MEZZOFORTE: 30 YEARS OF ICELANDIC JAZZ-FUNK

Technical perfection, explo-sive gigs and the fascination of Jazz-Funk from Iceland: These are Mezzoforte's trademarks. When the sextet (which hits the stage as a septet at times) intones its extremely energetic pieces such as "Funk Suite No. 1" (1983) or "Hard Wired" (2004) on stage, faithful fans from the old days and younger discoverers of Mezzoforte alike are stunned. Once the legendary summer hit "Garden Party" is on, the fascination converts to pure exaltation which discharges itself in never ending standing ovations and dance sessions.

In April of 2006 at the National Palace Of Culture in Sofia/Bulgaria, 2,500 spectators vociferously demanded encores once the 2-hour-gig was about to end. Similar scenes were observed on countless occasions in Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Budapest, Rome and London. The audience - 50-year-olds and people in their 20ies alike - literally freaks out.

All the verve could be explained using one word only: Mezzoforte.
Very early on, this band created its own Jazz-Funk-style and pursued it consistently ever since. During gigs, the brilliant compositions by the three band leaders Eythor Gunnarson (keys), Johann Asmundsson (bass) and Gulli Briem (drums) are being enriched even further. Several elements, among them brilliant solos and an exciting contest between Gulli and Johann, during which the drummer plays the bass with his sticks, were part of the show in 2006. One of the genial drum solos were being accompanied by the other instrumentalists, who contributed short accords in a rhythmically fascinating way.

The latest album to date, "Forward Motion", offers a unique blend of sweeping Jazz-Funk and Fusion compositions. Iceland is located in between Europe and America, so is the style of "Forward Motion". The pieces on this album contain energetic Rock guitar solos, brilliant slap bass sections, but also simply wonderful instrumental ballads which seem to be inspired by the beauty of the Icelandic countryside. Since 1977, Mezzoforte's style has become more mature while the band has remained loyal to its basis.

For the album "No Limits", released in 1987, Mezzoforte broke away from its tradition of delivering instrumental pieces exclusively. Back then, the British vocalist Noel McCalla joined the group temporarily. The record starts off with the instrumental killer piece "Icebreaker", which could not have been more funky. Several soulful vocal compositions on this album reflect the band members' love for the Soul of Maurice White and other legends. Vocal pieces by Mezzoforte? The fans were as surprised as they were thrilled.

Until today, Mezzoforte has come up with a total of eleven studio albums and five compilations which were recorded in Iceland, England, Denmark, Norway and Germany.

In 1977 the band founders were between 15 and 17 years old.
Eythor Gunnarson, Johann Asmundsson, Gulli Briem and guitarist Fridrik Karlson met for some kind of a jam session back then. It took them just a few minutes to realise that this would not be their last session. They shared their ideas and even their role models. Also they became close friends and those jams and rehearsals were more and more fun every day. The results of those sessions were excellent. As early as 1979, the album "Mezzoforte"
was released in Iceland only. Within the next three years, the records "I Hakanum" and "Thvilikt Og Annad Eins" hit the music stores on their island with fewer than 300,000 inhabitants.

It was 1983 when Mezzoforte scored big for the first time. The album "Surprise Surprise" was the first Icelandic album ever to gain international recognition on a wide scale. The single "Garden Party" made landfall by conquering the charts in Japan, the U.K., Norway, Denmark, Germany and other countries. That way Mezzoforte matched the success of the only Contemporary Jazz instrumental ever to hit the charts before this date: "Morning Dance" by Jay Beckenstein (Spyro Gyra).

Club audiences freaked out on "Garden Party". In Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Rome, London and of course in Reykjavik they danced countless nights away on this tune. "Garden Party" was also aired by radio stations around the world until everyone knew this composition by heart. Even today, the track stands for the attitude to life and the life style of an entire generation in the early 1980s.

Eythor, Johann, Gulli and Fridrik were strongly influenced by legendary artists such as George Duke (they especially loved his album "Master Of The Game" recorded in 1979), Chick Corea and Return To Forever, but also by Maurice White's Earth, Wind And Fire. That influence is audible even today. Had Gulli Briem never listened to Sonny Emory, had Johann Asmundsson ignored Stanley Clarke or if Eythor Gunnarson had not inhaled the influence of Jeff Lorber and other fellow keyborders, Mezzoforte would not sound the way the group does today.

After the "Surprise Surprise" release, Mezzoforte moved to England for two years. In London, the young stars did countless jams and sessions. And they released two albums entitled "Observations" and "Rising" in between endless tours in Europe and Japan. Iceland Air pilots greeted their national heroes through the loudspeaker systems when Mezzoforte boarded their aircraft, which happened all the time.

During the 1990s, the band members mostly cut their own, individual paths. Only two studio albums were recorded during this decade. Mezzoforte lived through ups and downs until, in 2003, a definitive reunion was decided on. The first product since then has been "Forward Motion". A DVD with live concert footage is due to be released this year.

MEZZOFORTE: The main players

EYTHOR GUNNARSON
Early on, the future bandleader began studying the piano. After a short trip to the world of horn instruments, he got stuck with keyboards for good. Before developing his love for Jazz and Fusion, Eythor was a Rock'N'Roller who would listen to Deep Purple and Gentle Giant. Apart from his main project Mezzoforte, he produces albums for Icelandic Pop music heroes. In addition, he holds the recording record among all Icelandic Jazz musicians.
As an acoustic pianist, he is present on most Jazz albums recorded in Reykjavik since 1979.

JOHANN ASMUNDSSON
The second Mezzoforte bandleader always was a "radical" Fusion and Jazz-Funk lover. Like his two fellow band founders, he decided on becoming a full time musician as soon as he finished high school. As a teenager, Johann was a slap bass master already. His playing style quickly became one of the main trademarks of Mezzoforte.
In his second life, he played with literally all Icelandic Rock and Jazz acts. His solo project is yet another task he works on.
So far, he has released one solo album with great Fusion compositions.

GULLI BRIEM
At the age of 5 he annoyed his parents by using saucepans as drums all the time. He was 12 years old when he finally received his first proper drum set. Apart from his tasks as the Mezzoforte drummer, one of the three co-founders and co-bandleaders, works on his New Age solo project.
Gulli studied classical music in Reykjavik and Los Angeles. Also he toured with countless colleagues such as Herbie Hancock, Joe Hubbard and even Madonna.