Borbély Műhely feat. Lew Tabackin (HU/US)

Mihály Borbély, who is equally at home in the realms of folk and world music, jazz and contemporary music, and who is extremely popular both at home and abroad, is one of the leading figures of Hungarian jazz, both as a performer and as a composer. The folk music heritage of the Carpathian Basin and the Balkans features prominently in his compositions, organically blended with elements drawn from various jazz styles or even from twentieth-century classical music. In his playing, exciting melodic twists are paired with rhythms that are at times delicately translucent, at others powerful, whilst lyrical passages engage in a dialogue with energetic gestures.

The Borbély Workshop, formed with outstanding fellow musicians, will this time welcome the American tenor saxophonist and flautist Lew Tabackin as a guest. He first met Mihály Borbély ten years ago in New York, and their professional relationship soon blossomed into a musical friendship centred on two key motifs: the tárogató and the legendary Hungarian guitarist Attila Zoller, with whom Tabackin played regularly. In 2017, Borbély and Tabackin gave two highly successful concerts in Hungary (at the Fonó Budai Zeneház and the JazzKanizsa festival), and the long-planned follow-up to these finally takes shape this evening. The programme features compositions by the duo, as well as pieces by Attila Zoller and jazz classics.

Photo: Gyula Halász