Janos Varga (Hungarian spelling Varga János) was the former guitarist and star in the popular and early-strong Hungarian progressive rock band East, Janos Varga has extended his career to solo scales, through projects, collaborations and adventurous guest entries, all which should, mostly, be familiar to fans of his music and stature, plus worthwhile to discover for any rock collector.

Janos Varga Project certainly tops all his other projects and performances outside East, sounding fresh & modern, and casting automatically, of course, a main credit and a bright light on him. It's impossible not to relate Janos Varga with his old, neo-classical and steady-coursed band (but it's wise, instead, not to think of great similarities in the music), especially when the big praises given to them (at least in Hungary) easily reflect and help jump to the conclusion that Varga is a high-promotable and mature guitarist.

Nevertheless, with only this thing in mind, Janos Varga Project wouldn't be more than a prog-related affair. Having worked on a big project called Wings Of Revelation, out of which they've released 2 CD parts plus a DVD, the band has its essential element in the music, evoking Varga's composing, interpretative and producing merits before clinching to particular styles and anything else, still having anyway a natural progressive balm, even if not in an entirely homogenous and pure way.

With fewer biographical notes and stories than you'd wish to find and read, and a healthy critic circling only around sponsor labels and important rock chronics, Janos Varga doesn't look after all like an entirely popular worldwide musician; this, fortunately, also makes him least inclined towards commercial outputs, though bit of this project's music follows that direction in a slight way.
Most significant, anyway, is how he's mentioned as a crafted, zipping, resourceful guitarist - and how true that is. Out of around 10 or so projects he worked or was guest on (excluding the East albums), Janos Varga Project seems one of his best efforts. Without nudging a very particular style, this project isn't ball-parking numbly either: it's mostly progressive, and moderately extensive! And, given this, Janos Varga is the key artist, topping with skills, if not with a lot of soul and modern vibe, balanced sustanentely with the work, as well.

On Wings Of Revelation I and II, János Varga plays alongside István Király (drums), Zoltán Lengyel (piano and keyboards), Peter Hary (bass, chapman stick) and Szabolcs Nagy (keyboards), the first one being also an ex-East musician. Though not hard to imagine, the musical weight is split between a guitar rock band and a favorable lean on Varga's guitar and song-shaped music. As for the style, Janos Varga Project's act is no crippled modern retro one, but strips freshly with the uptime appeal. With a major arch on plain rock, "melody-songs" and progressive instrumentality / improvisation, there are some sparks of a symphonic, heavy (electric), spacey or psychedelic small kind, with a further spark of pop, new age and melody rock being the low pitch.
Accordingly, JVP's influences are considered to discretely range from Pink Floyd to Pendragon and Minimum Vital (and ELP!); only discretely however, because Varga stands out, no matter what, as the personality that influences the entire soft, boiled or catchy nature of the music.
Concept-less (despite that five pieces from the first album are noted down as a "one-piece" complex motive), the taste for rock music, generous melodies and fertile strings tries consistency and pleasant feelings for a change. Both albums are similar and straight, the second adopting perhaps a both colder and more frolic flow.

All in all, this ensemble - with its key artist in front - is worth checking, if it isn't already in your collection, and counts as a mark in prog rock's full trait. If there's anything more to say about Janos Varga Project, it's all in the music of their current works, tempering well enough a modern key of progressive rock, the undoubtedly natural guitar-playing art and the delicious sin of plain, melodic or artificial rock.
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