Makám 40 || Instrumental
The band, officially known as Makám since 1984, led by Zoltán Krulik, is the most prominent representative of the new tradition in Hungary. Forty years old in 2024, the ensemble's career has always been characterised by the convergence of different musical worlds, contemporary music, improvisation and traditional sounds. The concert in the House of Music, celebrating the jubilee year, will recall the early days of Makám, the instrumental sound of the first four albums released between 1988 and 1998 - with a twist at the end, when Bori Magyar's vocals will add a human voice.
Schedule
Throughout the eras of the Makam, tradition and modernity, East and West, the duality of the collective and the individual, are interwoven in the search for ancient unity and harmony. Makám's predecessor, C.S.Ö. (Creative Studio Five), was active from 1975 to 1980, followed by four years of Makám and Kolinda, which became Makám in 1984 under the leadership of Krulik. Initially, it burst onto the music scene as an envoy of the ethno-avant-garde in Central and Eastern Europe, and this initial period - traditional European instruments: oboe, guitar, bass, piano - was subtly nuanced by Asian, Far Eastern roots (tabla, gatham, sarangi from India), Balkan (gadulka, kaval) and African influences (sansa, marimba, udu), as well as repetitive elements of contemporary music. After the debut album "Approaches" in 1988, this world music direction in the best sense continued in the releases of the nineties (Divertimento - 1994, Café Bábel - 1997, A Part - 1998), in which jazz elements were brought by the playing of one of the most renowned Hungarian saxophonists, István Grencsó, but also by the drummer Gergő Borlai Borlai, who became a member of Makám at a very young age. In this concert, the band will be revisiting the material from these four legendary albums, with most of the members of the time. Szabolcs Szőke, Endre Juhász and Gergő Borlai will be on stage, among many others:
Gergő Borlai | drums
Attila Boros | bass guitar
Dávid Eredics | saxophone, clarinet, kaval
Borbély Mihály | saxophone
Keönch László Farkas | cajon, udu, drums
Zoltán Krulik | guitar - band leader
Zoltán Lantos | violin
Zoltán Mizsei | synthesizer
Rácz Gabriella | violin
Szabolcs Szőke | gadulka
Juhász Endre | oboe, bagpipes
House of Music Hungary
A music education centre and concert venue in the heart of the City Park, behind the airy futuristic glass facade of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
