Dreams – Gabor Szabo

Mr Bongo presents a reissue of Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo’s masterpiece Dreams. Blending lush, Eastern European-tinged psychedelic jazz with arrangements by Gary McFarland, its delicate sound has entranced record collectors for years. Originally released in 1968 on Skye Records, it has become a sought-after LP, reissued here as close a replica edition as possible.

Hungarian-born Szabo left his home country on the eve of the political uprising and settled in California. After attending Berklee College, he joined Chico Hamilton’s quintet in 1961, an experience that nurtured his instantly recognizable guitar tone. He went on to record classic albums for Impulse! and worked with luminaries such as Lena Horne, Charles Earland, Tom Scott, and Coke Escovedo. Decades later, his music became a staple sample source in hip-hop, utilized by acts like People Under The Stairs, Black Star (Talib Kweli and Mos Def), and Diamond D.

Skye Records was founded in 1968 by Norman Schwartz, Gabor Szabo, Cal Tjader, and Gary McFarland, serving as the launchpad for Dreams. Paying homage to Szabo’s Hungarian folk heritage, the album has an ethereal feel and a trance-like, meditative quality. Highlights include original compositions by Szabo and McFarland alongside two interpretations of works by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, an epic cover of Donovan’s ‘Ferris Wheel’, the cinematic psych-jazz piece ‘Galatea’s Guitar’, and the soothing lullaby textures of ‘Half The Day Is Night’.

Szabo passed away at the age of forty-five while visiting Budapest, leaving behind a rich musical legacy that continues to resonate with listeners today.