"As you might expect from the birthplace of Bartók, Kurtág and Ligeti, MOL Jazz is a wonderfully eclectic, open-eared festival. Boldly pan-European, the organisers have taken ‘Stuart Nicholson's dictum’ to heart. I can't think of anywhere better to be in September. Bet you Béla will be shaking his booty. „

Jazzwise (GB) – April 2008

The MOL Jazz Festival is the most significant event in the Budapest jazz calendar. This year sees the sixth massive roundup in the Hungarian capital of some of Europe’s most interesting musicians. As always, the 9th District of Budapest famed for its lively and friendly sidewalk cafés plays host to the festival. The Big Tent raised among delightully dilapidated old riverside warehouses (Közraktár) and the jazz-boat anchored at the Nehru Embankment will serve as the main venues, although the opening and the final concerts will be staged at Budapest’s state-of-the-art Palace of Arts (MÜPA). However, for those who crave more music after the main events, they can gorge themselves on high quality jazz, free of charge, in the informal setting of the Ráday Street cafés (Fotocella; Jaffa; Paris, Texas; If, Fecske) as well as at the Pinceszínház (Cellar Theatre), the Sanyi és Aranka Theatre and at the Hotel Ibis.

The Festival naturally features the giants of Hungarian jazz, it stages unique productions that join gifted local musicians with foreign jazz stars and it also serves as a springboard for our incredibly talented youngsters. One of the declared aims of the MOL Jazz Festival Budapest is to put Hungarian jazz into a European context. It hopes to achieve this by the aforementioned international workshops and by acquainting domestic audiences with the varied and vibrant European jazz scene.

With the choice of venues widening year by year, one can enjoy practically the whole gamut of jazz during the festival, from traditional mainstream acts right through to modern experimental music. One of the new venues will be the MOL Jazz Lounge, a tent catering specifically for young audiences receptive to jazz. The Jazz Lounge will open in the morning but between 19:00 and 22:00 it will feature some of our most outstanding DJs.

The curtain-raiser to the festival will be a concert by the Modern Art Orchestra playing compositions of two highly original progressive musicians, Kristóf Bacsó and Szabolcs Oláh and featuring two outstanding soloists of the new generation, saxophonist Gábor Bolla and guitar-player Márton Fenyvesi. One of Europe’s most unique jazz legends, the French clarinetist Louis Sclavis will show yet another facet of his wide-ranging talents by presenting live the sound-track he composed for the silent movie, Dans la nuit.

The festival’s special workshops will bring you the great favourite of French jazz critics, vocalist Gabor Winand, the virtuoso Armenian-Hungarian accordionist David Yengibarjan, the progressive fusion guitarist, Tibor Eichinger, the unique guitar sound of Gábor Gadó and Indo-jazz violinist Zoltán Lantos’ Mirrorworld augmented by Norwegian guitar-player Eivind Aarset

In the Big Tent and on the jazz-boat the festival’s tone will be set, as ever, by open minded, innovative European bands the most outstanding of which will be Dave Stapleton Quintet from Britain, Jazzkamikaze from Denmark, the Juhani Aaltonen Trio from Finland, the Heinz Sauer-Michael Wollny Duo from Germany and the Trio Grande from Belgium. The quartet led by Austrian sax-player Wolfgang Puschnig will be given extra flavour by the inventions of American bass-guitarist Jamaaladeen Tacuma. One of the highlights of the festival will be the appearance of the magnetic African-American drummer Rashied Ali, one-time sideman of Archie Shepp, Don Cherry and many others who will be fronting his own quintet.

There will be several concerts highlighting the best of our brilliant young players, such as by the Plastic Septet or by trumpeter Gábor Subicz, winner on his instrument of the audience prize at this year’s jazz talent contest organised by Hungarian Radio.

At last year's festival the Viktor Tóth Quartet presented live and to standing ovation the material of their then brand new album that was voted "Jazz record of 2007" by the critics of Hungary's most prestigious music magazine, Gramofon. The album Climbing with mountains went on to earn serious international plaudits. As part of this year's festival, three consecutive evenings from 18th to 20th September the quartet including Viktor Tóth on saxophone, Hamid Drake on drums, Mátyás Szandai on bass and Ferenc Kovács on trumpet and violin will record their new album live at the Take Five jazz club.

(Péter Pallai)

PROGRAM

Wednesday, 17 September, 19:30 - 22:30 – Opening Event

Palace of Arts, Béla Bartók National Concert Hall

IX., Komor Marcell str. 1.

