, and has collaborated with musicians from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Turkey, and Romania.