Gabor Szabo – Dreams

Gabor Szabo's Dreams first appeared in 1968 on Skye Records, the short-lived label Szabo co-founded with Gary McFarland, Cal Tjader and Norman Schwartz. That context matters: this album feels like a personal statement, drawing Szabo's Hungarian roots into a delicate psychedelic jazz setting shaped by McFarland's arrangements. The result is meditative and slightly uncanny, with Eastern European folk colour meeting late-60s studio sophistication.

Szabo had already developed an instantly recognisable guitar voice after studying at Berklee and spending formative time in Chico Hamilton's quintet, and Dreams puts that sound front and centre. The album mixes Szabo and McFarland compositions with two pieces by Manuel de Falla, which helps explain its unusual blend of jazz, chamber texture and dreamlike atmosphere. Tracks such as Galatea's Guitar, Half The Day Is Night and Szabo's version of Donovan's Ferris Wheel show how effortlessly he could move between folk inflection, soft-focus psych and improvisation.

Part of the album's long appeal is how singular it remains in Szabo's catalogue: easy to sink into, but never merely background music. It has been a sought-after record for years, and its afterlife runs well beyond jazz collecting; Szabo's recordings later became a rich source for hip-hop producers including Black Star, People Under The Stairs and Diamond D. This Mr Bongo edition brings back one of his most distinctive late-60s recordings in a form that suits its cult reputation.

Features

• LP, Black Vinyl
• Housed in a gatefold tip-on sleeve
• Replica-style Mr Bongo reissue of the 1968 Skye Records original