Jumping Matt and His Combo – Forward
Self-Released
12 Tracks – 45 minutes
Hungarian harmonica player and vocalist Matyas “Jumping Matt” Pribojszki has been preforming for nearly 30 years, traveling the world including many European countries and making his debut in America where he performed in eight different states. His music is centered in the blues, but with a touch of jazz. He was given the opportunity to be the opening act for Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings and was invited by Tom Jones to join him on stage for a song. He has shared the stage with many blues luminaries including Charlie Musselwhite, Bob Margolin, Duke Robillard and many others.
He has released sixteen albums in his career, eight of which are from Jumping Matt and The Combo, which had its first release in 2004. His first album release occurred in 1996 with his initial group, Blues Fools, which subsequently released four albums in total.
Matt got his nickname “Jumping Matt” because of his signature jumps on the stage. His combo includes Viktor Hamvas on piano & keyboards, Laszlö Csizmadia 0n bass, and Daniel Molnar on drums. The album consists of twelve original songs which Matt stated are true life experiences of events that have affected him over the last five years, which he described as an “emotional rollercoaster” that has involved a loss of friendships and the death of his parents. But as the title of the album indicates, he has the positive attitude of looking Forward.
The title song opens the album as he sings ” I found my way, every day I cry a little way, I learned some lesson that shaped my soul, I am rising up and ready to take a toll, I am moving forward not looking back to put my heart on the right track.” With that pronouncement a chorus of female backing vocalists punch the line and he launches into a harmonica run and Viktor provides a brief keyboard blast also. On “Name Reload”, he declares he “wants to play his music and pay his dues” and states “I jump all over the stage and then into a swimming pool”. “Jump, Jump, Jump” brings in a fourpiece horn section for a totally swinging, energetic song where he establishes that he will “jump and feel all right”.
He slows things down with the soulful “Can You Hear Me Mama?”, a tribute and love letter to his mother whom he lost way too soon which “left him totally devastated”. “Beyond The Golden Gate” moves into a more upbeat rhythm with Viktor’s piano meshing with Matt’s harmonica and a solid rhythm backing for a jazzy instrumental. “Jumping Matt Jumps” gets thing hopping again as he describes himself as “the king of the swing…jumps in the morning, jumps at night” “you know when he jumps you know he has going to blow” and launches into a furious harmonica solo.
He laments a “Technological Breakdown” causing ” a constant confusion…a technological breakdown that blows your mind, technological blasting is so unkind”. “You’re The Music in Me” slows things down again in a love song citing “You are the right hand when I need someone”. “Come On Pretty Baby” gets the bounce back into the music as he tells her “We’ll have a party tonight” and begs her “Please don’t leave me alone”.
“Family Burden” is “heavy on my heart, first together but falling apart” has a slight jazz feel with Matt’s harmonica wailing along. “Moonshine Mood” brings back the horn quartet with Viktor’s subtle piano and Matt’s harmonica laying another solid blues jazz number as matt says, “the moon shines bright, the late nights reap, got my harmonica feeling the swinging beat, the stars are dancing in the sky so wide”. “Poppy Seed Liquor” ends the album on a high note with something of a rap that shifts into a jumping boogie espousing a love for the alcoholic beverage.
Matt is an endorsed Hohner harmonica player which certainly should provide some feel for the quality of his harmonica playing. His vocals are somewhat raspy, but that adds an appeal to his approach to the music. Viktor’s piano and keyboards are a constant quality component to the sound and Daniel and Laszlo’s backing are excellent. As noted, the songs teeter on the edge of jazzy blues or bluesy jazz, but either way they are a pleasant listen. His lyrics clearly represent his past life’s issues but definitely moves past the retrospect and shifts forward to an upbeat future with his music.
