alisonboston.com

When musician/composer Jasper van’t Hof came on stage last night at the Budapest Jazz Festival, the Steinway grand that Szakcsi and Moran had played on earlier in the evening had been moved up stage and van’t Hof complained that it was out of tune and he couldn’t play the program as scheduled.

The program was rearranged, he played a different piece - but it definitely put a damper on the spirits of the Budapest Jazz Orchestra musicians who were accompanying him and they played with glum expressions on their faces.

At the end of that piece the piano was switched for another and the show continued with a much better mood. As the evening progressed, the BJO sounded better and better and even started to sound like the band I’ve come to enjoy.

The evening finished with the ‘out of tune’ Steinway being wheeled into centre stage and Szakcsi joining van’t Hof to play a duet - van’t Hof on one piano and Szaksci on the ‘out of tune’ Steinway.

Was the piano out of tune? Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I think this was a case of the note being in the ear of the listener (or musician, as the case may be). From where I sat, I saw a sensitive musician (van’t Hof) traumatized by a piano that to his ears did not sound right.

Fortunately, by the end of the concert he was jubilant and thanked the BJO by introducing all the players with a remarkably good Hungarian pronunciation.

Sadly, I was too tired to fully appreciate the concert and van’t Hof’s compositions weren’t where my head was at by the time he got on stage. I think I could have better enjoyed his artistry programmed with a different preceeding act.