Gábor Horváth Tojás, a jazz pianist, composer and teacher, is the founder of the Transform Quintet and a member of the quartet of Zita Gereben. He has written several soundtracks, and also co-recorded with world-renowned jazz pianist Joey Calderazzo. With his own trio, he recently released his fourth album, Tricks. While their previous album, Soundtrack - which was nominated for a Gramophone Award and won the Composer of the Year category in the Jazzma.hu readers' poll - was inspired by soundtracks, their new album was inspired by the magic tricks and card tricks.The compositions on the album - which will be performed at the Opus Jazz Club too - are characterized by playfulness, musical humor and emotional-mood diversity. In addition to fast-paced, hilarious, rhythm-changing compositions, the album also features large-arched solos and hymn ballads. Gábor's works are characterized by the painting of images, the effective expression of moods and emotions. The members of his trio also play an essential role in interpreting this: in addition to the high-quality technical workmanship, the extraordinary attunement to each other makes their liberated music unforgettable.

Irene Palencia (1999) started studying piano with Prof. Javier Cembellín in Jacinto Guerrero Conservatory in Toledo (Spain), in which she finished with honors in Piano. In 2017 she started Bachelor in Piano at Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid with Dr. Elena Orobio, which she finished in 2021. At the same time, she is studying Bachelor in Hispanic Philology at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, which she is finishing now with excellent marks. Nowadays, she is studying Master at the Liszt Academy in Budapest with Dr. Péter Nagy. She has been given piano advice by great pianists such as Boris Berman, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Yejin Gil, András Kemenes, Kennedy Moretti, Adam Kent, Efrem Briskin, Andrejz Pikul and Giovanni Bellucci. In 2015 she gave a Spanish music piano recital in Piano Mora Klavierhaus in Passau (Germany). In 2017 she received Erasmus+ scholarship in Warsaw, where she took piano and chamber music lessons at Karol Szymanowski Academy in Katowice. Also, she has performed in National Auditorium of Music (Madrid) with orchestra, and solo piano and chamber music in Müpa Budapest, Nádor Terem (Budapest), International Music Festival (Burgos), Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid), Matadero Madrid Cultural Hall, Music and Patrimony Days (Toledo), Teatro de Rojas and “El Greco” Auditory (Toledo). She has also taken an active part in Momentum Toledo Association since 2016 until now, which allows her to participate as a musician in cultural activites involving music and other arts. Javier de Diego was born in Madrid, Spain in 1999. He completed his pre- Bachelor studies with Honors in Piano and Chamber music, studying with Xabier Sukía. Simultaneously, he got his pre-Bachelor degree in Viola in 2018.He has recently finished with Honors his Bachelor in Piano Performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, having studied with professors Ana Guijarro and Patrín García-Barredo and chamber music with Graham Jackson. In the 2019-20 academic year, he was given an Erasmus+ Scholarship with which he studied at HMDK Stuttgart with Professor Moritz Winkelmann. From the 2021/2022 academic year, he is completing a Master of Arts at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with András Kemenes and Péter Nagy. Throughout these years he has been prizewinner of some competitions (Jesús de Monasterio, Linares) and he has performed solo and chamber music recitals in prestigious venues in Spain, including Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid or Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, and also in Germany and Hungary. He has received classes from great teachers, such as Eldar Nebolsin, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Kennedy Moretti or Josep Colom. In May 2021, he was awarded a Scholarship by the Internationale Musikakademie in Liechtenstein to participate in masterclasses by Professor Milana Chernyavska. Andrea Vilar López (1997) is a Galician pianist. After finishing her studies in the Lugo Conservatory, she studied a degree in Piano Performance at Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona with the teacher Jordi Camell, ending with honors. During that time she was awarded with the Extraordinary Prize given by the Government of her region. After that, she improved her piano skills in Madrid with the teacher Kennedy Moretti for one year. At the same time, she completed a Master in Musical Research at the Valencia International University (VIU). Currently, she is studying in the Liszt Ferenc Academy in Budapest, with the maestro András Kemenes.During her studies, she has taken chamber music lessons from renowned musicians such as members of quartet Casals, quartet Quiroga or the clarinetist Pascal Moragués, among others. In 2018 she formed a Lied Duo called “Liliak” with the basque soprano Maite Arciniega. Both have played in different venues around Spain and were awarded in the Piano Meeting Festival 2019. Moreover, she has collaborated on stage with a lot of performers, standing out the great musicians Erica Wise and Elena Rey. Her skills are strongly based on the knowledge of different maestros she had masterclasses with. Especially Pierre Laurent Aimard, Rita Wagner, Eldar Nebolsin and Cibrán Sierra. Nowadays she's very interested in new concert forms in which she can create a conection between the public and what happens on stage.