Modern Art Orchestra (H) soloists: Gábor Bolla - saxophone, Márton Fenyvesi - guitar

Louis Sclavis – Dans la nuit (F) silent movie by Charles Vanel (1929), original music by Louis Sclavis (2002) Louis Sclavis – clarinets, Vincent Courtois – cello, Dominique Pifarély – violin, Vincent Peirani – accordion, François Merville - drums, marimba

MOL Jazz Lounge 12:00 – 00:00h

IX., Közraktár str. 9-11., bus parking

Coffee bar-relaxing-talk...

Famous Hungarian jazz DJ’s performances: Keyser and Shuriken 19:00 – 22:00

The visitors of the festival with daily or weekly tickets are invited to have a beer at the MOL Jazz Lounge tent.

Thursday, 18 September

Közraktár Tent 19:00 - 23:00

IX. Közraktár str. 9-11.

Scandalloco (H, B, F) David Yengibarjan – accordion, Karim Weemaels – sax, Clive Govinden – bass guitar

Dave Stapleton Quintet (UK) Dave Stapleton - piano, Ben Waghorn - saxophones, Jonny Bruce - trumpet, Paula Gardiner - double bass, Elliot Bennett -drums

Wolfgang Puschnig FULSOME (A, USA) Wolfgang Puschnig – saxophone/flute, Jon Sass – tuba, Jamaaladeen Tacuma – bass, Reinhardt Winkler – drums

Jazz Boat 23:00 - 01:00

IX. Közraktár str. 9-11., Nehru quay

Eivind Aarset Quartet (N) Eivind Aarset – guitar/electronics, Wetle Holte – drums, Audun Erlien – bass guitar, Haakon Kornstad – saxophone

Fecske Presszó 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 34., +361 215-2738

Gábor Subicz Quintet

Gábor Subicz – trumpet, Dávid Benkő – Hammond organ, Gábor Lukács – alt saxophone,

Zsolt Feke – double bass, Ábel Mihalik – drums

Fotocella Kávézó 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 17., +361 215-3248

János Ávéd – Gábor Csongrádi Duó

János Ávéd – saxophone, Gábor Csongrádi – guitar

Hotel Ibis Centrum 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 6.

Cornelio Tutu Band

Cornelio Tutu – guitar, Zoltán Oláh – keyboards, Péter Oláh – bass guitar, Ferenc Csomós – drums, guest: Attila László – guitar

iF Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 19., +361 299-0694

Bőhm Trió

Dániel Bőhm – double bass, Dezső Oláh – piano, Júlia Karosi – vocals

Jaffa Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 39., +361 219-5285

Adolphe Sax Consort

Béla Ágoston – soprane/alt/tenor/baritone saxophone, Dániel Váczi – alt/sopranino saxophone, Balázs Cserta – tenor/soprane saxophone, Gábor Weisz – baritone/tenor saxophone, guest: Gábor Czabán – beatbox, bel canto

Paris, Texas Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 22., +361 218-0570

Csókás – Esze Duó

Zsolt Csókás – guitar, Tamás Esze – guitar

Pinceszínház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Török Pál str. 3.

Kardos Négyes „Quintet”

Dániel Kardos - guitar, Dániel Mester - saxophone, Dávid Ülkei - saxophone, Árpád Vajdovics – double bass, Hunor G. Szabó - drums, guest: Mihály Dresch – saxophone

Sanyi és Aranka Színház és Apropera 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Mátyás str. 9.

Santa Diver

Luca Kézdy – violin/elektronics, Dávid Szesztay – bass guitar, András Halmos – drums,

András Szőnyi – keyboards, Áron Koós Hutás – trumpet

MOL Jazz Lounge 12:00 – 00:00h

IX., Közraktár str. 9-11., bus parking

Coffee bar-relaxing-talk...

Famous Hungarian jazz DJ’s performances: Badihali 19:00 – 22:00

The visitors of the festival with daily or weekly tickets are invited to have a beer at the MOL Jazz Lounge tent.

Friday, 19 September

Közraktár Tent 19:00 - 23:00

IX. Közraktár str. 9-11.

Zoltán Lantos’ Mirrorworld - Eivind Aarset (H, N) Zoltán Lantos – violins, Kaltenecker – piano, József Barcza Horváth – bass guitar/double bass, Kornél Horváth – percussion, András Dés – percussion, guest: Eivind Aarset – guitar

Heinz Sauer – Michael Wollny Duo (D) Heinz Sauer - sax, Michael Wollny - piano

Horacio Fumero Trio (E) Horacio Fumero - double bass, Raynald Colom – trumpet, Joan Monné – piano

Jazz Boat 23:00 - 01:00

IX. Közraktár str. 9-11., Nehru quay

Juhani Aaltonen Trio (FIN) Juhani Aaltonen - tenor saxophone/flute, Uffe Krokfors – double bass, Reiska Laine - drums

Fecske Presszó 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 34., +361 215-2738

Orsi Kozma Quartet

Orsi Kozma – vocals, Gábor Cseke – piano, Viktor Hárs – double bass, András Mohay – drums

Fotocella Kávézó 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 17., +361 215-3248

Trio Affairs

Bálint Gyémánt – guitar, Gábor Horváth Tojás – piano, Márton Eged – bass guitar

Hotel Ibis Centrum 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 6.

