Label: Impulse!

Reissued 3/13/2026, Originally released 1966

Spellbinder, released in 1966 on Impulse! Records, introduced Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó to a wider American audience with a set that blends modal jazz, Eastern European folk influences, and 1960s pop textures. Recorded in May 1966 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio and produced by Bob Thiele, Spellbinder features Szabó in a quintet setting with bassist Ron Carter, drummer Chico Hamilton, and percussionists Willie Bobo and Victor Pantoja. The group's hypnotic blend of grooves and drones helped establish Szabó's signature approach: vamp-based forms, sitar-like guitar articulation, and modal lines shaped by his Eastern European heritage.

Track listing:

1. Spellbinder
   
2. Witchcraft
   
3. It Was a Very Good Year
   
4. Gypsy Queen
   
5. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
   
6. Cheetah
   
7. My Foolish Heart
   
8. Yearning
   
9. Autumn Leaves/Speak to Me of Love
   
10. My Foolish Heart