During the time of the pandemic in 2021 three old friends formed a new band with the idea of exploring new sonic possibilities and illuminating rhythm and harmony in a different way. Although David Dorůžka, Piotr Wyleżol and Jeff Ballard have known each other for years, they met in this particular setting for the first time in the spring of 2021 to record new music written by all three of them. The sound of the band relies heavily on analog electronic instruments, simple melodies and intricate grooves and the focus of the musicians is on fusing old and new sounds and approaches into a unique synthesis that characterizes the world of today. Together they set forth to explore uncharted territories, eagerly searching for the key to Andromeda's Mystery. Their new album Andromeda’s Mystery is coming out in June, 2022 (Bivak Records).

After the avant-garde, György Orbán turned his attention to neoromanticism. His music speaks of various sources of style and inspiration: Hungarian folk music, film music, jazz and contemporary classical music. Besides deliberately returning to the sound world and formal characteristics of earlier periods in music history, he refuses to dismiss tonality. He is especially famous for his choral music and oratorical works, but his diverse oeuvre includes instrumental compositions and incidental music as well. György Orbán was born in 1947 in Târgu Mureș (Transylvania); after moving to Hungary, he became the editor of Editio Musica Budapest, and held professorship at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest.

Tamara Mozes and Zsolt Kaltenecker met in 2017 in a jazz-electro ensemble where they co-composed several songs. They then began working on their own material specifically for keyboards (with various effects) and vocals (with French and English lyrics). They made their debut as a duo at the BMC Opus Jazz Club in Budapest to great acclaim. Their musical universe is a unique mixture of jazz, pop, rock, electronic sounds, progressive musical elements and improvisation. The music video for the song It Is Open was widely lauded by the press. They recorded their first full album in early 2022, which consists of their own compositions and some reworked pop songs. "...a musical event that matched the power and totality of a theatrical performance… The complexity evokes Björk’s musical creations as well as Esperanza Spalding’s recent ‘all-arts’ projects. A very personal, world-class contemporary production was born, digging deep, demanding full openness and trust between each other, and with the public" (2021, Jazzma, Géza Barcsik) Tamara Mozes · One More Sense_LIVE

The dreamer, the man of moods and the restless man. Three special musical figures from European jazz meet on the Opus stage to combine a unique world to give the listener a kaleidoscopic experience. Dutch singer Sanne Rambags has created a unique style of improvisational singing that differs from the usual scat technique in jazz: with her voice and lyrics, she opens gates of dimensions, working where dream and waking meet. In the hands of the French cellist Vincent Courtois, the bow becomes a brush: he paints intricate and twisting stories with his instrument, his melodies showing topos that, although familiar, act with the power of novelty every time - as the best filmmakers do. Swiss drummer and media artist Julian Sartorius literally sees his instrument as a toy, a means by which he makes exciting discoveries about the world, in this case the world of sounds, for himself - and of course for the audience. Opus audiences enjoy a real privilege, as the trio's joint project, entitled TWIGS, is so recent that it has only been heard a few times in Europe so far, and will be recorded at BMC's studio during the concert days.

Patrik Sebestyén began his career as a classical musician as a member of various symphony orchestras and turned to jazz only at the age of twenty. His jazz music career, which is becoming more and more significant, is proved by the fact that in 2019 he won the Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award, and in 2022 the Dezső Lakatos Ablakos Performing Arts Scholarship. In addition to leading his own orchestra, he teaches at several institutions, including disadvantaged students. With his six-member formation, he released his debut album, Colors of Fortune, in 2021, featuring original compositions inspired by the classical period of American jazz in the ’50s and’ 60s, as well as two standards. The members of his sextet are the youngest excellences of the Hungarian jazz scene. The sextet will soon be releasing a new album that will feature Patrik's latest musical experiments, in which electronics will appear, in addition to the mainstream-inspired compositions mixed with classical music.

The six-member Coltrane Legacy was founded by the bassist György Orbán, one of the most sought-after musicians in the Hungarian jazz scene, in 2017, on the 50th anniversary of Coltrane's death. The saxophonist put modern jazz on a new footing in the barely a decade and a half from his death in the mid-1950s to his death in 1967. By penetrating more and more spiritual dimensions in his oeuvre, he created his musical heritage, which has since affected generations of musicians. György Orbán, an experienced bassist who has gone through many formations, thought that the saxophonist's heritage was best nurtured by creating a band that played both his own compositions inspired by Coltrane's music and new reworkings of Coltrane's themes. "The compositions, based on the Coltrane traditions and rethinking them, carry the abstract spirituality and tools of today, thus continuing the spiritual jazz tradition today. The members of the orchestra have let's work together as a team with creativity" - said György Orbán about the formation.

