Elemér Balázs's solo career can be divided into two major periods: he made three CD’s with his trio and quintet, Fly bird in 1995, My new way in 1997 and Always that moment in 2000 (his first release on the BMC label, which was awarded the “Hungarian Jazz Album of the Year” by Gramofon magazine); and since 2002 he has been the leader of the Elemér Balázs Group. Their debut record Around the world was released the same year.

József Balázs, one of the most talented pianists of the younger generation of jazz musicians, made his first appearance on his brother’s album, My new way. He has played with Erik Truffaz, Stephane Belmondo and Steve Houben among others. He won second prize at the Jazz Pianist Competition named after the late Gábor Balogh Füsti and he was judged “best soloist” at the Krakow Jazz Juniors Competition.

Gábor Juhász, guitarist, has worked with Károly Binder, was a founding member of the Tin-Tin Quartet, and has also been a prominent member of Zoltán Lantos’ Mirrorworld. He formed the band Off Course in 1990 with bassist József Horváth Barcza and pianist Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos. Their first record Street of secrets (1999) was followed by another in 2002 entitled Tales of the lighthouse, featuring Erik Truffaz. Juhász has also performed at numerous festivals, the most memorable of which were Delhi, Jaipur, London, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Leipzig, Berlin and Udine. In 2002 he won the Hungarian Jazz Award established by Gramofon magazine. He is presently the member of Samsara, Off Course, Bosambo, the Elemér Balázs Group and Mirrorworld, besides teaching music which is also very important to him. He has accompanied world famous musicians like Archie Shepp and Iain Ballamy.

Mátyás Szandai became known as the bassist of the Mihály Dresch Quartet. Since then he has been invited to perform with many different bands and has become a most sought-after session musician. He began his career playing with István Grencsó and Gábor Gadó. He has recorded with Gadó, Herbie Mann and the Mihály Dresch Quartet featuring Archie Shepp. A CD by saxophonist Csaba Tűzkő will appear on the market this year with Szandai as the bass player. As a member of the Mihály Dresch Quartet, he has also had the chance to work with David Murray and Chico Freeman.

András Dés is another talented representative of the younger generation. After studying classical percussion, his interest turned towards the music of different nations. Currently he is a student at the Jazz Faculty of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music. He has performed and recorded with Frank London, the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, the Bosambo Trio, Off Course featuring Erik Truffaz, and with the Kaltenecker Trio. He participated on recordings of film soundtracks and theatrical music.

Thanks to his unique voice, Gábor Winand is perhaps the most often employed Hungarian jazz singer. He worked with the ESP Group, was a guest musician of Trio Stendhal for two years, played with Gábor Gadó’s Joy, Brass Age, György Vukán’s CAE trio and Class Jazz Band, and the Bosambo Trio. He can regularly be heard singing with his wife, Elsa Valle, playing Cuban jazz. His debut album, Corners of my mind – composed by Gadó – was voted record of the year 2002 by the reviewers of the French magazine Jazzman. His second CD is to come out in 2003.

Henriett Czerovszky made her first appearance as a jazz singer on the Elemér Balázs Group’s CD Around the world. Previously she worked as a background vocalist for famous Hungarian popular artists with whom she performed at concerts and made recordings.

Charlie Mariano alto and soprano saxophone player, the son of Italian immigrants, was born in Boston in 1923.
He made his first recordings under his own name with Jaki Byard and Herb Pomeroy in 1950. In late 1953 he took Lee Konitz’s place in the Stan Kenton band, where he remained until the end of 1955.
He lived in Los Angeles until 1958, and played mostly with Frank Rosolino and Shelly Manne.
After moving back to Boston, he formed a group with his second wife, the Japanese pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and they moved to New York. He played with Charles Mingus, and contributed to three of his records. He moved to Japan for two years, and in 1965 went back to Berklee, this time to teach there.
Travels around the world brought him to Japan three more times with Astrud Gilberto. 1967 took him to Malaysia to coach the Radio Malaysia big band. During his five month stay there, he began his studies of South Indian music, and learned to play the nadaswaram, a double reed instrument.
Since the early 1970s he has lived mostly in Holland and later Germany, finally settling in Cologne.
He has played with a great number of renowned musicians, for example Chris Hinze, Stu Martin, Barre Philips, Jasper van’t Hof, Philip Catherine, Aldo Romano, J-F. Jenny-Clark, Toto Blanke, Eberhard Weber, Wolfgang Dauner, Dino Saluzzi, and the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble. He has also toured with Lee Konitz and Daniel Humair.
He often meets with musicians of other cultures, primarily with the Karnataka College of Percussion, the Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil, the Chilean bassist-composer Enrique Diaz, the Algerian brothers Smahi, the Tunisian vocalist and oud player Dhafer Youssef, the Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu, etc.
In 1999 he was awarded a prize by the German Record Critics for his lifelong contribution to music.

Special thanks to: Dr. László Nagy, Zoltán Kiss, Áron Pethő, Natália Radics, Charlie Mariano, László Dés, Elemér Balázs Sr., Eszter Molnár, Péter Pallai, Gülü, Tücsi, Attila Vörös, the Municipality of Józsefváros, Elemér’s family

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Together Alone

Days sometimes weeks sometimes months
passing by
You’ll never know that I miss seeing you smile
Seeing your eyes
Light up for me

Days sometimes weeks sometimes months
passing by

You’ll never know that I miss your smile
Your hand
In mine

Why do we walk side by side so alone?
Why don’t you reach for my hand like before?
Are we to be
Together alone?

Why do we walk side by side so alone?

When I so long for your hand in mine
Your eyes
To smile


Dance with the wind

Each time the wind changes
Feel that it’s time to be moving on
Just be gone
Far from where
I’ve been

Feeling so restless
Tired of the faces
Seen all the places
Let’s pack our cases

Tell me you’ll come, tell me
Just say the word, we’ll be moving on
Soon be gone
Far from where
I’ve been

Feeling so restless
Tired of the faces
Seen all the places
Let’s pack our cases

Ref:
Come with me
Come and see
All the things the
World can be
Running streams
Rolling hills
Starry skies,
Watch birds fly with me

Watch my love dance when she
Learns we’ll move on, yes she’ll
Dance and sing
Turn and spin
Dancing with
The wind

Dancing, she smiles
Arms open wide
Face to the sky
Like she could fly


Sweet and bitter

Seeing her across the room
First time in years but it’s still too soon
Time stands still, faces blur
Better to turn, walk away.

Every goodbye a dying
I’m done with lying
Bittersweet memory
Don’t want to live it again.

Seeing him across the room
First time in years, still too soon
Time stands still for a beat
but the magic’s gone, won’t come again.

Once you know something’s over
just shrug your shoulder
Bittersweet memory
You’ve lost your hold over me.

Bittersweet melody
Brings back those days and once more
Time stands still for a beat
but the magic’s gone, won’t come again.

Once you know something’s over
just shrug your shoulder
Bittersweet memory
You’ve lost your hold over me.


Tales of the woods

Green-eyed Willow
Long-haired Willow
Lady of the Woods
Dreaming by the brook.

Singing spring songs
Spinning day-dreams
The creatures of the woods
Resting at her feet.

Black Prince on his white steed
From the shadows watching
Seized with sudden longing
Stealing up, he caught her up
and carried her far away,
Caught her up, and he carried her far, far away.

Green-eyed Willow
Sad-eyed Willow
Locked up in her room
her cheeks have lost their bloom.

She’s run out of song
She’s run out of dreams
Weeping for her woods
an endless flood of tears.

Black Prince cannot cheer her
Soon grows tired of her
Does not grieve to lose her
When she dies of a broken heart he’ll

Bury her by the brook
Where she lies, weeping willow will grow
Willow will grow.