1971 · Album
High Contrast
Recorded December 1970 and February 1971 · Verve Records · Produced by Tommy LiPuma
When Szabó Met Womack: High Contrast Explained
Bobby Womack's presence transforms this into something wider than guitar jazz—more like a conversation between two musicians figuring things out in real time.
High Contrast arrived in 1971 as Gábor Szabó's chance to stretch beyond his usual trio settings. Szabó had built a solid reputation as a Hungarian guitarist who understood both bebop and the funkier currents running through late-sixties jazz, but this album feels like he wanted to prove he could work at a different scale. Producer Tommy LiPuma brought in Bobby Womack, and that decision changes everything about what the record becomes. Womack wasn't just a guest—he's woven into the fabric of these sessions, contributing songs and his own guitar work alongside Szabó's. The famous track here is "Breezin'," which Womack wrote and which would become a massive hit for George Benson five years later. But the version that matters is this one. Hearing Womack's original arrangement, you get why the song had legs. There's space in it, real playing rather than just showcase. The other Womack composition, "If You Don't Want My Love," carries the same DNA—it's straightforward, built on feel rather than complexity, and it would later show up in the Across 110th Street soundtrack.
The recording sessions split across Capitol Studios in December 1970 and The Record Plant in February 1971, and you can hear the album thinking its way through different moods. Szabó's guitar work is cleaner and more restrained here than in some of his earlier work, which actually serves the material. When he stretches out, it counts for something. The rhythm section keeps things grounded—this isn't fusion flailing or free-form exploration. It's structured, soulful playing that trusts the songs.
High Contrast sits in Szabó's catalog as a pivot point. It's not his best-known album, and it's not where you'd start if you're new to him, but it matters because it shows him comfortable working with stronger personalities and letting material drive the session. It's the sound of a guitarist with confidence, willing to play in someone else's song rather than always showcasing his own chops. Solid work, and worth hearing if you already dig what Szabó does.
Who's playing
Phil Upchurchelectric bass guitar
Wolfgang Meltzbass
Gábor Szabóguitar
Bobby Womackelectric guitar
Jim Keltnerdrums
Carmelo Garciapercussion
Felix Falconcongas
