Mihály Borbély Quartet ()

Mihály Borbély ranks among the most brilliant saxophone players in Hungary. He has always surrounded himself with similarly gifted musicians and the best example of it can be his current quartet with the outstanding pianist Daniel Szabo. Borbely studied classical clarinet and jazz saxophone at Béla Bartók Conservatory and Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. Through his career in addition to his original instruments (clarinet and alto saxophone) he has focused on playing unusual wind instruments (tárogató, folk flutes, kaval, dvojnice, fujara, ocarina, bombard, zurna) as well as soprano and tenor saxophone. He is one of the founding members of the famous Vujicsics folk group, and he is an equally active participant – either as a leader or as a soloist – of various world music, jazz and contemporary music groups (Balkan Jazz Project, Quartet B, Borbély-Dresch Quartet, Binder-Borbély Duo, Eastern Boundary Quartet, Attila László Quintet, Kálmán Oláh Sextet). He has participated in countless recordings and has given concerts in Hungary, throughout Europe, in the US, in Mexico and in Australia, and has performed at large festivals with Hungarian and international musicians in different genres mentioned above. Teaching is an important part of his life and musical philosophy. He has been active in educating young jazz musicians since 1979. He has taught at the Béla Bartók Conservatory since 1986, and at the Jazz Department of the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy since 1990. In the latter he was head of department between 1997 and 2000. Apart from the above mentioned activities he has also given lectures and lead courses at various places both in Hungary and abroad. Mihály Borbély is equally versatile in folk and world music, in jazz and contemporary music and his band includes musicians with similar spirit and taste. The improvisational music they play is an amalgam of various styles of jazz and the ethnomusicological heritage of the Carpathian-Basin and the Balkans saturated by interesting melodic variations, now by finely transparent, other times by powerful rhythmic patterns.