beg-musicians – Peter Timaffy

Elemér BALÁZS

Elemér Balázs was born in 1967 in Ózd. His parents realized at an early age that he had a great affinity for rhythms. He started his musical studies when he was only six at the Rózsa Ferenc Street Vasutasok Music School, where his teachers were Imre Kőszegi and József Gáti. Later on, his teacher was Iván Nesztor at the Postás (Erkel Ferenc) Music School. In 1983, Elemér was admitted to the jazz department of the Bartók Béla Music School as an exceptional talent, where his drum teacher was Gyula Kovács. Alongside the music academy, he finished his high school studies at night school. Soon, he was playing together with the most renowned musicians in Hungary, as they paid attention to him at a very young age. To this day, he has already played with all of the great Hungarian jazz musicians, like Dezső „Ablakos” Lakatos, Gyula Babos, Balázs Berkes, Katalin Bontovics, Gyula Csepregi, László Dés, Gábor Gadó, Attila László, Aladár Pege, Ferenc Snétberger, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, and György Vukán.

Elemér is an important part of the local jazz scene as a drummer as well as a composer. He has achieved great success with his past and current bands. One of these bands was called No-spa, which won third place at the Jazz Hoeilaart Competition in Brussels in 1989, and won first place at the International Jazz Festival in Leverkusen one year later. Trio Midnight, which has been an active band for 25 years, has also had great success. Elemér plays in this band with composer and pianist Kálmán Oláh and double bass player János Egri. Trio Midnight is a significant jazz band of its generation. One of their successes was winning first place at Jazz Hoeilaart. The Creative Art Trio played an important part in his life as well, where he played together with György Vukán and Balázs Berkes on double bass. Some of his main bands include: Joy, the Gábor Gadó Trio, the Gyula Babos Trio, the Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Trio, the László Dés Septet, and the Kálmán Oláh Sextet.

Elemér’s special drumming can be heard on almost a hundred albums. He is still an active drummer in the following bands: Trio Midnight, the József Balázs Quintet, the Szakcsi Jr. Trio, the Andrea Szulák Quintet, the László Dés – Elemér Balázs Quartet (Contemporary Gregorian), the Zoltán Pintér Trio, the Kálmán Oláh Sextet, and the CB Trio.

He has attended to numerous jazz festivals all over the world, including those in Perugia, Marciac, Nuremberg, Zurich, Munich, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Bratislava, Ciney, Dinant, Detroit, Getxo, Brussels, Vienna, Bangkok, Toronto, Quebec, and London. He has worked together with famous musicians such as Annette Lowman, Stjepko Gut, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Jukka Perkó, Paolo Fresu, Stephane Belmondo, Steve Houben, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer, Pat Metheny, Rick Margitza, Charlie Mariano, Randy Brecker, Al Jarreau, Nicholas Payton, Ben Monder, Dave Liebman, Darryl Jones, Joe Lovano, and Tim Ries.

Pat Metheny, the world-renowned jazz guitarist, spoke of him in high terms: “In my opinion, Elemér is one of the best drummers today. He plays with incomparable musicality and finesse. He is able to listen to every single musical moment with such attention, and he is able to make such fine and spontaneous decisions on stage that it only enhances the quality of the playing of the other musicians. He approaches his instrument with great taste. I always play with him with joy, and I feel the same when I listen to his music.”

Elemér has always taken great care in choosing his bands. In 1990, he created his first quintet under his own name, which later recorded three albums. The album Always That Moment won “Jazz Album of the Year” in 2000 from Gramofon magazine. He created the Balázs Elemér Group in that year as well, which is one of the most successful jazz bands in Hungary. The audience took a liking to them immediately after their first album, Around the World. The band evolved into a regular performer at numerous jazz and other music festivals and clubs both at home and abroad. The band has released eight albums and one concert DVD to date:

Around The World (2002)
Our Worlds Beyond (2003)
Refracting Sounds (2004)
Hungarian Folk Songs – Magyar Népdalok (2005)
Best & Live 2001-2006 Concert in Budapest (live DVD) (2007)
Early Music (2007)
Memories (Dedicated to our mother) (2009)
The New BEGinning (2013)
BEG 15 – Örök szerelem (2015)

The album Refracting Sounds won a Fonogram Award in 2005; one year later, another album by the group, Hungarian Folk Songs, went gold. Acknowledged musicians like László Dés, Mihály Dresch, Tim Ries, Charlie Mariano, and Nuria Rial can also be heard on their albums.