The music world of the progressive jazz trio, formed in 2014, is a unique fusion in the contemporary jazz scene, in which rock music, metal and folk style features as well as free improvisation or the influence of classical music of the 20th century. The rhythmic and harmonic complexity of their compositions is coupled with a direct, instinctive way of performing, flying their audience through a wide range of dynamics and emotions, from deeply melancholic soundscapes to crushing metallic grooves. In February 2020, they presented Petra’s first violin competition at the Academy of Music, expanding into a chamber orchestra, and their album Deadline Haze won the Independent Music Awards (USA) in recognition of independent composers and performers.Petra Várallyay achieved her first great success as a classical violinist, but later her interest increasingly led to improvisational fusion music and composition. She studied jazz piano and jazz music at the Bartók Konzi, then jazz composition and classical violin at the Academy of Music. With her characteristic playing, she is as present in the cult concert venues of the underground music scene as she is on the stage of the most prestigious concert halls. In addition to her own trio, she is a regular composer of the Jazzation acappella formation, having worked with Bobby McFerrin, Uri Cainen and Yo-Yo Má, performing at numerous domestic and foreign festivals, touring a wide range of genres. In recognition of her musical work, she received the Orszáczky Prize in 2016, the Junior Artisjus Prize in 2017, the Junior Prima Prize in 2020, and the Creative Art Prize, in the piano improvisation competition founded by György Vukán in 2021. Photos by Albert Gacsádi for BMC

“Decades ago the deep energies of the music of the John Coltrane Quartet deeply impressed me and determined my musical way of thinking. Nowadays I am refreshed and recharged with similar feelings and energies from the music of the fearlessly rebellious and protesting bands of the 60's and 70's. These energies – I believe it is not worth going on stage without them – and my experiences of more than four decades, my commitment to freedom and free music, the active participation of my fellow musicians give the final forms of the pieces and concerts of the W69 band.”  István Baló

In their concert entitled Ancient rhythms, Kornél Mogyoró multi-percussionist and Péter Papesch bass guitarist dazzles the audience with individual instrumentation, as well as amazing virtuosity and musicality. Besides ancient instruments, such as cajon, bongo, macaras or kalimba, Mogyoró’s set features the modern steel drum, handpan and Roland HPD-20, too, while Papesch will also play the rather rarely encountered tenor bass guitar. In some songs, they are joined by Szabolcs Németh, an excellent artist of the Australian didgeridoo and the African cora lute. In this concert, ancient rhythms blend with today’s musical trends, by means of modern technology and the performance of extraordinary musicians.

The playing of Márton Sütő, guitarist-songwriter is emotional and intellectual, blended with psychedelic and blues-rock elements. He founded The Budapest Turnarounds in 2017 with his regular collaborator, Dávid Szegő, whose refined, fiery and deconstructive style is totally unique and impossible to delimit. Their music is characterized by experimentation, polyrhythms, constrasts and long, dynamic phrases, as well as elusive and yet impactful themes, and unstoppable improvisations. After their “moon-landing” project and acoustic duo, they return to Opus Jazz Club with an electronic sound.  

The special blend of jazz, pop and chanson, combined with filmic Hungarian texts, lends a unique atmosphere to the compositions of Eszter Váczi and Quartet. Their first two albums were Platinum and Gold records in the jazz category. But it is even more important that their style captivated an audience that is not only interested in solo bravuras, but also want to be part of the stories created by the texts of Eszter, in perfect harmony with the playing of the band, which nevertheless does not lack virtuosity. In early 2022, they came out with four new songs, premiered at a theatre concert of a bigger scale. On July 16, they return to Opus Jazz Club with a similarly atmospheric programme.

The Rezervátum's (The Reserve's) literary meaning is ‘a protected area home to rare natural values’, according to other dictionaries ‘a forced abode of indigenous tribes where they may have lived according to their traditions’. The members of the Rezervátum Orchestra live their music world according to their own traditions, which carries a heavy musical heritage. The young brigade, made up of the dominant representatives of the Hungarian improvisational, free music scene, shapes the pieces of Béla Bartók, John Coltrane and others according to their own world, and also plays the themes of Szilveszter Miklós, which are developed live with as much freedom as possible. Contemporary tribal percussion jazz.

Aki Takase, the Japanese pianist living in Germany – who has already performed with several formations at Opus Jazz Club and whose albums with Japanic and saxophonist Daniel Erdmann in duo has been released by BMC Records – this time extends her experimental attitude towards classical music. She transforms Bizet's Carmen to a contemporary jazz chamber orchestra with opera singer Mayumi Nakamura; saxophonist Daniel Erdmann, a long-time fellow musician and Aki's former student; and cellist Vincent Courtois. During the three-year creative process, Aki Takase combined Bizet’s classic with elements inspired by John Cage, among others, whose compositional technique and vision also had a major impact on Aki Takase’s musical thinking. The artists will record Carmen Rhapsody at Budapest Music Center on the days around their concert at Opus Jazz Club. The upcoming album will be released on BMC Records.

