On Groovy Music Club! Gabor Szabo in the '60s

Apr 26

1 min read

For his blend of jazz, pop, Hungarian folk, raga, and Spanish guitar, I believe Gabor Szabo to be the true father of jazz fusion.

The 1960s moved. The decade erupted into "cultural craziness," as J. Hoberman described. More people got in touch with the mantic arts; questioning what exists beyond us. People got in touch with the world around them; taking up environmental causes. The barriers between high and low culture, “East” and “West,” tradition and modernity, and pop and jazz all broke down. This in-between is where Hungarian jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo shined. For his blend of jazz, pop, Hungarian folk, raga, and Spanish guitar, I believe Szabo to be the true father of jazz fusion. Here’s a tour of Szabo’s ’60s, from a fan who buys his albums any time she sees them.

Gabor Szabo - Gypsy '66 (1965)
Gabor Szabo - Spellbinder (1966)
Gabor Szabo - Jazz Raga (1966)
Gabor Szabo - Wind, Sky and Diamonds (1967)
Gabor Szabo - Bacchanal (1968)
Gabor Szabo - Dreams (1968)

In part one of my two-part Gabor Szabo discography overview, I covered Szabo's six studio albums of the decade: Gypsy '66, Spellbinder, Jazz Raga, Wind, Sky and Diamonds, Bacchanal, our old favorite Dreams, and 1969; as well as personal live album highlights.