In each issue we interview a musician about what he is currently working on and what he thinks the most important thing is in his life at the moment.  What is it that he regards progressive in Hungarian jazz?

Borbély Mihály, 46, is a saxophonist who likes experimenting with different styles of music. He was the head of the Jazz Faculty of the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy for years where he has been teaching for sixteen years. He is one of the founding members of the Vujicsics band and leads two other groups: the Borbély Workshop and Quartet B, which are both going to come out with a new album. I invited him to tell us about his career in a few words.

- Besides jazz I feel at home in many different types of music, such as folk-, contemporary and world music. I often perform with Binder Károly. We both deem freedom and interaction between the schools of style I have mentioned above essential in music. Mainstream is of course important for mee too but I have always enjoyed participating in productions that are not the aftermath of American trends. I believe the latest songs of various outstanding Hungarian jazz musicians also show in this directions.

László Attila has just finished an album that features woodwinds and strings alike. Szakcsi Lakatos Béla has composed several richly orchestrated pieces borrowing from authentic Roma folk music and so has Babos Gyula. I highlight folk music here because it is one of the roots of jazz played in the Carpathian basin. The other of course, being American jazz, wich we do our best to explore and play well. We will however never be able to play it as an American, since we were not born over there, do not live and do not have the same way of thinking.

We must emphasise the European features in jazz and more specifically, what is tipically Hungarian, what we can contribute to jazz with. Our music is defined by this dual bond. American jazz musicians seem to find it appealing what we do here. 

Jack DeJonette has said lately that he came to Hungary to see how we play jazz. Herbie Mann, the legendary flute player shares his interest. As the next stage of our cooperation with Herbie Mann, in September we are going to record an album whose instrumentation will be based on Hungarian jazz and folk music. True jazz means constantly looking for new ways, exploring possibilities. We witness the same non-stop search in American jazz and I believe we have many exciting productoions in Hungary, too. I know what I say doesen't matter too much to a New Yorker but just bear in mind how often the name of Bartók is mentioned in the States: many albums include an acknowledgement to him, feature dedications to him or various referenses about him. American musicians has grasped the uniqueness of his music, whose central element is the same dual bond, - East and West, tradition and revival, - which also defines our music. 

MiSTER Magazine(September-October 2002)