Hot Jazz Band biography

"hot jazz" - "term used to describe jazz, particulary early jazz and swing, of an exciting and energetic nature." (Barry Kernfeld, Jazz - 1984)

Formed in 1985, by today Hot Jazz Band has become one of Hungary's most successful group of professional musicians. It represents that wonderful world of music, which is called the "Jazz Era". The dance music of the 1920s. '30s and '40s; the early (Classic) Jazz; the Swing and the Dixieland comes alive in their performances. They also have the same era's Hungarian compositions in their repertoire.

For those, whom the "Hot Jazz" expression sounds unfamiliar, a few names of the stars: Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, Artie Shaw, Bix Beiderbecke, Fred Astaire; and a few of the composers: Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller; and also a few of the dances of the era: one-step, foxtrot, black bottom, shimmy, charleston, Lindy Hop/swing, tapdance...

This joyous, entertaining and melodious music is the hallmark both of this era, and of Hot Jazz Band's playing. The group strives for virtuosity and authenticity of the genre; both sound and music, which can also be heard in their charming style of singing. Banjo band (Hungarian Banjo Kings) and Washboard Show also livens their performances. Their frequent guests are: Laszlo Bobis, tap dance World Champion, and his swing-dance ensemble; Tibor Benyei tuba player; singer Adrien Szekeres eMeRTon prize winner and at last but not least, the young but very talented Eva Bolba.

The music of the twenties was probably the most exciting music era of the 20th century. The somewhat cruder, loose, early orchestral ragtime/jazz music of the 1910s was jelling, both in style and use of musical instruments, getting into the mainstream music of the 20s. Jazz was being interpreted and filtered into dance and pop music for the young and middle class. Literally hundreds of bands discovered that they could make a living going from town to town playing for people mad about the new dances of the one-step, cakewalk, foxtrot, black bottom, charleston, shimmy, and by the last years of the decade, the Lindy Hop - the early version of the swing. Highly skilled musicians became excellent players as a result of the long hours they spent playing and practicing. These guys (and gals) worked at their instruments every day for several hours a day (which is very unlike today's stars - many of who can't play any instrument or who rely on tape loops and rhythm tracks). Their livelihood depended on it.

In 1925 electrical recording took over from the much cruder acoustic recording (where musicians needed to hover around a large horn that was attached to a needle that literally carved the vibrations into wax medium). Audio fidelity took a big leap forward as sound could now be balanced better and a more realistic recording was possible. The result was an explosion in demand for new music. This music was fun, often very complex and innovative, very energetic with its two step and a breakneck pace that could go as fast as 240 beats per minute (this is the speed of modern "club mix" house music!). There were also crooners, male and female, who sang torch songs with pathos and deep sentiment - even when the lyrics were mushy and silly. America was delirious with prosperity and possibility. Women were boldly experimenting with new freedoms in dress, manners, and morals. Men were enjoying a prolonged adolescence as large numbers went to college and enjoyed the new lifestyle of the frat boy with raccoon coats; the new invention of the cheap automobile; and an easy to learn instrument called the ukulele. Out of this unparalleled (jazz/dance) music revolution came the now better known music of the swing in the 1930s and '40s.

In their numerous Hungarian Television appearances are the "Lottoshow"; "Esti Showder" (Evening Variety show) with Sandor Fabry; "SlagerTV" (SongTV); "Koostolo"; "Pentek Esti Vigado" (Friday Night Party); New Year's Gala Concert, etc.

Music / Jazz festivals' appearances: Lyon, Ried, Regensburg, Bratislava, Marciac, Montlouis, Bussum, Cluj, Dresden, Varazze, Policka, Osterode, Gronau, Helsinki, Straden, Varasdin, Tallin, Zürich, Szczavnicza, Nagykároly, Vienna, Anif. This year (2006) they were invited the sixth(!) time to partake in the Sacramento Jubilee (CA, USA), the world's largest annual Traditional Jazz festival.

They had the opportunity to play with such great musicians as: Cynthia Sayer, Mike Vax, Tom Kirkpatrick, Peter Ecklund, Joe Muranyi (Louis Armstrong's All Stars), Leroy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, George Probert, Bill Allred, Tom Saunders, Allan Vaché, Johnny Varro, Howard Alden, Jake Hanna, Randy Reinhardt, John Sharidan(USA); Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball (UK); Marcel Zanini, Irakli, Alain Bouchet, Daniel Huck, Marc Laferriére, Marc Fosset (Stéphane Grappelli Trio) Daniel Barda (F); Tom Stuip (NL); Theis Jensen (DK); Oscar Klein (CH); Stjepko Gut (YU).

In connection with a dance course in Budapest, the band had the opportunity to meet with the stars of swing of the 1930s: Chazz Young and Frankie Manning; and they started to dance when the music begun...

What should be known about the Hot Jazz Band:

After WWII the first Hungarian jazz band who put on their repertoire the between-World Wars' jazz-inspired Hungarian popular music. It should be added, that it's the first jazz-band in Hungary who recorded - after 70 years of it's composition - "Gloomy Sunday", the only - to date - world renown Hungarian number, written by Rezso Seress.

The only Hungarian jazz-band winning four international competitions in a row, meanwhile won the two music/jazz competitions in Hungary, and on top that, received two eMeRTon and one Lira prizes.

The only Hungarian jazz-ensemble recorded and published a CD to remember and celebrate the birth of George Gershwin; of course, all the songs are his compositions.

The only Hungarian jazz-band with consistently profitable CD recordings. For example the "Szivemben Titokban" ("In My Heart Secretly" - Hungarian tunes) album sold nearly seven thousand copies, and in the jazz genre in Hungary this is a record. The "Best Of" album sold nearly four thousand in only two years.

And at last, but not at least, Hot Jazz Band is the only Hungarian group of musicians invited to perform regularly in the birthplace of jazz, the United States.