Dániel Varga's international quartet will bring his new and debut album to the Opus stage. "I would categorize the album's material into a modern mainstream category, spiced up with some free jazz influences. Of course, the feeling of freedom is extremely strong with the virtuosity, professionalism and sensitivity of the artists. Going between songs, I increasingly felt that I listen to complex music, yet it relaxes, and as much as it drops my blood pressure, it puts in a meditative state. It speaks with the utmost sincerity and moves into higher realms. The new album of Dániel Varga represents and creates value, which I recommend to all listeners with great enthusiasm!" - Károly Gáspár wrote about the album on jazzma.hu. The album was supported by the Waclaw Felczak Foundation.

Arnold Schönberg’s String Quartet No. 2 challenges conventions not only because the composer channelled his personal crisis into music, decidedly breaking from traditional tonality, but also because he engages the human voice in instrumental chamber music, going beyond the formal limits of the string quartet. Soloist of the Hungarian State Opera, Lilla Horti will join the Kelemen Quartet in this endeavour, performing two poems by Stefan George in the 3rd and 4th movements. In Debussy’s late Sonata for Cello and Piano, written in 1915, featuring Dóra Kokas and José Gallardo, the master searches the past, not the future: he reaches back to stage performances of former eras, inspired by the figures of the commedia dell’arte, as he Debussy himself put it. Bartók’s trio Contrasts was originally dedicated to the Jazz clarinet player Benny Goodman and the violinist József Szigeti and represents the highest peak of the fusion of folk and classical music. Clarinet professor of the London Royal College of Music, Michael Collins, will take to the stage alongside José Gallardo and Barnabás Kelemen. A single piece will delight the audience in the concert's second half: Viktor Derevienko's transcription for a piano trio and three percussionists of Shostakovich's last symphony fascinatingly rich in references and ambiguities.

The music of Gábor Gadó represents a borderland, characterised by the diversity of genres, approaches and virtuosity: his free compositions and arrangements showcase both the enduring quality of classical (written) music and the power of spontaneity. His compositions are as if they were invented right in the moment of performance, and his improvisations seem to be composed in written form. This is contemporary music at its best, empowering either the music of Bach and Satie or the elements of jazz and improvisation to strike the tone of our present day. For Gábor Gadó and Lajos Rozmán, it is a common, long-standing ambition to discover the borderlands of classical music and jazz; in their concert at Opus Jazz Club, this ambition and experience will find a new and unique form of expression.

Marcin Masecki is one of Poland’s most versatile and idiosyncratic musicians. He works with big bands, classical orchestras, as soloist and conductor, he composes for film, theatre, performs written and improvised music, produces festivals and educates. He has been playing the music of Thelonious Monk since he was a teenager. When he discovered it his life changed. Monk showed him how to think independently, how to be brave and how to listen to and pursue one’s own voice. Big stuff. This year marks the 40th anniversary since Monk’s passing. Reflecting on the importance of his legacy Marcin Masecki put together an ensemble to pay tribute. He is joined by the best of the best - Eldar Tsalikov on saxophone and clarinet and Jan Pieniążek on drums. Photo: Magda Hueckel

The Reggie Jonas Jr. Trio aims at spontaneous music-making. Its members are mutually inspired by each other, resulting in truly beautiful moments in their performances. They have played together since their childhood, and they share similar musical taste and ideas, which makes cooperation all the more joyful and comfortable for them. In 2022, the trio was awarded the Professional Prize of the international jury of Müpa Jazz Showcase, moreover, they won the special prize of 606 Club, London. In this concert, the band plays compositions by its leader, Reggie Jonas Jr., as well as jazz standards.

The energetic music of the band of five young musicians called Ég Alatti 5 has been heard by the audience since 2015. Since then, they have performed in many venues in Budapest and the countryside. The backbone of their show is provided by their own compositions, which in their style and momentum mostly evoke the hard-bop and modal jazz music of the ’60s, yet are unique in nature. Sometimes inspired by natural impressions and various folk music, they strive to create their own, organic world of sound. The friendship between the members and the compositions of Udvardi and Baló open up free space for the flow of live music. In the first half of the concert, the band will play their own compositions, to be recorded later in 2022. In the second half, they will be joined by Ferenc Ségercz, a key figure in the Transylvanian folk scene: their dynamism and sound is combined with the musical impressions of Gyimes Valley and Moldva, as well as the sound of the pipe, resulting in a real stream of ethno jazz.

