The bătută is a Moldavian and Romanian stamping dance, all heel work and elaborate footwork. “Batuta” is track two on Rézeleje Fanfárosok‘s debut album Fuguebird, and it comes in fast and loud straight after Kinga Korsós‘s a cappella opener “Kilenc Esztendőtől Fogva”. Full brass, Tamás Geröly on a custom Csángó drum kit, Korsós shouting and hollering over the band the whole way through.

The Budapest sextet formed in 2020 at the former Keleti Blokk cultural space, started by trumpeter Márton Udvardi and saxophonist Bence Antonovits. Half the players come out of Hungarian folk, half out of jazz, and that mix is where the band’s brass-heavy take on Csángó-Hungarian, Romanian and Balkan repertoires comes from. The Csángós are a Hungarian-speaking Catholic community in Moldavia, eastern Romania, who have kept old Hungarian melodies alive next to Romanian muzică populară for centuries. The band’s line-up of accordion, alto saxophone, baritone horn, trumpet, koboz, kaval and custom kit is unique in Hungary.

Fuguebird was recorded at Földland Studio with Gábor Földes engineering, mixing and mastering. Ten tracks, seven arrangements, three originals, and “Batuta” hits early to set the pace.

Stream and listen to “Batuta” HERE