Elemér and his brother, József, composed the music for the film Getnó (by András Salamon), in which the group also performed.
Since 2006, Elemér has given concerts regularly with Tim Ries, the world-renowned American saxophone player, in various formations. They have played together multiple times in Hungary and also in many European and American clubs and jazz festivals, such as Deer Head Inn, Smalls, Jazz Standard, Regatta, and Blue Note.

Awards:

2000

Gramofon Award: „Jazz Album of the Year” (Balázs Elemér Quintet – Always That Moment)

2001

Józsefvárosért Award

2005

Fonogram Award: „Jazz Album of the Year” (Balázs Elemér Group – Refracting Sounds)

2005

Silver Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary

2006

Artisjus Award (Dés László – Balázs Elemér Quartet – Contemporary Gregorian)

2012

Story Award

József BALÁZS

József Balázs was born in Budapest in 1978. He is one of the most significant pianists and composers of his generation. He first became known through his brother Elemér Balázs’s album “My New Way”. Alongside his brother, József has been a key member of one of the most successful bands in Hungary, the Balázs Elemér Group, since its establishment, acting as a composer as well as an orchestrator. He placed second in the Füsti Balogh Gábor Jazz Piano Competition and won the best soloist award at the Jazz Juniors Competition in Krakow. Furthermore, he was awarded the Ablakos Lakatos Dezső jazz performers scholarship in 2007. He has played together with well-known musicians such as Erik Truffaz, Stéphane Belmondo, Bobby Watson, Charlie Mariano, Robin Eubanks, Steve Houben, Nicholas Payton, and Tim Ries. He founded the Balázs József Quintet in 2007, whose first album came out in 2008 with the title “I Don’t Got You Mean”.

Besides his successes in jazz, he is an acknowledged orchestrator in different music genres. He also founded his ethno-jazz formation, the East Gipsy Band, in 2010, which combines jazz with Gypsy music from all around the world. The East Gipsy Band brings together the great musicians of the local jazz scene with major figures of Gypsy music: József Balázs (keyboard), Elemér Balázs (drums), Lajos Sárközi Jr. (violin), György Orbán (double bass), Vilmos Oláh (dulcimer), and Gusztáv Balogh (vocal). Their first album, “Ageless Message”, came out in 2011. Tim Ries, the world-renowned American saxophonist, also participates in this album. The band has already performed numerous concerts in various jazz clubs in cities such as New York, Toronto, Brussels, and London. Among other things, they had performances in one of the oldest American jazz clubs, Deer Head Inn (Pennsylvania), as well as at Blue Note, Jazz Standard, and Smalls Jazz Club (New York), Regattabar (Boston), Hugh’s Room (Toronto), and the well-known Detroit Jazz Festival.

Krisztián PECEK LAKATOS

Krisztián Pecek Lakatos was born in 1989 in Budapest, Hungary. He began playing the double bass at the age of nine. He started his classical music studies at the Tóth Aladár Music School and later continued at the Bartók Béla Conservatory. Parallel to his formal education, he developed his exceptional jazz skills as a self-taught musician.

His international career took off at a remarkably young age. At just 11 years old, he performed at the Ciney Jazz Festival in Belgium alongside Gregory Houben, József Balázs and András Mohay. A year later, he returned to Belgium for a concert tour with Steve Houben, Gregory Houben, Elemér Balázs and József Balázs.

In 2003, at the age of 13, Krisztián achieved a historic milestone by winning the Hungarian Radio Jazz Double Bass Competition – a prestigious event where the age limit was 30. The chairman of the jury was the legendary John Patitucci, with whom Krisztián also had the privilege of performing at the gala concert. As part of his prize, he recorded his debut solo album, “Young Man with a Big Bass”.

In 2007, he collaborated with Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Jr. and the world-renowned jazz drummer Ed Thigpen. In January 2012, he performed at the Palace of Arts in Budapest alongside Elemér Balázs, József Balázs, and internationally acclaimed jazz icons Nicholas Payton and Tim Ries.

His second solo album, “In Memory of…” featuring his own original compositions, was released in 2012. The following year, he toured Switzerland with Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos and recorded the album “Sepia” with the celebrated drummer Gregory Hutchinson. In 2016, his international presence continued to grow as he toured the United States and Canada with the Balázs Elemér Group and Tim Ries.

