Bendegúz Varga’s new album, No Excuses (coming in the spring of 2026), takes the form of a concept album: the bandleader has selected some iconic, some perhaps lesser-known, yet deeply cherished songs from the Seattle grunge-rock movement that flourished in the early 1990s, reworking them with his band in the style of modern mainstream jazz. Despite the fact that these are rock covers rather than original compositions, they have managed to truly make the material their own, especially thanks to the arrangements and improvisations. The new album features not only instrumental but also vocal songs – to interpret the melodies made famous by male rock singers, Bendegúz invited Kriszta Koncz, winner of the 2024 Müpa Jazz Showcase Audience Award, who lends a whole new meaning to the songs with her deep, emotionally charged voice.  

The repertoire of Cafuné features unique pieces of Brazilian music and traditional South American guitar music. With an acoustic sound and their own unique instrumentation, they bring to life the world of Brazilian bossa nova and samba, as well as MBP –  música popular brasileira –, the post-bossa nova urban popular music genre. The authentic sound is enhanced by the voice of Anna Pataki, who interprets this style in Portuguese with a naturalness rarely heard. The pulsating samba and the soft bossa nova offer the audience a multifaceted experience: lively, sparkling, and at times sweetly melancholic, with ever-present sunshine. The members of Cafuné are all outstanding figures in the Hungarian music scene, and both their personalities and the musical styles they represent lend the band a rich diversity. Their current program, Boa noite Budapeste (Good evening, Budapest), features both fan favorites and fresh surprises.  

May 22, 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the internationally renowned musician Elek Bacsik. Bacsik lived in Paris from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, where he became popular primarily as a guitarist and played with such world-renowned stars as Dizzy Gillespie, Michel Legrand, Quincy Jones, Kenny Clarke, Clark Terry, and Elvin Jones. The two albums he recorded in France have since been reissued multiple times. In America, he achieved success primarily as a jazz violinist, where he also recorded two albums. Since his death in 1993, his work has been commemorated in numerous articles and books. Elek Bacsik defined his artistic philosophy as follows: “For the Romani, national borders, races, or cultures do not represent barriers. To us, the entire earth is like a boundless universe. This is our mission in life – to show how open the world is. I can achieve this through my music, which is my love and my life.” The memorial concert will feature compositions in connection to his career. The rhythm section consists of guitarist László Halper, bassist József Horváth Pluto, and drummer Máté Éles, joined by three outstanding soloists: the internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso, Roby Lakatos, award-winning guitarist Gábor Juhász, and the winner of the Babos Guitar Competition, Márió Fábió Fehér.

Of Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ timeless albums, the Grammy-winning Sketches of Spain was the first to go platinum, but it was also the one they worked on the longest in the studio. Davis was inspired by Iberian music in several ways: his wife took him to a flamenco evening, which had a huge impact on him, but one of the tunes had already appeared on their slightly earlier, epoch-making album Kind of Blue. In addition, Columbia Records had already released authentic Spanish folk music, which Evans studied in depth. The Concerto de Aranjuez, an expanded movement from Rodrigo's guitar concerto, flows majestically at the start of the record, followed by folk song arrangements, a Villa-Lobos theme, and a flamenco paraphrase composed by Evans. Evans’ maximalism brought the desired result, Davis’ reputation skyrocketed. Many even trace the concept of world music to have originated at this point. Davis was completely emotionally exhausted by the end of the long weeks of the recordings, having given his all while not giving up on his extensive touring schedule. He gave only one retrospective performance of his earlier recordings in his lifetime, when, a few months before his death, he played a concert in Montreux with Quincy Jones's band, performing songs from the repertoire he had made with Evans. The Modern Art Orchestra’s three-part concert series pays tribute to this year’s centenary of a jazz icon through the legendary collaboration of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The evenings built around three inescapable milestones of jazz history – Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain – are not straightforward reinterpretations of the iconic albums, but rather trace the arc of a shared musical vision: the expansion of the boundaries between jazz and classical music, the redefinition of the big-band sound, and the revolutionary rethinking of the relationship between soloist and orchestra. The series is at once a homage to the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis’s birth and a statement of the Modern Art Orchestra’s artistic credo: starting from the tradition of jazz while remaining open in the search for new sonic ideals. Three concerts, a single musical idea revealed through different faces.

