The Juhász Band was founded in the spring of 2000 in Subotica, Serbia. They are familiar with the main folk music dialects of the Hungarian language area and have long been performing as a string band as well as a tambourine formation. They have over one hundred concerts a year touring with their own songs and accompanying folk dance groups, thus becoming one of the most popular folk music bands of Vojvodina.
CONTACT: juhaszok.gabor@gmail.com / +36 30 313 2270
Balázs Istvánfi and András Németh are among the most renowned musical “masters” of their instruments. The multiple award-winning musicians are both professors at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Their duo was founded in 2011, but they have been playing together in different arrangements for fifteen years now. During their years together, they created a unique musical language based on authentic Hungarian folk music which also contains contemporary and classical elements. Their presentation and the special sound of their instruments focus the attention of the audience, thus providing both a musical and spiritual experience at their concerts.
CONTACT: nemandras@yahoo.com / +36 20 436 6796
The musical trio primarily plays Hungarian folk music but they are also open to experimenting with other genres such as jazz, world music and the folk music of other cultures. The band is inspired by bourdon music. Through improvisation, they play with the sound of the hurdy-gurdy, the cimbalom and other wind instruments, which are in perfect harmony with each other. This harmony is complemented by the drummer who, in addition to Hungarian folk music, is also familiar with Latin and jazz rhythms.
CONTACT: hurdy.gang@gmail.com / +36 30 725 3899
Zabavna Industrija was formed in 2008 in Budapest to express its members’ love for Southern Slavic music. They speak several languages and dialects of the Serbo-Croatian family tree and adore the traditional music of the region. Accordingly, they play a wide range of melodies from the many ethnic groups and traditions of the Balkans, be it Serbian, Macedonian, Bosnian, Croatian or any mix of these. The purpose of their music-making is to maintain this musical heritage and increase its popularity.
CONTACT: zabavnaindustrija@gmail.com / +36 30 5717 904
„If it wasn’t for this music, I wouldn’t have touched a violin ever again.”
Attila Halmos, band leader
Tükrös formed in 1986 with the purpose of playing traditional music of magyars within and outside of Hungary. Personal encounters, trips to Transylvania, experiencing folk tradition, still alive and well at the time, inspired the group of city boys with a classical music background to devote themselves to this heritage. Their models are the village bands of old, with their seasoned sync and tight play in service of dancers.
After a decade of playing together, they release their first album: Tükrös Ensemble: Hungarian Folk Music. It already displays a mature style and harmonious music making, along the unflinching love for the folk tradition. The band launches their own summer camp, first in Debrecen then in Simonpuszta, to pass over the experience of living music, songs and dances to hundreds. A growing number of domestic gigs are componded with invitations across the borders: Tükrös render the Hungarian musical heritage in Prague, Brno, Dortmund and Vienna.
The 2000s see overseas tours: Sidney, Melbourne, New York and Chicago are the band’s recurring destinations.
CONTACT: tukros.zenekar@gmail.com
Suttyomba means „on the sly”, and suits the light-hearted, humorous approach to music characterizing the band since 1993. They are serious about tradition though: they play authentic folk music from across the Hungarian speaking territories within and outside of the borders. They are the definitive danchouse band of the southern Great Plain area, and frequently give concerts and play at folk-themed productions. While keeping their music authentic, they don’t refrain from popular tunes outside of the tradition and an opening towards world music.
CONTACT: suttyomba@gmail.com / +36 20 934 6096
Sültü play nothing but the authentic folk music of the Csángó people – a Hungarian minority living in Romania – of Moldavia and Gyimes, learned from old Csángó masters. The band recreates the atmosphere of these enchanted regions week by week at the dancehouses, concerts, family events and cultural festivals. The voice of Angelika Szilágyi, a Csángó from Csík village, lends further authenticity to their performance. If you would like to get to know the real Csángó music, dance the dances from Moldavia and learn beautiful archaic folk songs, look up, follow and meet Sültü band.
CONTACT: benkoand@gmail.com / +36 20 471 7990
Over the past fifteen years, Zagyva Banda has become a decisive representative of the Hungarian Táncház movement. The band was brought up with the Táncház Method which is recognized by UNESCO. Zagyva is currently one the most active folk music bands in Hungary. They play authentic folk music from the Carpathian Basin, but they also deal with the culture of other nationalities living in the area. They are especially solicitous for cultivating the traditions of Galgamente, since the members’ family roots stem from here. In 2011, at a competition organized for violinists playing traditional Hungarian folk music, the band’s first violinist, Gellért Boda won the bronze medal. Following that, they published their first CD. In 2012, they started recording a CD-series in which they work upon the music of different ethnographic landscapes. They are currently working on the third disc. In 2015 the members organized a live concert that is available on CD and DVD as well.
CONTACT: zagyvakoncert@gmail.com
The name Rozsdamaró comes from a friend, and means „rust remover”. Rust refers to the crackly, archival recordings we use to learn the style and original sound of the village bands of old. We started playing together in the year 2000 in Szeged, released our first album in 2004 with the title „Then and Now” (Egykor és Most), and received the Young Artist of Folk Arts award in 2005.
KONTAKT:
Most of us were drawn to folk music through dancing, only to realize that although music and dance are complementary, it’s hard to do them both at the same time. We chose to play music, a decision that has defined our lives ever since. Almost all of the members come from the same village: Üllés, in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary. We constantly train and study our rich folk heritage, and eagerly receive instruction from our masters, who still had the chance to learn from the legendary village musicians of the past century.
CONTACT: rezhurosbanda@gmail.com
