Mezzoforte (band)
# Mezzoforte (band)

Mezzoforte is an instrumental jazz-funk fusion band from Iceland, formed in 1977.

They signed a record deal with Icelandic label Steinar. Their biggest hit single was "Garden Party" (1983), taken from their fourth album (second international release) Surprise Surprise. 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. "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. 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.

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–present)
* 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 | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Title | Album details | ICE | AUS | GER | NL | NOR | SWE | SWI | UK |
| Mezzoforte | Released: November 1979 Label: Steinar Formats: LP, MC | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Í Hakanum | Released: November 1980 Label: Steinar Formats: LP, MC Released outside of Iceland as Mezzoforte | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Þvílíkt Og Annað Eins | Released: November 1981 Label: Steinar Formats: LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Released: October 1982 Label: Steinar Formats: LP, MC Released outside of Iceland as Surprise Surprise | 1 | 46 | 33 | 10 | — | — | — | 28 |
| Yfirsýn | Released: December 1983 Label: Steinar Formats: CD, LP, MC Released outside of Iceland as Observations | 7 | — | 39 | — | 6 | 46 | 23 | — |
| Rising | Released: November 1984 Label: Steinar Formats: CD, LP, MC | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| No Limits | Released: November 1986 Label: Steinar Formats: CD, LP, MC | 9 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — |
| Playing for Time | Released: April 1989 Label: RCA Formats: CD, LP, MC | 8 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — |
| Daybreak | Released: November 1993 Label: Spor Formats: CD, MC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Monkey Fields | Released: July 1996 Label: Spor Formats: CD, MC | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Forward Motion | Released: November 2004 Label: BHM Productions Formats: CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Volcanic | Released: 18 October 2010 Label: Koolmusik, BHM Productions Formats: CD, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Islands | Released: 6 July 2012 Label: BHM Productions Formats: CD, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. ||||||||||

### Live albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| - | - | - |
| Title | Album details | ICE |
| Sprellifandi | Released: September 1983 Label: Steinar Formats: LP, MC Live at the Dominion on 30 June 1983 | 1 |
| Live in Reykjavik | Released: November 2008 Label: BHM Productions Formats: 2xCD | — |
| Live from London | Released: 2 August 2016 Label: The Store for Music Formats: digital download | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |||

**Compilation albums**

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| - | - | - | - |
| Title | Album details | ICE | UK |
| Catching up with Mezzoforte – Early Recordings | Released: May 1983 Label: Steinar Formats: CD, LP, MC | — | 95 |
| The Saga So Far | Released: October 1985 Label: Steinar Formats: CD, LP, MC | 4 | — |
| Best Collection | Released: 1 June 1987 Label: Polydor Formats: CD Japan-only release | — | — |
| Fortissimos | Released: September 1991 Label: RCA/BMG Formats: CD, LP, MC | 7 | — |
| Garden Party Time – The Best of Mezzoforte | Released: 22 November 1999 Label: Skífan/Íslenskir Tónar Formats: 2xCD | — | — |
| The Very Best of Mezzoforte | Released: 24 October 2001 Label: Skífan Formats: CD, MC | — | — |
| Anniversary Edition | Released: April 2007 Label: BHM Productions Formats: 2xCD | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. ||||

**Video albums**

| Title | Album details |
| - | - |
| High Voltage | Released: 1985 Label: Castle Hendring Formats: VHS |
| Live in Reykjavik | Released: November 2008 Label: BHM Productions Formats: DVD |
| Live from London – Live from the Marquee Club | Released: May 2013 Label: The Store for Music Formats: DVD |

### Singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Title | Year | ICE | AUS | BE (FL) | GER | IRE | NL | UK |
| "Dreamland"/"Shooting Star" | 1982 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Garden Party" | 1983 | 8 | 32 | 10 | 36 | 23 | 5 | 17 |
| "Rockall" | 1983 | — | — | 31 | — | — | 43 | 75 |
| "Midnight Express" (live) | 1983 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Midnight Sun" | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 102 |
| "Spring Fever" | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 100 |
| "Take Off | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Taking Off" (vocal mix) | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Garden Party" (sunshine mix) | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "This Is the Night" (featuring Noel McCalla) | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Nothing Lasts Forever" (featuring Noel McCalla) | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "No Limit" | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Expressway" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "High Season" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Better Love" | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "After Hours" | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Step Right Back" | 1996 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Monkey Fields" | 1996 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "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. |||||||||