Of Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ timeless albums, the Grammy-winning Sketches of Spain was the first to go platinum, but it was also the one they worked on the longest in the studio. Davis was inspired by Iberian music in several ways: his wife took him to a flamenco evening, which had a huge impact on him, but one of the tunes had already appeared on their slightly earlier, epoch-making album Kind of Blue. In addition, Columbia Records had already released authentic Spanish folk music, which Evans studied in depth. The Concerto de Aranjuez, an expanded movement from Rodrigo's guitar concerto, flows majestically at the start of the record, followed by folk song arrangements, a Villa-Lobos theme, and a flamenco paraphrase composed by Evans. Evans’ maximalism brought the desired result, Davis’ reputation skyrocketed. Many even trace the concept of world music to have originated at this point. Davis was completely emotionally exhausted by the end of the long weeks of the recordings, having given his all while not giving up on his extensive touring schedule. He gave only one retrospective performance of his earlier recordings in his lifetime, when, a few months before his death, he played a concert in Montreux with Quincy Jones's band, performing songs from the repertoire he had made with Evans. The Modern Art Orchestra’s three-part concert series pays tribute to this year’s centenary of a jazz icon through the legendary collaboration of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The evenings built around three inescapable milestones of jazz history – Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain – are not straightforward reinterpretations of the iconic albums, but rather trace the arc of a shared musical vision: the expansion of the boundaries between jazz and classical music, the redefinition of the big-band sound, and the revolutionary rethinking of the relationship between soloist and orchestra. The series is at once a homage to the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis’s birth and a statement of the Modern Art Orchestra’s artistic credo: starting from the tradition of jazz while remaining open in the search for new sonic ideals. Three concerts, a single musical idea revealed through different faces.

Founded in 2005, the experimental music project Kada ad Libitum employs generally open structures and sets of rules. Drawing on the possibilities these offer, the band creates new material at every concert and recording session, which ultimately still come across as songs or written compositions. The band works with musical contrasts: between pre-written passages and free improvisations, acoustic sound and atonal noise music, extreme dynamics and freely explored styles. The members come from diverse musical backgrounds, so the band itself – constantly in flux – cannot really be defined by any specific genre or typical style; instead, everyone plays in a way that authentically stems from their personality and experience, and under the influence of the musical event being created in the moment. The band’s latest vinyl album, Music for Virtual Audience, was released in 2025, and they will perform tracks from it this evening, though the program will largely consist of new compositions – much to the delight of fans of progressive contemporary jazz and experimental music.  

Twang Twang is the long-awaited meeting of two adventurous spirits. Ádám Mészáros is one of the most eclectic Hungarian guitarists of the past twenty years; throughout his musical journey, he has made his mark in the world of pop-rock (Péterfy Bori & Love Band, Erik Sumo Band), is at home in the realms of avant-garde jazz and free music (Jü, Qiyan), is a key figure in folk-rooted projects (Tariqa, Saïd Chalaban), and flirts with other art forms too. Born in Budapest and living in Paris for three decades, guitarist-composer Csaba Palotaï’s style is defined by rock, free jazz, blues, and Eastern European folk music. In addition to his own musical projects, he has participated in numerous productions alongside artists such as Thomas De Pourquery, Rémi Sciuto, John Zorn (Cobra), Omar Sosa, Steve Argüelles, and Sylvain Rifflet. To date, eight of his albums have been released by BMC Records: following his first band, Grupa Palotaï, he made recordings with other groups, as well as the solo albums The Deserter and, most recently, Soulbread. Photos: Norbert Pandur-Balogh, Vincent Bourre

The band Deaf Platypus started out at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory under the mentorship of Jakub Doležal. Over time, they have moved from jazz-fusion covers to their own compositions: the platypus melodies are often humorous and innocent, but they also like to experiment with odd rhythms and intricate, almost neoclassical arrangements. Jazz improvisation remains the focus of their work. In the wind section you will hear Mikuláš Homolka on trumpet, Vanda Dršatová on flute and David Le Cam on saxophone / bass clarinet, the adventurous rhythm section consists of Václav 'Hugo' Pitule on drums, Ivča Kejzlarová on bass, Amélie Teršlová on keyboards and newcomer Jiří Popelka on guitar.  

