"Until the arrival of the Sugarcubes, jazz fusion band Mezzoforte was Icelands best-known musical export. The group was formed in 1977 at a Reykjavik high school. They signed a recording contract with local label Steinar, and recorded their debut album. Kristinn Svavarsson (saxophone) was featured on the exuberant Garden Party, which was a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1983. The tune was covered in the USA by Herb Alpert who performed it at half-speed, reportedly because he had learned the piece from a 45 rpm single accidentally played at 33. The follow-up, Rockall, was only a minor hit but it was adopted as a signature tune by radio chart shows in the Netherlands and UK. In the mid-80s Mezzoforte played the European jazz festival circuit with vocalists Chris Cameron and Noel McCalla. In 1990, Karlsson released a solo album featuring singer Ellen Kristjánsdóttir and members of Mezzoforte. Further Mezzoforte releases took a back seat to the members outside projects."(Allmusic).
