Jazz English

Gábor Turi’s remarkable career has blended a love of jazz with journalism, civil service, academia, and a major book project supported by a Fulbright scholarship in 2013.

Pepita SLPX 17484

Hungaroton  SLPX 17473

Side 1 – The Wedding; Duo for Piano and Violin. Side 2 – Miracle; The Interrogation of Irma Szabó. Personnel: György Szabados, piano, zither; Lajos Horváth, violin, bass; Sándor Vajda, bass; Imre Kőszegi, drums.

Sometimes, college friends can influence a person’s taste in music, art, and political expression. In Gabor Turi’s case, his college friends’ tastes helped him find his way into a successful career that blended a love of jazz with journalism, civil service, academia, and now a major book project supported by a Fulbright scholarship.

Last winter's most important jazz event was a concert series at the University Theater in Buda­pest. The 13 evenings revealed the strength and promising future of the younger jazz genera-tion. Somé of the more established groups deserve special mention here as well.

In Ungarn gab es keine natürliche Geburt für den Jazz. Die Staatsideologie der 50er Jahre stempelte ihn als Krisenprodukt des Kapitalismus ab und verurteilte, dass er gespielt wurde. Das Jazzpublikum war auf eine kleine Schicht reduziert, die sich an ausländischen Rundfunkstationen und aus in Koffern importierten Platten orientierte, und die diese Musik in ihren Wohnungen hörte und spielte: Jazz bot Aufregung im Gegensatz zu den Massenliedern und den seichten Tanzmelodien.

Krém SLPX 17817

Lakatos, ts, ss; Rainer Brüninghaus, p, synth; Toto Blanke, g; Trilok Gurtu, perc; László Gárdonyi, p; Pál Vasvári, b; Béla Lattmann, b; Gábor Szende, dr.

During my stay as a Fulbright research scholar in the US, I was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner by Andreas Scherrer, a concert agent, owner of Company of Heaven who, ten years ago, moved to Harlem from Austria and married viola player Judith Insell. The following is a report on the event.

Charles Gayle, Lee Konitz