Blu/Bry is a band founded in 2021 that has been actively performing on the European scene ever since. Their music blends modern jazz with folk influences, as well as elements of classical and electronic music. The band focuses on original compositions and a collective approach to sound, giving their music a distinctive and cohesive character. The quintet has participated in numerous competitions and festivals, including Enter Enea Festival. They are the winners of the Grand Prix at prestigious competitions such as Jazz Juniors, Central European Jazz Showcase, Jazz nad Odrą, and Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. In the JazzForum JazzTop 2024 ranking, they were recognized as the “New Hope of the Year”. They also regularly perform at clubs and festivals both in Poland and abroad, steadily building their presence on the jazz scene. Their debut album Blubry was released in 2023, followed by Ejber in early 2025, created in collaboration with Polish Radio. The band’s recordings have been very well received by both critics and audiences. The members of the band have had the opportunity to study at institutions such as the Danish National Academy of Music, Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) in Copenhagen. They continuously develop their musical language, seeking new inspirations and artistic directions.  

The concert of Tamás Geröly – one of Hungary’s most distinctive percussionists – and his friends promises to be a real treat for fans of complex contemporary free music. The band is made up of outstanding Hungarian representatives of the genre, coming from two different generations. Bálint Bolcsó’s astonishingly vivid electronics, Ádám Czitrom’s exciting guitar playing, and the saxophone playing of Geröly’s student Dániel Cseke are organically interwoven with the style of Péter Ajtai and Tamás Geröly, the two permanent members of the acoustic-avant-garde Geröly Trio, which has been active for more than a decade and a half. Joining the band as a guest is clarinetist Lajos Rozmán, who is equally versed in classical music, jazz, and contemporary improvisation.

For Hungarian audiences, the name of Mátyás Premecz is associated with two things: on the one hand, dynamic bands – including Kéknyúl, Juli Fábián and Zoohacker, Little G Weevil, and the Lőrinc Barabás Quartet, but Premecz also accompanied Jackie Orszáczky on his final tour of the country – and, on the other hand, with a massive Hammond organ. The Premecz Organ Trio mainly plays the bandleader’s own compositions, and their style is a healthy blend of jazz, blues, and funk. The band’s debut album, titled Chicken Pressure, was released in 2025, and their recent concerts center on the aim of bringing this enlivening music into the physical space through a continuous live presence.  

Anggie Obin is a flutist born in Panama City. She graduated in classical flute at the National Conservatory of Panama, but soon after ventured into jazz through the scholarship of the Danilo Pérez Foundation, where she expanded her artistic voice and explored diverse musical genres. She was also mentored by legendary saxophonist Carlos Garnett. She was awarded a full scholarship at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she specialized in jazz performance and improvisation. After completing her studies, she relocated to New York City. She has collaborated with renowned jazz figures such as Danilo Pérez, Peter Erskine or John Patitucci. She released her debut single, Ballot or the Bullet in 2024, while her debut album entitled Luz is set for release this year. With the support of Institut Ramon Llull and JAZZ I AM within the project of Catalan Jazz On Tour.

