"...If you do not know his play, you simply lose colours from the palette of existence and revelation, and they will never get back to you after the moment when the magic fades away..."
Babos Gyula one of the best known guitarists of the Hungarian jazz scene was born in Budapest, 26th June 1949. The first stage of his career as a musician began with the groups Rákfogó and Saturnus. He was hardly 17 when he won the Jazz Competition of the Hungarian Radio in 1966. Since the 1980s he has taught the guitar at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
In the 90's he performed some legendary concerts, first in Petõfi Hall with Victor Bailey, Terry Lynn Carrington, Jinda György and Szakcsi Lakatos Béla. Followed by the concert with Frank Zappa in front of an audience of fifty thousand people and later his co-performers were James Moody, Tony Scott and Szabó Gábor.
On recording the album "Sham" the best Hungarian musicians of the era participated. Even in the record title he referred to the world of the popular Jinda György who had been living abroad for long time. He made one of his best jazz album for Sony Columbia in 1994, and Blue Victory (1996) whose participants have already played together in the above mentioned concert in PeCSa (Petõfi Hall). The album was released in twelve countries.
Babos put together a team of brilliant young musicians and in 1997 the Babos Romani Project was born. and since then they have made great success on several festivals at home as well as abroad (Marseilles, