Hungary - The Northeast

 Last year I helped a friend relocate to Spain and as a thank you she gave me a CD/book by Hungarian folk ensemble Szeredás from Debrecen in the Hajdúsák region of north-eastern Hungary.  The 1999 Cuháré album is beautifully presented with an explanatory booklet in Hungarian and English.  The group have been playing traditional Hungarian music of their home region since 1993.  Here is the title song from the album, meaning merry making, a fun song in the Csardas style about a lost horse and other countryside adventures:

We are moving on to the town of Eger, where folk rock band Kerekes was formed in 1995.  They combine traditional shepherds flute tunes with Jimmy Hendrix-like guitar riffs and elements of psychedelia.  It makes for a great fun Ethno-funk sound.  They recently released a new album: Fire (Live at Hortobágy).  This is a song of the album, called Jellyfish/Ördöngős

In a similar vein electro folk band Holdviola were formed in 2006 in Miskolc.  Having recently split, they took Hungarian folk songs and put them in a contemporary pop setting, making them very popular in their home country.  Here is a song called Ha Te tudnád amit én from their 2010 album Vandórfecske:

Cimbalom virtuoso Kálmán Balogh was born in 1959 in Miskolc of Gypsy heritage.  He has studied gypsy music for several years before becoming a prolific performer both solo and as part of varies ensembles, most notably with the Gypsy Cimbalom Band.  This solo performance of the Bonchida Dance (Bontsida Tánc) really shows off his wizardry on this instrument and features as a full band version on the 1995 album Roma Vándor:

The name of Roma Hip-hop band Fekete Vonat means Black Train, referring to the train departing from Szabolcs to Budapest, which was used as a commuting train by many of the Gypsy community looking for work in the capital.  They were formed in 1997 demonstrating some sub-culture amongst the minority community.  Here's a song by them called Hol van az a lány:

From a black train to a white horse, the meaning of Gypsy music ensemble Parno Graszt, who were formed in the village of Paszab in 1987.  In Roma culture the colour white stands for purity and a horse symbolises freedom, so you could call them Pure Freedom, a very Gypsy concept.  Simon Broughton of Songlines magazine is quoted as saying: "They do not use sources of Gypsy music - they are the source itself".  This is the title song of their 2002 album Rávágok a Zongorára/Hit the Piano:

That's it from Hungary as we hit the 10,000 mile mark on our virtual journey since we started in Portaferry, Northern Ireland.  Next stop is Slovakia.  Until then you can follow my virtual trip on my tripline map.

Hungary - The Centre & Southeast

 Before heading to the southeast of Hungary we stop at the town of Szentendre (St. Andrew) just north of Budapest, where we meet the tambura led band Söndörgő.  They consist of brothers Áron, Benjamin and Salamon Eredics, their cousin Dávid and Ábel Dénes.  Their signature instrument is the Hungaro-Serbian tambura and their lively style is quite different to other, generally fiddle-based traditional music of Hungary.  There music takes heart from the Eastern European folk canon including from Serbian, Macedonian, Turkish, Jewish and Gypsy traditions.  Here's a tune from their 2016 album Live Wires called Marice:

In a similar vein and also from Szentendre, the Vujicsics Ensemble play tambura led tunes representing the music of the Croatian and Serbian minorities living in Hungary.  They've been going since the 1970's and named themselves after their inspiration, Hungarian composer Tihamér Vujicsics (1929-1975).  Here is one of their tunes played on the streets of Szentendre called Valpovo:

Heading pretty much to the centre of Hungary we arrive at the city of Kecskemét, where János Csík and his Mezzo Band hail from for something altogether more chilled.  They describe their style as coffee house and I can imagine chilling in a café with some of their vibe playing along, blending Hungarian folk with cool jazz.  Here's a tune by them called Ülök a kávéházban, which features on their 2019 album Szép a Tavasz, Szep a Nyár:

Singer/songwriter Bea Palya was born in 1976 in the town of Makó near the Romanian border.  In her early years she was influenced by Hungarian folk songs, Bulgarian, Jewish and Gypsy music following her own mixed ethnic roots.  Later she also got into acting and started developing her own style incorporating elements of jazz and world music.  Here's a song from her latest 2020 album Élet called Igen:

Heading up north again we get to the town of Karcag, where folk singer and ethnographer Irén Lovász was born in 1961.  Her first solo album Világfa appeared in 1995 and 1999 at the request the Hungarian National Museum to be used as the background music to an archaeological exhibition of the millennium on the Hungarian conquest.  This track called Páva features on this album:

We'll finish our tour of Hungary next time in the northeast of the country.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Hungary - Budapest Part II

 We are staying in Budapest for a wee while to discover some more music.  First up we meet Tárkány Művek, a band founded in 2008 which combines traditional Hungarian folk with Avant Garde Jazz.  After the release of their first album in 2010 they quickly rose to become one of the most popular young folk bands in Hungary.  Here's a track which features on the bonus album to the Rough Guide to the Music of Hungary, Introducing Tárkány Művek.  The song is called Úgy Szeretlek (So Much I Love You):

Musician, performer and composer Vilmos Gryllus was born in Budapest in 1951.  Much of his music as a solo artist is aimed at children and he has a created a successful children's TV show.  Here is a song from his 2014 album Maszkabál called Katicabogár: 

Gryllus is also a founding member of folk band Kaláka together with his brother Dániel.  They've been going since 1969 and have had an unchanged line-up since 1996.  Again they play many concerts specifically for children, blending in elements of jazz with contemporary folk.  Here's a performance together with renowned folk singer Bea Palya (more of her in a later post):

The Buda Folk Band was born in Budapest in 2007 from a bunch of young musicians, all children of traditional musicians.  Even though they are based in the city, their music is very much based on the traditional rural music of Hungary, but with a danceable urban influence.  Here is a pair of songs called Kuruc Mahala és Rettenet, the latter of which features on their 2015 album Saját Gjűtés:

Primás Parade, or Rendhagyó Prímástalálkozó (which in my experience has fewer syllables than the English name) is a supergroup of musicians drawn from the folk, jazz, rock and classical scenes with a common root in traditional music.  According to their own blurb:

Excellent members of the formation are such as the virtuoso violinist István ‘Szalonna’ Pál, the unique-style violinist Balázs Vizeli, one of the world best cimbalom players Kálmán Balogh and the ethno-jazz icon of Hungary Mihály Dresch. The guitarist Miklós Both gives the songs a rock-touch, and the concertmaster Róbert Lakatos brings his mastery of classical and folk music. 

Two brilliant singers add their voices to their music: Ágnes Herczku, one of the most versatile singers of the scene, and Éva Korpás, who was awarded with the best Hungarian folk singer award in Slovakia. The music is accompanied by the absolutely outstanding Hungarian masters of traditional folk instruments: Róbert Doór with the double bass and László Mester with the viola. 

Here's a short version of the opening track Nytáni (the album version has a 6 minute intro) from their 2013 album Vol. 2:

I think I'll leave it at that from Budapest for the time being, else I'll never get this post out.  We'll meander through the rest of Hungary next, and in the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map