Four adventurers for whom being on the road – both physically and mentally – is a natural state. Four musicians who constantly push the boundaries of what their instruments can offer. The recently founded Ghetto Birds is the meeting of four individuals who transcend social and genre-based frameworks by creating an artistic community, soaring with the songs and freedom of birds. Mahan Mirarab is a musician, composer, and educator from Tehran based in Vienna. Known for his multi-neck guitar and distinctive musical voice, he blends Iranian classical music, European chamber music, and contemporary jazz into a unique and accessible style.  Miklós Lukács is one of the leading cimbalom players of his generation and a key figure in bringing the instrument into contemporary and international contexts. His work bridges classical music, jazz, and diverse folk traditions, combining virtuosity with a highly personal musical language.  Daniele Camarda is an Italian bassist, composer, and improviser known for his bold sonic identity and unorthodox approach to the instrument. His music moves fluidly between contemporary jazz, global string traditions, and experimental soundscapes, often incorporating live electronics.  András Dés was born in Budapest and now lives in Vienna. He considers himself mainly as a jazz musician, but his openness to diverse forms of expression is reflected in his genre-crossing work: he has collaborated extensively with folk musicians, explored contemporary classical music, and enjoys performing with writers and poets. 

The Spischak Quartet blends the jazz genre’s traditions with a fresh, modern sound and an open-minded approach to music, embodying both the freedom of improvisation and the sophisticated craft of chamber music. Their repertoire centers on the bandleader’s compositions, which feature distinctive themes, rich harmonies, and lively rhythms, creating space for spontaneous musical dialogue and creative improvisation. The band’s sound is shaped into a cohesive sonic landscape by the lyrical yet energetic playing of the saxophone and guitar, combined with the dynamic and sensitive accompaniment of the rhythm section. At their concerts, the balance between carefully constructed compositions developed through workshop sessions and improvisations born in the magic of the moment creates an atmosphere that is both profound and liberating. Their music appeals to both long-time jazz enthusiasts and those who are just discovering the genre. At this concert, they will perform a selection of their original compositions, including material from their album Zöld kör (Green Circle), released in November 2025.

The LFZE Béla Bartók Conservatory's orchestra is made up of more than 20 young musicians who play music based on free improvisation process models. The ensemble is led by Péter Ajtai and Máté Pozsár, and includes jazz and classical musicians as well. Their work carries on the tradition of Hungarian free music, rooted in collective creation and spontaneity, while also seeking new forms and structures of improvisation. In April 2024 they played at the House of Music Hungary as part of the New Music project, and in September they were included in the Liszt Academy's Conservatory concert series. This evening, they will perform free jazz classics and guided improvisations. 

French-Hungarian singer-songwriter Izabella Caussanel’s debut album features her own songs alongside arrangements of French chansons and Hungarian folk songs. Her music blends avant-garde jazz with the worlds of chanson and folk music, giving rise to her own distinctive, contemporary sound. The album Regarde explores this multi-layered musical and cultural identity: delicately crafted, intimate songs alternate with bolder, freer improvisations, while the instrumentation sensitively follows the arc of the storytelling. The album simultaneously preserves classical elements and orientates towards new forms, creating a world where French lyricism, Hungarian folk music, and contemporary jazz resonate in harmony. 

The music of Ágnes Lakatos’s new group, Special Zone, is characterized by exciting bass rhythms and melodic lines exploring new paths, built on harmonies that are modern yet refined and incorporate classical musical influences. All of this is transformed into a thoroughly unique musical world by Ágnes Lakatos’s colorful vocal and improvisational techniques, Máté Pozsár’s piano playing that draws on free jazz, and Gábor Pusztai’s expressive percussion accompaniment. Their program relies primarily on compositions by double bassist Tibor Csuhaj-Barna, with lyrics written by Sugárka Enyedi.

LUFT, the improvised duo of Mats Gustafsson and Erwan Keravec, is the meeting between free jazz/noise saxophone and the new tradition of bagpipes. They experiment with microtonal clusters, pneumatic noise, circulating frenzy, oscillating, resulting in a new poetic energy. It seems that this is not weird enough for these musicians who decided to invite their friend Otomo Yoshihide to join them with his guitar and turntable for this totally unique and unusual trio called LUFT_OTOMO.

