Balázs Elemer Groupe: Sziget Fesztivál re-discovery

Balazs Elemer, Elemer Balazs for westerners... his brother Jozsef (Balazs) on Piano, the son of saxophonist Des Laszlo, Andras, on percussion, the unique voice of Gabor Winand, the delicate touch of double bass player Szandai Mátyás, the amazingly improvising Lamm David on guitars, and finally the electrifying purity of Czerovszky Henriett's vocals.
I showed the band to a friend in France not long ago, and in the long line of what he calls 'delicate jazz' I listen to, it's a real jewel. I think it was the album 'around the world'... One of the first I discovered myself. since then I have been running through music stores in Germany for the wonders of the Balazs and Des family, and the uniqueness of Gabor Winand (along with his favourite composer Gabor Gado)... I believe very few hungarians make it into the 'music-business' (as they tend to call it there), and nevertheless it holds so many musicians in its small territory. Balazs Elemer was lucky to have shared his 'shining-cimbal' style (his ride constantly shivers with emotion) with Pat Metheny, a good start to head the new hungarian jazz collective... (link found at the bottom of this post)
I have seen the band twice last year in a few months, once in a very poor atmosphere, in a cinema in central hungarian Szolnok (we were 40 in the room I think, what a waste of quality!), and the second time as headlines of Sziget's jazz 'repertoire' in their very good Jazz tent.
The program Sziget has to offer for jazz is very representative of what Hungarians and their 'eastern neighbours' (often Polish, Czech...) do at the moment, and probably also of what they like. After all this year the jazz tent will be full of amazing moments (I'll talk about that later) with amazing western and hungarian artists...
Balazs Elemer group will headline for the second year in a row, playing before Cameroun bass player Etienne M'Bappe...
I am so looking forward to it, because it is a band that has been looking back and forward in so many places and directions I think it's important to honor such a musical look on the world.
A good example of a strong identity wich hold possibility, I think Balazs Elemer and his 6 virtuosos (they are now 7 on stage) are a brilliant example for young hungarian musicians.

The hungarian jazz collective:
http://www.majazz.hu/html_majazz/angol/aktualis.htm

Balazs Elemer group:
http://www.balazselemergroup.hu