Guitarist István Gyárfás’s longtime dream of creating a Hammond trio came to frutition last year with organist Mátyás Premecz and György Jeszenszky on drums. Their debut album, Organ Grinder's Suite, paying homage to the relevant trios of the genre, earned critical acclaim and the trio is regularly perfoming its material. In the meantime they already started to work on new compositions, thus the audience of Opus already can hear some of these on the present concert.  Organ Grinder's Suite by Gyárfás-Premecz Organ Trio

In the eclectic programme of Zita Gerebes and her orchestra, the songs have the characteristics of R’n’B, pop, blues and, of course, jazz. The Hungarian singer-songwriter founded her band in 2009; so far, they have recorded three albums of their own compositions. The second one – Our places – significantly increased their fan club. Zita Gereben has worked with numerous Hungarian formations, and her forays into the world of motion pictures proved equally successful. Her orchestra unites talented and renowned Hungarian musicians, who bravely address the most different musical styles and the freedom of improvisation, resulting in a truly original sound.

Together with Mediterranean elements of style, uniquely rethought and recomposed jazz standards play a huge role in the programme of Orbay Lilla Quintet. However, their repertoire becomes more and more dominated by original compositions that fascinate the audience with a free and easy, and yet exciting tone. The band members are strong musical personalities, but they unite their creative energies in a pure and consistent sound, making improvisational skills and rich musical vocabulary a real asset. They have joined forces many times earlier, but the band came to existence in its definitive form only in 2020. In Müpa Jazz Showcase 2022, they won the special prize of BMC.

Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos will come to the Opus Jazz Club with brand new energies and a new formation. He formed a new trio with two particularly talented members of the youngest generation of Hungarian jazz, drummer Máté Éles and bassist Géza Jónás, to whom the young saxophonist Kálmán Oláh Jr. will join on this concert. Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos has recently returned to his beginnings, as the classical music again gained a more prominent role in his life as a performer. This is echoed in his own compositions: Debussy, Ravel shows up as a source of inspiration in Szakcsi's latest compositions written specifically for this formation, which will be worthy pairs of the '60s jazz standards that give the basis of the concert repertoire.

The project by the quirky name of GIIPUJA, which stands for (translated from Croatian) Music of Istra and the Croatian Littoral in Jazz Arrangements, has been bringing modern jazz with a distinct ethno flavour to Croatian and regional audiences since 2013. The peculiar line-up, consisting of double bass, drums, bass clarinet, violin and various traditional instruments from the Istra region, combines traditional and modern instruments which, with the absence of usual harmonic layers, make for a strikingly original and unique sound. Their repertoire is an amalgam of original compositions, traditional Istrian tunes and the ones written by other composers who championed this particular musical idiom. At times, they embrace harsh dissonance, fueled by the interplay of narrow intervals characteristic for the Istrian scale, whilst at other times they succeed in creating a jubilant atmosphere using the same compositional and improvisational principles. The quartet does not function in a traditional manner – each instrument has its own autonomy and importance which radiates at various points during the performance. The end result is a striking synergy of tradition and modernity.

This collaboration of four outstanding artists forms a peerless combination of sax, guitar, organ and drums, leading to stunning results in terms of sound and arrangement, sparkled with rhythmic ideas, texture and space. The artists’ enthusiasm, passion, intensity and warmth can be experienced in every moment of their live performance, presenting an inspiring and enjoyable powerhouse of original compositions. After the success of the album “Life on Earth”, released two years ago  with Antonio Sanchez on drums, their new album “Light in the world”, recorded last summer with legendary drummer John Riley, got equally enthusiastic critical acclaim. As Dan Bilawsky wrote in All About Jazz: “There's much to home in on during these performances – Zjaca's slanted sensibilities, Chicco's ability to fill the canvas without ever overplaying his hand(s), Bedetti's open-throated strengths and autodidactic genius, Riley's 360-degree grasp of a drummer's role –, but it's the way these four interact with each other that turns out to be the album's greatest gift. Whether trading solos, perfectly locking up prescribed passages or using their ears to guide voicings and movements, there's always a fine balance at play.” Active in the international jazz scene, band leader Ratko Zjaca and renowned organist-pianist Renato Chicco have both won awards for their achievements. Apart from their work as a quartet, all four members have appeared in numerous concerts and recordings of famous musicians as sidemen.  