Péter Sárik Trió

Péter Sárik – piano, György Frey – bass guitar, Tamás Berdisz – drums

iF Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 19., +361 299-0694

Nikolett Vörös Trió

Nikolett Vörös – vocals, László Vörös – piano, Tamás Szalai – double bass

Jaffa Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 39., +361 219-5285

Drumless Quartet

Gábor Szilágyi – trombone, Attila Vörös – saxophone, Tamás Esze – guitar, András Csizmás – double bass

Paris, Texas Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 22., +361 218-0570

WestEast Duo (H, D)

Tibor Eichinger - guitar, Varga Stefan – guitar

Pinceszínház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Török Pál str. 3.

Fusio Group

István Elek – saxophone, János Kormos – guitar, Áron Romhányi – keyboards,

Tamás Barabás – bass guitar, Péter Szendőfi – drums

Sanyi és Aranka Színház és Apropera 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Mátyás str. 9.

Dániel Váczi Trió

Dániel Váczi – alt/sopranino saxophone, Balázs Horváth – double bass, Zsolt Sárvári Kovács – drums

MOL Jazz Lounge 12:00 – 00:00h

IX., Közraktár str. 9-11., bus parking

Coffee bar-relaxing-talk...

Famous Hungarian jazz DJ’s performances: Keyser and Shuriken 19:00 – 22:00

The visitors of the festival with daily or weekly tickets are invited to have a beer at the MOL Jazz Lounge tent.

Saturday, 20 September

Közraktár Tent 19:00 - 23:00

IX. Közraktár str. 9-11.

Plastic Septet (H) Gábor Brezovcsik – classical guitar, Dániel Váczi - sopranino saxophone, Gábor Lukács - alto saxophone, Balázs Nagy - tenor saxophone, Keve Ablonczy - bass clarinet, Péter Nagy - double bass, Zsolt Sárvári Kovács – drums

Rashied Ali Quintet (USA) Rashied Ali - drums, Josh Evans - trumpet, Lawrence Clark - tenor saxophone, Greg Murphy - piano, Joris Teepe – bass

JazzKamikaze (DK, S, N) Marius Neset - tenor saxophone, Morten Schantz - piano, Daniel Helřy Davidsen - guitar, Kristor Brřdsgaard - double bass, Anton Eger – drums

Jazz Boat 23:00 - 01:00

IX. Közraktár str. 9-11., Nehru quay

Trio Grande (B, F) Michel Debrulle - drums, percussion, Laurent Dehors – saxophone/clarinet/bagpipes/Jew’s harp, Michel Massot - tuba, trombone

Fecske Presszó 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 34., +361 215-2738

Zita Gereben Quintet

Zita Gereben – vocals, Gábor Horváth Tojás – piano, Bálint Gyémánt – guitar, Márton Eged – bass guitar, Ádám Földesi – drums

Fotocella Kávézó 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 17., +361 215-3248

Grencsó Real Time Collective

István Grencsó – reeds, Hans van Vliet – trombone/trumpet, Márton Sütő - eletric guitar, Róbert Benkő – double bass

Hotel Ibis Centrum 16:00 – 18:00, 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 6.

16:00 - 18:00

"Tommy Vig 70th Birthday Concert & Jam session" (USA, KOR, H)

Béla Zsoldos – percussion, Mia Kim - vocals, percussuion, Péter Czakó – double bass,

Balázs Cseh – drums, Tommy Vig – vibrapone, guest: Gyárfás Trió and other guests

22:00 – 00:00

Dóra Szolnoki Quintet

Dóra Szolnoki – vocals, László Cseh – tenor saxophone, Péter Oláh – double bass,

György Jeszenszky – drums, guest: Zoltán Balogh – piano

iF Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 19., +361 299-0694

Kriszta Pocsai Trió

Kriszta Pocsai – vocals, Gábor Cseke – piano, József Barcza Horváth – double bass

Jaffa Kávéház 22:00 – 00:00

IX., Ráday str. 39., +361 219-5285

Miklós Borbély – Márton Fenyvesi – Norbert Farkas Trió

Miklós Borbély – saxophone, Márton Fenyvesi – guitar, Norbert Farkas – double bass