Mihály Borbély - saxophones, clarinet, tárogató, tilinca, fujara

He studied classical clarinet and jazz saxophone at Béla Bartók Conservatory and Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. Through his career in addition to his original instruments (clarinet and alto saxophone) he has specialised in playing unusual wind instruments (tárogató, folk flutes, kaval, dvojnice, fujara, ocarina, bombard, zurna) as well as soprano and tenor saxophone.

He is one of the founding members of the famous Vujicsics folk group, and he is equally active participant – either as a leader or as a soloist – in various world music, jazz and contemporary music groups (Mihály Borbély Quartet, Balkan Jazz Project, Quartet B, Borbély-Dresch Quartet). He also a member of various line-ups (Binder-Borbély Duo, Eastern Boundary Quartet, Attila László Quintet, Kálmán Oláh Sextet).

He has participated in countless recordings and has given concerts in Hungary, throughout Europe, in the USA, in Mexico and in Australia, and has performed at large festivals with Hungarian and international musicians in different genres mentioned above. Some of the groups and musicians he has worked with:

Paul Bley, Steve Coleman, Allegre Corea, Joe Fonda, Kyle Gregory, Trilok Gurtu, Tony Lakatos, Herbie Mann, Bob Mintzer, Michel Montanaro and his „Vents d’Est”, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Gerard Presencer, Rova Saxophone Quartet, Saxophone Summit (Michael Brecker-David Liebman-Joe Lovano), Arnie Somogyi „Improvokation“, Michael Jefry Stevens, Jirí Stivín, Jens Winther, Yurodny.

The Bokros Ensemble, Nikola Parov, Márta Sebestyén, Sebő Ensemble, Hungarian World Music Orchestra, Budapest Jazz Orchestra, Modern Art Orchestra, Mihály Dresch, István Grencsó, Imre Kőszegi, Zoltán Lantos „Mirrorworld“, Attila László Band, Kálmán Oláh and the Trio Midnight, Syrius, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, as well as Péter Eötvös, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, UMZE Chamber Ensemble, Group 180.

Teaching is an important part of his life and musical philosophy. He has been active in educating young musicians since 1979. He has been a teacher at Béla Bartók Conservatory since 1986, and at the Jazz Department of the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy since 1990. In the latter he was head of department between 1997 and 2000. Apart from the above mentioned activities he has also given lectures and lead courses at various places both in Hungary and abroad, e.g. Birmingham Conservatory, DISTIL England/Scotland, Royal Academy of Music, London (GB); Conservatoire de Lyon (F); Hochschule für Music C.M von Weber, Dresden (D); Morelia Conservatory (MEX); Lamantin Jazz Camp, International Clarinet, Tárogató and Saxophone Camps, Szombathely Bartók Seminar, International Creative Music Education Institute (H), etc.

He got several prizes and awards such as "Best soloist" of the Karlovy Vary Jazz Festival, State prize "For Minorities" (as a member of the Vujicsics ensemble), three eMeRTon prizes, Artisjus Music Foundation Prize, „Jazz Album of the Year“ for the Mihály Borbély Quartet "Meselia Hill" (Gramofon, 2005), Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.

 
Mihály György - guitar, bouzouki

Having graduated from the Jazz Conservatory he entered the quartet of Mohai brothers and also gave duo concerts with Gábor Juhász. Then he formed together with Péter Glaser (bassguitar) and Győző Mohai (drum) a jazz-rock band of high standard named Handmade Trio.

These days he plays in Europe and in the USA with the Kálmán Balogh Gipsy Cimbalom Band and also plays the bouzouki and the guitar in his earlier groups, the Syrtos (an orchestra of Greek folk music in Hungary) and Kolo (South Slavian folk music).

 
Balázs Horváth - double bass

He was born in 1973, Budapest, Hungary. After his first diploma of bassguitar he continued his studies on double bass at the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy, where he graduated in 2003 and in between in Paris at the Conservatoire Supérieur de la Musique. He studied there with Riccardo Del Fra, Daniel Humair and Francois Théberge.

He’s played with Dave Liebman, Herbie Mann, Dewey Redman, Kyle Gregory, Ben Castle, Al Foster among others, including many Hungarian jazz musicians. He is a member of Mihály Borbély’s groups: the Mihály Borbély Quartet (which won the prize of the best hungarian jazz album and the eMeRTon prize in 2005), the Quartet B, the Balkan Jazz Project and the Borbély-Dresch Quartet. He also plays in Dániel Váczi’s Trio, Trio Minor (this group won first prize of the competition of the Hungarian Jazz Federation in 2008). He’s played with Budapest Jazz Orchestra, Modern Art Orchestra, Kőszegi Imre Quartet, Nagy János Trio, Elsa Valle’s groups, Fenyvesi Márton Trio (this group won first prize of the competitions of the Hungarian Jazz Federation in 2007 and the Balatonfüred Jazz Festival in 2008).

 
Hunor G. Szabó - drums

One of the most promising talents of the younger generation who was born in Mezőtúr in 1979. He started to deal with music at the age of thirtheen as a gitarist in the school band, later he switched to jazz drums and after moving to Budapest he started his intensive studies at the Ferenc Erkel School of Music. He got his degree from the Jazz Department of Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in 2004.

He had been playing with the „Egy Kiss Erzsi Zene” group between 2001 and 2007, where he played several instruments and was an important person in the field of composing. Nowadays he is a member of the ethno-jazz quartet, the „Kardos 4” (inspired by the music of the Balkan) and also plays in the Smarton Trio as well as in István Grencsó’s group.