Nightflight

Nightflight

Gabor Szabo was an influential jazz guitarist famous for mixing jazz, pop-rock and his native Hungarian music. Szabo escaped Soviet-dominated Hungary in 1956 and moved to the United States where he attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston. After a stint with Chico Hamilton in the early 60s, Szabo he recorded a well-received span of albums under his own name on the Impulse! label. His playing strongly influenced Carlos Santana. Indeed, Santana's 2012 instrumental album Shape Shifter includes a song called ''Mr. Szabo,'' played in tribute in the style of Gabor Szabo. Nightflight was originally released in 1976 on the Mercury label. The album produced the biggest hit of his career, a remake of producer Bunny Sigler's song ''Keep Smilin'.''