Mezzoforte (band)
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Mezzoforte is an instrumental jazz-funk fusion band from Iceland, formed in 1977.[1]
They signed a record deal with Icelandic label Steinar.[1] Their biggest hit single was "Garden Party" (1983), taken from their fourth album (second international release) Surprise Surprise.[1] It peaked at number 17 in the UK Singles Chart. The solo that takes place two minutes into "Garden Party", was created and played on the flugelhorn by English trumpeter, Stephen Dawson.[2] "Garden Party" was later covered by Herb Alpert, at a slower speed than the original, apparently as he had learned the track from the single played at the wrong speed.[1] Another single, "Rockall" spent one week at number 75 in the same listing in June that year, and was used as a signature tune by several European radio chart shows.[1][2]
The band was named after the traditional musical term mezzo forte, an instruction to play literally "moderately loud".
Band members
Original line-up from 1977:
- Eyþór Gunnarsson – keyboards
- Jóhann Ásmundsson – bass
- Gunnlaugur Briem-Gulli Briem (Gulli) – drums
- Friðrik Karlsson (Frissi) – guitars
Other members, present and past:
- Bruno Müller – guitars (2005–2014)
- Sebastian Studnitzky – trumpet & keyboards (2005–present)
- Thomas Dyani – percussion (2004–present)
- Jonas Wall – saxophones (2013–present)
- Ari Bragi Karason – trumpet
- Staffan William-Olsson – guitars (2003–2004)
- Joel Palsson – saxophones (2003)
- Guðmundur Pétursson – guitars (2003)
- Óskar Guðjónsson – saxophones (1996–2003, 2005–2013)
- Kåre Kolve – saxophones (1991–1994)
- Björn Thorarensen – synthesizers (1980–1982)
- Kristinn Svavarsson – saxophones (1982–1985)
- David O'Higgins – saxophones (1985–1989, 2002–2004)
- Jeroen De Rijk – percussion (1984–1986)
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICE [3] |
AUS [4] |
GER [5] |
NL [6] |
NOR [7] |
SWE [8] |
SWI [9] |
UK [10] | ||
| Mezzoforte | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Í Hakanum |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Þvílíkt Og Annað Eins |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 |
|
1 | 46 | 33 | 10 | — | — | — | 28 |
| Yfirsýn |
|
7 | — | 39 | — | 6 | 46 | 23 | — |
| Rising |
|
10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| No Limits |
|
9 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — |
| Playing for Time |
|
8 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — |
| Daybreak |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Monkey Fields |
|
7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Forward Motion |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Volcanic |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Islands |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| ICE [3] | ||
| Sprellifandi |
|
1 |
| Live in Reykjavik |
|
— |
| Live from London |
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICE [3] |
UK [10] | ||
| Catching up with Mezzoforte – Early Recordings |
|
— | 95 |
| The Saga So Far |
|
4 | — |
| Best Collection |
|
— | — |
| Fortissimos | 7 | — | |
| Garden Party Time – The Best of Mezzoforte |
|
— | — |
| The Very Best of Mezzoforte |
|
— | — |
| Anniversary Edition |
|
— | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||
Video albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| High Voltage |
|
| Live in Reykjavik |
|
| Live from London – Live from the Marquee Club |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICE [12] |
AUS [4] |
BE (FL) [13] |
GER [5] |
IRE [14] |
NL [15] |
UK [16] | ||
| "Dreamland"/"Shooting Star" | 1982 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Garden Party" | 1983 | 8 | 32 | 10 | 36 | 23 | 5 | 17 |
| "Rockall" | — | — | 31 | — | — | 43 | 75 | |
| "Midnight Express" (live) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Midnight Sun" | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 102[17] |
| "Spring Fever" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 100 | |
| "Take Off | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Taking Off" (vocal mix) | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Garden Party" (sunshine mix) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "This Is the Night" (featuring Noel McCalla) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Nothing Lasts Forever" (featuring Noel McCalla) | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "No Limit" | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Expressway" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "High Season" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Better Love" | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "After Hours" | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Step Right Back" | 1996 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Monkey Fields" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Garden Party" (2002 remix) | 2002 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Hún veit hvað ég vil" (with Auður) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Broke n Hip" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
References
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- ↑ a b c d e Larkin, Colin (1997) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music, Virgin Books, Template:ISBN, p. 321
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Peak positions for Mezzoforte's albums in Iceland:
- Mezzoforte: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- 4: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Sprellifandi: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Yfirsýn: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Rising: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- The Saga So Far: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- No Limits: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Playing for Time: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Fortissimos: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Monkey Fields: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
- mezzoforte.com (official site)
- Template:Allmusic
- Mezzoforte discography at Discogs
- gullibriem.com (Gulli Briem's site)
- thefeelgoodcollection.com Template:Webarchive (Fridrik Karlsson's site)
- bruno-mueller-music.de (Bruno Müller's site)
- studnitzky.de (Sebastian Studnitzky's site)
- jookraus.de (Joo Kraus' site)