A Jazz Breakthrough

Jazz made another breakthrough in Hungary last fall when jazz musicians were invited to appear for the first time at the Contemporary Music Festival in Budapest. Three leading Hungarian jazzmen, all pianists, unveiled their new programs in the concerts at the Academy of Music.

György Szabados, a representative of Hungary’s avant-garde jazz scene who combines in­ternational trends with local folklore, performed his composition Forgotten Songs in a trio with drummer Kázmér Faragó and bassist Sándor Vajda.

János Gonda played a piano solo from his suite, The World of Improvisation, which was characterized by frequent harmonic variations, wide tonal blocks and a fine technique.

Béla Szakcsi Lakatos added an eight-piece reed section to his quartet for an exciting com­position which combined swinging jazz rhythms with contemporary music harmonies and free improvisation with written parts. All in all, the three perf ormances displayed the best of Hungarian jazz and showed that jazz belongs in a contemporary music event.

(Jazz Forum, 1981/1)