Multiple Hungarian Venues to Join this Year’s International Jazz Day

MTI-Hungary Today 2024.04.17.

This year, a number of Hungarian venues will join the UNESCO International Jazz Day. From April 28 to 30, there will be concerts in five clubs as well as in the Városháza Park as part of Jazzfest Budapest.

This year’s series of events in Hungary will take place in five clubs (If Café, Óbuda Jazz Club, and Budapest Jazz Club in the capital; Kanizsa Cultural Center in Nagykanizsa and Platz in Komárno, present-day Slovakia), and in Városháza Park between April 28 and 30.

Fact

World-famous American jazz musician Herbie Hancock, as Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO, launched International Jazz Day in 2011, celebrated worldwide on April 30. Last year, 155 countries officially joined in with their own events, with Hancock and his world-renowned colleagues performing live at the central gala, always held in a different location. This year, Tangier (Morocco) is the venue for the international gala.

On April 28, Hotel-X will be playing at the If Café, with András Wahorn (wind instruments, computer), Sámuel Baló (piano), Zoltán Kováts (bass), and János Weszely (drums). The next day, the Budapest Ragtime Band, established in 1980, will take to the stage at Óbuda Társaskör, featuring Ferenc Gayer (bass), Krisztián Csapó (vocals, trombone), Tivadar Varga (piano), Sándor Csárics (trumpet), József Széki (xylophone, percussion, vocals), Tibor Antal (violin), and János Weszely (drums).

On April 29, Trio Squelini will perform in Nagykanizsa (southwestern Hungary). The group, which plays ethno-jazz and contemporary chamber music, is made up of well-known and experienced musicians Péter Szalai (percussion, kalimba, aquaphone), Szabolcs Szőke (gadulka, sarangi, array mbira), and Dániel Váczi (sopranino and alto saxophone, aquaphone).

On the same day, Kunatones, playing jazz fusion, can be seen at the Budapest Jazz Club: Gyula Kuna (trumpet), Valéria Kuna (trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals), Bence Kuna (horn, percussion), Márton Kuna (trombone), András Somos (keyboards, flute), Szabolcs Várvölgyi (guitar), Ferenc Éder “Lá” (bass), Norbert Kovács (drums), and Gergely Tarr (percussion).

On April 30, Tzumo Gipsy Dreams feat. Ferenc Németh will give a free concert at the Budapest Jazz Club. This time, Árpád Tzumo (piano), Gabriella Szabó (vocals), Eszter Pozsár (flute) and Krisztián Lakatos Pecek (bass) will be joined by

internationally renowned drummer Ferenc Németh, who has played with world stars such as John Patitucci, Wayne Shorter, and festival ambassador Herbie Hancock.

The same evening, Áron Hodek & The Pocket Crew will also give a free concert at the Platz Club in Komárno. Áron Hodek, the 13-year-old bass player who is considered a child prodigy, has already attracted the attention of Quincy Jones and Lenny Kravitz. His brother, drummer Dávid, has achieved considerable success in the U.S. and is joined in the trio by a brilliant Slovakian keyboardist, Eugen Vizváry.

Also on April 30 at 8 p.m., a free concert will be held in Budapest’s Városháza Park, featuring an occasional band of Jazzfest Budapest international festival curators and fellow musicians: Mihály Borbély (saxophone), Bálint Gyémánt (guitar), Krisztián Oláh (piano), Kornél Mogyoró (percussion), György Orbán (bass), László Csízi (drums), Mónika Lakatos (vocals), and Pasquale Mirra (vibraphone).

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Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Nemzetközi Jazz Nap