Throughout his career, Krisztián has shared the stage with some of the most influential figures in jazz, including John Patitucci, Jack DeJohnette, Ed Thigpen and Nicholas Payton, establishing himself as one of the most versatile and sought-after double bass players of his generation.

Áron KOMJÁTI

Áron Komjáti was born in 1986 in Pécs. He started learning classical guitar at the local music school when he was seven. After six years of classical studies, his interest turned towards contemporary music genres. In 2005, after graduating from high school, Áron enrolled in the Egressy Béni Music School in Budapest, where he was a pupil of Csaba Czirják. In 2011, he earned a degree from the jazz department of the Liszt Academy, where his teachers included Gyula Babos and Sándor Horányi. He also won a year-long scholarship program at the Academy. As part of the International World Liszt Day Program, he attended the Bayreuth Festival with a commissioned band.

Áron has been teaching classical guitar at the music school in Dunaharaszti (near Budapest) since 2010.

He is an active member of the Budapest music scene. He regularly plays at Hungarian festivals with his own bands as well as with various jazz, ethno, and pop groups. He also contributes to theatrical performances both as a composer and as a musician.

Áron has been a member of the Balázs Elemér Group since June 2012. He has performed with the group at many jazz festivals in Hungary and abroad, giving him the chance to play with Stéphane Belmondo (trumpet) and Tim Ries (sax). He also contributed to the group’s album “The New BEGinning” (2013), as well as to the jubilee album (2015).

Since September 2012, Áron has been a constant member of Kornél Fekete-Kovács’s orchestra, the Modern Art Orchestra. During this time, they have completed two American tours, in addition to performing at several Hungarian festivals. As a member of the Modern Art Orchestra, Áron has had the chance to play together with David Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Chris Potter, Mike Garson, Sherry Williams, Kurt Elling, Tony Lakatos, Adam Nussbaum, Biréli Lagrène, the New York Voices, and the Harlem Gospel Choir. In 2013, he contributed to Kristóf Bacsó’s album “Circular”.

József CZIBERE

József Czibere was born in 1977 in Hajdúböszörmény. He began his percussion lessons at the local music school at the age of 11 and continued with private lessons from László Sándor. In 1995, he moved to Budapest and acquired his first set of congas. He joined the bands Wei Wu Wei and The Eichinger. In 2001, he played in Klári Katona’s group and, in the following year, performed as a session musician in one of Hungary’s most famous groups, LGT. He is also featured on the Budapest Jazz Orchestra’s first album (Budapest Jazz Suite). In 2003, he moved to the UK, where he taught children in music and elementary schools how to play the drums. He was invited to join Victor Davis’s band and traveled with them to Japan and almost all countries of Europe. In 2006, he moved back to Budapest. In January 2008, he was invited by Elemér Balázs to join his group. Since 2009, he has been a member of Tibor Tátrai’s Tátrai Trend Quartet. In 2012, he started teaching at the Snétberger Music Center. Since 2014, he has been a member of Richárd Révész’s Latin Trio.

Enikő MOLNÁR

Enikő Molnár began her musical studies at the Egressy Béni Secondary School of Music (Hungary), then continued at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Zeneakadémia) in Budapest, majoring in jazz singing. She studied with renowned masters such as Bea Munkácsi, Gábor Winand, Ágnes Lakatos, and Tamás Berki. Enikő regularly performs with István Gyárfás and has worked with prominent figures of the Hungarian jazz scene on numerous occasions. She has been the female vocalist of the Balázs Elemér Group since 2022.

Dávid VARGA

Dávid Varga began his studies in Subotica (a Serbian town 10 km from the Hungarian border) at the Music School of Subotica, then continued his training as a jazz singer at Kodolányi János University (Orosháza, Hungary). He completed his studies at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Zeneakadémia) in Budapest, earning a degree in jazz singing. He has been teaching music since 2020 and is the choir director of the Ádám Jenő Elementary School and Elementary Art School in Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary. In the TV show “Ének iskolája” (School of Singing), produced by the Hungarian broadcaster TV2, Dávid was a finalist, and in the same year, he also placed highly at the Talentum and Berklee College of Music competitions. In recent years, he has had the opportunity to share the stage with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Quincy Jones, Richard Bona, Dee Dee Bridgewater, John Clayton, Andreas Varady, Alfredo Rodriguez, and Vula Malinga, among others.