Formed in 2023, the Gábor Szalay Organ Trio is an acoustic jazz ensemble with a distinctive yet timeless sound, offering a fresh take on the classic guitar-organ-drums lineup. Their program centers on the bandleader’s original compositions, characterized by a clean, refined style and a melody-driven approach. In addition to their own songs, they perform iconic pieces from the golden age of jazz in the 1950s and 60s, with subtle nods to masters such as Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, and Thelonious Monk. In this jazz that draws on tradition yet remains contemporary, the improvisations take a clear and thoughtful form, while the rich texture of the organ, the lyrical sound of the guitar, and the lively rhythm of the drums come together in a harmonious unity. The atmosphere of the concerts is defined by a musical dialogue born of the moment and a sense of freshness.  

Gábor Gadó and Veronika Harcsa are two artists known primarily as jazz musicians, yet their work is increasingly shifting towards classical, early and contemporary music. Their musical encounter is already documented in two albums for BMC Records: Shekhinah (2023) presented Gadó’s most recent compositions with texts by Veronika Harcsa, while The Language of Flowers (2024) revived his pieces from more than two decades ago, originally written to texts by Eszter Molnár and for Gábor Winand. Their latest album, Yūgen, to be released in June, continues to explore the mysterious, elusive beauty hidden behind musical forms and sounds – the album’s material will be heard live for the first time at this concert.  

The group, founded in 2002, developed a special sound for its composed and improvised chamber music by combining instruments, rather uncommon in jazz, like the Bulgarian gadulka, or Dániel Váczi's own brainchild, the glissotar, with the more traditional setting of guitar, saxophone, double bass and drums. The name Ektar comes from the Indian word 'ek-tar' which means one string. Indeed, the five musicians play and improvise in such harmony as if they were all playing on a single instrument.

“We move on a laid-back basis, but we easily slip into hip-hop, jazz, and all kinds of genre madness that catches our attention. We experiment, mix, and break things down – we have no rules, just groove and energy”, says the recently formed Horror Monkeyz quartet, which performs in public for the first time in May 2026. The group is comprised of outstanding musicians from the young and middle generations of Hungarian jazz: Sándor Soso Lakatos, Árpád Oláh Tzumo, Krisztián Lakatos Pecek, and Gábor Rigó, who, in this new band, aim to create an intense, dynamic soundscape by blending jazz, fusion, and contemporary music.

The Chris Devil Trio was formed in 2011 by first-year jazz students at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. The trio consists of three distinct musical personalities who create a unified and coherent, yet diverse sound. They gave their first concert under the name Sörpa Trio, an acronym formed from the members’ names. The following year, they chose a new name: the English translation of the bandleader’s name. The close-knit trio is occasionally joined by guests, they have performed alongside János Ávéd, Mihály Borbély, Bálint Gyémánt, Krisztián Oláh, and Viktor Tóth, among others. Their repertoire consists primarily of their own compositions. Just as the band’s name is built on opposites, sharp contrasts often appear in their musical world as well: moods, styles, and musical characters clash with one another. At this concert, they will present their album Sounds of Devil live, whose concept is also built on this duality – the successive tracks are defined by the two extremes of the emotional spectrum: explosive tension and a deep sense of peace.

The music of the Double Weisz Quartet is built on an instinctive trust that stems from a childhood bond. The group was brought to life by the vision of János Weisz, while Gábor Weisz oversees the musical processes and guides them toward realization. In this environment, Ádám Sárdi’s pinpoint-precise bass lines and Dávid Szegő’s dense, dynamic drumming provide the stability upon which the two brothers can freely build. During their concerts, composed themes and free improvisations are inseparable: the freshness of the improvised sections influences the performance of the structured passages, keeping the music in constant motion. The quartet’s trademark is its layered, intertwining rhythms and the piano’s diverse harmonic palette. Their sound boldly ventures between extremes: from thought-provoking, abstract elements of contemporary music to unexpected, sometimes ironic musical humor, their language encompasses a wide range of tools. 

At this year’s Babos Echo concert, marking the 77th anniversary of his birth, Gyula Babos’s grand guitar will be played by István Gyárfás on the Opus stage. Each year in the “Babos Echo” concert series, a different artist plays the instrument as a tribute to Gyula Babos’s musical legacy. “The grand guitar is, to be precise, a Gibson Super 400 model, which we can confidently call the king (or queen?) of jazz guitars. My main instrument is also such a guitar, though from a later year. So when Gyula Babos and I were playing as a duo at the IF Café, we didn’t have to think long about the name: Super 800. I would also like to pay tribute to this duo – which was a great personal and musical experience for me – at the concert, with the contribution of excellent fellow musicians,” said István Gyárfás.