The style and musical world of Salamon Tűzkő Quintet is based on swing, the essential rhythmic feature of jazz, and the boundless freedom of its harmonic traditions. The members want to live and transmit the experience of freedom in music. The band leader, Salamon Tűzkő started to play the classical trumpet, but a few years later, he was gripped by jazz – fortunately, his father, also a musician, could teach him the theory and practice of the genre. Salamon founded his band in order to represent the universal sound of jazz, and together with his fellow band members, they are committed to bring this complex, rich, and yet whole-hearted genre closer to the audience through their passion and joy of playing. They are all young, with studies still in progress, but they have met regularly to make music at different venues in Budapest for a long time. In Jazz Showcase 2022 of Müpa, they won the special prize of Zemplén Festival. This evening, they will play arrangements as well as compositions by the band members.

The main elements of the compositions of pianist-composer Krisztián Oláh, who has gained prestigious accolades in the world of jazz, are compositional techniques of classical music and the improvisational flow and abstract rhythm of contemporary jazz. He seeks to create a synthesis of jazz and classical music with the need of a dynamic, contemporary music world. Although the band's program is based on Krisztián's compositions, the members, Jr. Kálmán Oláh, György Orbán and Dániel Serei are all great improvisers, so spontaneous and collective improvisation is an integral part of the production, which carries today's spirituality and musical tools, thus forming a fresh and complex world of sound.Krisztián Oláh won 3rd place at the 2015 Montreux Jazz Festival at the age of twenty, after which he toured with musicians such as Al Jarreau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Nils Petter Molvær or Joe Sanders as part of a two-week academic program. In the following years he won the Junior Prima, Creative Art, Orszáczky and Gramofon awards, and in December 2018 - as the first Hungarian musician - he was invited to the international jazz competition of the American Thelonious Monk Institute, where he competed among the 14 best jazz pianists in the world. His own formation, which expanded into a quartet, released his first album of all his own compositions, At the back of my mind, in February 2020. The debut of the album was a great success in Prague, Krakow, and the Palace of Arts, among others, starring the fantastic Rick Margitza. The Parallel Reflections suite, which combines jazz with a string orchestra, was presented at the Academy of Music in October 2020. The band came out with a second album in March 2022: in Crescendo, they are joined by Miklós Lukács.  

Vígopera gyerekeknek magyar nyelven Némelyek nem akarják elkapkodni életük nagy döntését: a házasságot. Így van ezzel Sempronio is, a bolondos patikus, aki már jócskán a nagypapakor küszöbén túllépve határozza el, hogy megállapodik végre, és nyugdíjas éveit a patika fiatal házi angyalának, Grillettának tett házassági ajánlattal kívánja megkoronázni. A zsémbes öregúr persze nem is sejti, hogy az ínycsiklandó hölgy kegyeit rajta kívül még legalább két és fél (!) udvarló iparkodik elnyerni. Ármány és szerelem, álruhák és tévedések, sok humor és persze Haydn csodálatos zenéje teszi feledhetetlenné a negyvenöt perces előadást.

Az őszi háromrészes Szól a Pálca koncertsorozat témája A szépség forradalma lesz. A sorozat házigazdája, Hámori Máté, zenekarunk karmestere és művészeti vezetője segítségével emelkedünk filozofikus magasságokba. „[...] Egyetlen ismeret van, a többi csak toldás: Alattad a föld, fölötted az ég, benned a létra. Az igazság nem mondatokban rejlik, hanem a torzítatlan létezésben. Az öröklét nem az időben rejlik, hanem az összhang állapotában.” (Weöres Sándor: Szembe fordított tükrök) Észrevenni a szépséget, igen. Felismerni a szépséget, igen. Elmerülni a szépségben, hogyne. De eljutunk a következő lépcsőfokra is? Önmagunk szépségét felismerni, az ember szépségére rácsodálkozni, erre van erőnk? Van időnk? Hiszen ez lenne a lényeg, a legfőbb felismerés. Erről szól ez a sorozat is.

Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience. Legendary Albums - Chick Corea: Return to Forever 50  Modern Art Orchestra comes forth with a unique concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Chick Corea recording, Return to Forever. The 1972 album was published on ECM Records, and turned out to be a prototype snapshot of jazz fusion. In the years prior to the studio sessions, Corea was touring with Miles Davis’ group which definitely had an effect on his approach. His experience in post bop and avant-garde styles, and working with Miles secured his navigation skills throughout the palette of jazz, only to broaden this horizon with the sensual pulsation of latin music. The result of this artistic universe is nothing less than discovery of musical expression that had been tried before but was never formulated so eloquently and explicitly in a single structure of an album. Besides the revolutionary concept, we must mention the genius design of the compositions found on Return to Forever, as they don’t only allow, but rather invite melodic solos and steamy bass grooves as well as traditional percussive elements and aerial vocal lines. It is not too brave to say that this legendary jazz recording is a brilliant chemistry between tradition and revolutionary spirit, and so it belongs to the hall of fame of jazz literature. Modern Art Orchestra brings Return to Forever to life with the big band formation, which makes this performance even more unique. The guest soloist will be Emma Nagy, who is one of the brightest upcoming stars of the young Hungarian jazz vocalists.

