Párniczky Quartet 10

European jazz is slowly moving away from the American mainstream style: it retains all of its important values, yet creates its own improvisational musical language. The Párniczky Quartet was formed in 2016 to perform the bandleader's arrangements of Béla Bartók's compositions. The fruit of their joint work and Párniczky's doctoral dissertation ("Only from pure sources: The survival of Béla Bartók's music in jazz – LFZE Doctoral School") is their first album, Bartók electrified, released by BMC Records in 2018.

The band, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, was preceded by the Nigun ensemble, in which three of the current members of the Párniczky Quartet played modern jazz based on Central and Eastern European folk music traditions. The quartet's second album, Mikrotheosz (Fonó, 2023), and their concert repertoire both contain elements of chamber jazz, contemporary classical and folk music. The compositions allow for enormous creative freedom and are performed by the band with great energy and articulation.

"Bartók's music creates an ethereal yet distinctive space. And it is precisely this musical space that the Párniczky Quartet is able to capture and reproduce freely and perfectly. It gives Bartók's repertoire a masterful and fresh impetus." Raphaël Benoit, Citizen Jazz