The album Körbezár egy hang is the third joint release by S ï n t h ï a and Máté Möntör, this time recorded in a quartet lineup featuring Áron Nyirő (drums) and Ábel Dénes (double bass). The Hungarian-language compositions are imprints of personal experiences, memories, and dreams: at times evoking the subtle vibrations of reality, at others the sounds of a fairytale-like inner world. The duo’s earlier, more intimate soundscape is now replaced by richer textures, more dynamic instrumentation, and freer musical communication – while preserving the sensitivity and sincerity characteristic of the group.  

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Pianist and composer Károly Gáspár, who is celebrating his 50th birthday this year, is one of the best-known artists on the Hungarian jazz scene. To date, he has released six highly successful albums either with his trio or as a solo artist (The Outsider; Salvation; Philosophy; Tribute to Giants; Centuries Suite; Peace – Time), which mainly feature his own compositions alongside some jazz standards. Gáspár will now draw from his latest album, Peace – Time, while also performing unique arrangements of well-known jazz classics. Released in 2025, Peace – Time tastefully blends the stylistic elements and moods of classical music, jazz standards, and sophisticated pop songs under the theme of peace – both in the literal sense and as an inner state of mind –, also incorporating motifs from various folk music traditions. The album’s overall tone suggests a positive vision of the future, offering listeners a glimmer of hope even in difficult times.  

BMC commemorates Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, who passed away in 2022, with a concert each year. He maintained a two-decade working relationship with BMC, enriching the catalogue of BMC Records with a total of 10 albums, covering a wide variety of musical styles. In keeping with the diversity of his career, different musicians and formations will perform at the commemorative concerts, including those who have played with Szakcsi for many years, as well as who have had little or no opportunity to accompany him on his musical adventures, but they all share a common spirit of creation that is close to the artistic world of the legendary jazz pianist. This concert will be a freely improvised encounter between four generations and four distinct musical perspectives, as each musician represents a different style from the broad and colorful spectrum of jazz. Béla Szakcsi Lakatos had planned to give a concert with this same lineup before the pandemic, but it had to be postponed due to lockdowns – and this upcoming reschedule will also serve as a fitting tribute.

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At the end of 2025, the Fusio Group released its ninth album, New Visions, featuring Erika Kertész. The band, which has been active for over 30 years, was formed from the country’s leading artists. Their program consists of compositions by bandleader, drummer-composer Péter Szendőfi, whose musical world is closest to the fusion jazz genre and spans an extremely wide spectrum of moods and dynamics, ranging from lyrical, ballad-like, sensitive songs to energetic, virtuosic themes and grand instrumental solos. Since 2024, the band’s regular guest has been Erika Kertész, whose presence has given their work a new direction. The singer’s voice and performance style harmonize superbly with the instrumental pieces, while her collaboration also brings English-language lyrics to several previously instrumental tracks. As a result, the music on the new album is an intriguing and unique blend that promises an exceptionally diverse and varied soundscape.  

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Corner Dely’s new program, El Cor de les Cordes (The Heart of the Strings) features both recent and earlier compositions by Robi Dely, in which improvisation and the diverse treatment of the instruments take center stage; thus, the performance is shaped by the musicians’ creativity and the inspirational power of the moment. The title originates in the roughly 98 strings from which the sound ultimately springs – the essence is their vibration and, above all, their resonance, until perfect harmony is achieved. The band seeks this harmony in both the compositions and the improvisations, diving headfirst into the unknown. Corner Dely was founded by Robi Dely, who, since winning the 1995 Lausanne guitar competition, has performed in several of his own bands with prominent figures in the Hungarian music scene. Viktor Hárs joined him that same year, Gábor Cseke joined the band (by then already named Corner Dely) in 2008, and Zsolt Kovács has been a member of the group for a couple years.

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