The musical world of the Syrian trumpet-producer-composer Milad Khawam, who lives in Berlin, was created as a fusion of Middle Eastern traditions and modern electronic music. In his works, the exoticism of the non-tempered scales, which is also characteristic of Arabic music, and the ecstasy encoded in Sufi music meet the pulsation of Berlin, one of the most colorful European metropolises, also considered the capital of electronic music. Milad Khawam hails from Damascus, where he studied classical and Arabic music. His debut album, To The West, was released in 2020 at XJAZZ Music Berlin. Speaking of the mental thoughts and psychological states that struck him during the road between East and West and was a source of inspiration and basis in the birth of the musical idea of the album. He wanted to document these cases as a musical form in a positive & ironic way, as it means to him personally and could mean to many people who crossed that path at that time and to the present day. Khawam also produces electronic music and can often be found performing solo, combining classical and electronic music for an unconventional approach to the trumpet. At a very young age Khawam became principal trumpet player in many Orchestras (Syrian Children Orchestra, Orchestra Solhi Al-Wadi Institute, then at the National Orchestra of Arabic Music, Syrian National Symphony Orchestra), and participated in a number of concerts and festivals between Europe & Middle-Eeast, and shared the stage with drummer Billy Cobham and commissioned to compose and perform a music piece related to an object from the Abbasid Era called Aquamanile located at the Museum of Islamic Art in collaboration with Piranha records. Photos: Spyros Droussiotis

Inspired by digital and analog, jazz and hip hop, composition and improvisation Bobby Rausch is the sound of young Berlin. Their concerts lead audiences through deep bass valleys, through pulsing groovescapes and the urban night. Drawing influences from electronic beats and rockvinyls alike, Bobby Rausch  plays the soundtrack for those tired of compromise. Handmade in Berlin! With bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, drums and a box full of effects, Lutz Streun, Oleg Hollmann and Jürgen Meyer generate the sizzling club atmosphere of the capital. And on that subject, the 'Rausch' (intoxication/rapture) in the band name wasn’t chosen at random – the bass-dominated, mystically dark Afro-jazz-rock grooves are designed to put the audience into a trance. Technoid bass valleys, free-jazz brass peaks, stony prog-rock paths – concertgoers become mountaineers who can at times make their way along the addictive sounds, but are pushed at other times to conquer them. That’s how interaction is done these days! Photo: Lena Giovanazzi

In the season of 2022/23, Modern Art Orchestra presents excellent Hungarian composers to the audience of Opus Jazz Club. In their series of six concerts, they invite composers who experiment with orchestral sound and look for new ways of expression. They will also be the soloists of the concerts, presenting their new works. The artistic director, Kornél Fekete-Kovács and all the musicians in the outstanding MAO treat music with an attitude that transcends borders of genres. Musical creativity and free expression of musical thought takes the centre in their playing and compositions. During this season, they work with autonomous creative minds of modern Hungarian music, whose way of thinking falls close to theirs.

In the season of 2022/23, Modern Art Orchestra presents excellent Hungarian composers to the audience of Opus Jazz Club. In their series of six concerts, they invite composers who experiment with orchestral sound and look for new ways of expression. They will also be the soloists of the concerts, presenting their new works. The artistic director, Kornél Fekete-Kovács and all the musicians in the outstanding MAO treat music with an attitude that transcends borders of genres. Musical creativity and free expression of musical thought takes the centre in their playing and compositions. During this season, they work with autonomous creative minds of modern Hungarian music, whose way of thinking falls close to theirs.

A Bélamese voltaképpen egy újraértelmezett, a Cantata profana szövegéből kiinduló posztapokaliptikus, szerelmi csodaszarvas-történet, ennek szöveges részeit olvassa majd fel az előadáson Hámori Máté karmester. A történet keretei közé ágyazva pedig megelevenednek Bartók művei a Concertótól kezdve A csodálatos mandarinon át a Táncszvitig.

Az őszi háromrészes Szól a Pálca koncertsorozat témája A szépség forradalma lesz. A sorozat házigazdája, Hámori Máté, zenekarunk karmestere és művészeti vezetője segítségével emelkedünk filozofikus magasságokba. „[...] Egyetlen ismeret van, a többi csak toldás: Alattad a föld, fölötted az ég, benned a létra. Az igazság nem mondatokban rejlik, hanem a torzítatlan létezésben. Az öröklét nem az időben rejlik, hanem az összhang állapotában.” (Weöres Sándor: Szembe fordított tükrök) Majd azt mondta Isten: „Hajtson a föld füvet, amely zöldül és magot hoz, és gyümölcstermő fát, amely a földön faja szerint meghozza gyümölcsét, a belsejében maggal!” Úgy is lett. A föld füvet hajtott, amely zöldül, és faja szerint magot hoz és fát, amely faja szerint gyümölcsöt hoz, a belsejében maggal. És látta Isten, hogy jó. A szépség első forrása: a Föld, ahol élünk. Ennek a dicséretét zengi Beethoven, Beethoven dicséretét zengi Balogh Máté – s lesz mulatozás, lesz vihar, majd kisüt a nap, és feljön a szivárvány.

Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience. Legendary Albums - Art Farmer/Benny Golson Sextet: Here and Now The Jazztet was founded in 1959 by Art Farmer trumpetist and Benny Golson saxophonist, also the only two members of the sextet who remained from the beginning to the end. Despite the changes in the rhythm section and trombonist positions, the band was able to launch the careers of jazz musicians like McCoy Tyner and Grachan Moncur III, of whom the latter is present on Here and Now as well, bringing an original composition with him. The 1962 album has but absolutely attractive numbers to show, which makes its lineup quite homogenous - in the best possible sense. Although there is only one truly famous song on the record, which goes by the name of Whisper Not - part of the soundtrack of United States history, without a doubt, all numbers feel familiar as they are written with tremendous taste and intellect. The fact that 4 out of 6 band members noted compositions on the record, makes it even more interesting. It is also the sensual and instinctive energy that tends to mediate through the best swinging songs of jazz history. The musical language of Here and Now suggests wisdom and elegance, but curiosity and playfulness, too. It doesn’t try to hide the meaning of the human experience, which makes it utterly comforting to listen to. Here and Now is one of the last publications of the first generation Farmer/Golson Sextet. It is a complete result of a genuinely earthy concept of jazz history.

In the season of 2022/23, Modern Art Orchestra presents excellent Hungarian composers to the audience of Opus Jazz Club. In their series of six concerts, they invite composers who experiment with orchestral sound and look for new ways of expression. They will also be the soloists of the concerts, presenting their new works. The artistic director, Kornél Fekete-Kovács and all the musicians in the outstanding MAO treat music with an attitude that transcends borders of genres. Musical creativity and free expression of musical thought takes the centre in their playing and compositions. During this season, they work with autonomous creative minds of modern Hungarian music, whose way of thinking falls close to theirs.

Két örök kedvenc: a kukásautó és a Mikulás összegyúrva. Újragomboljuk a jó öreg szakállast, mert kaphatunk-e nagyobb ajándékot, mint egy szeméttelenítő, jólevegősítő, természetrekreáló Télapót? Ugyehogy ugye.

Az őszi háromrészes Szól a Pálca koncertsorozat témája A szépség forradalma lesz. A sorozat házigazdája, Hámori Máté, zenekarunk karmestere és művészeti vezetője segítségével emelkedünk filozofikus magasságokba. „[...] Egyetlen ismeret van, a többi csak toldás: Alattad a föld, fölötted az ég, benned a létra. Az igazság nem mondatokban rejlik, hanem a torzítatlan létezésben. Az öröklét nem az időben rejlik, hanem az összhang állapotában.” (Weöres Sándor: Szembe fordított tükrök) Végül az ember a szépséggel, ha betelt (lehetetlen amúgy), felnéz az égre és csendben hálát ad. Vagy hangosan ad hálát, síppal, dobbal, trombitával, angyal-énekkel. A Földért, a reggelért, a reményért, az emberért (igen, még az emberért is; igen, a hülyébbekért is), és hogy Isten biztosan megértse, ezért kell zene-nyelven előadni a hálálkodást. Suursum corda!

Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience. Legendary Albums - Miles Davis: Bitches Brew "August of 1969 marked Miles Davis’ boldest venture yet into undiscovered country. This time there was no more holding back, no more tentative experimentation, no more walking on eggshells. The album that emerged, Bitches Brew, was groundbreaking…" - Paul Tingen Bitches Brew came out in 1970 on the Columbia Records label. Being a historical jazz album in the truest sense, it hit the music scene like an asteroid. Group leader and legendary trumpetist Miles Davis, a genius of inventing revolutionary concepts, did not only divide his audience into two distinctive groups, but also invited a new group of interest, while proving and finalizing the position of instrumental jazz-rock fusion in the music history with Bitches Brew. Ferocity, curiosity, love, playfulness, pain and beauty fuel the mesmerizing grooves of Bitches Brew. It was awarded a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1971. It is a remarkable challenge to learn and perform this album’s material. Modern Art Orchestra’s creative workshop is preparing this wonderful album for the upcoming concert of the Legendary Albums series. Don’t miss it!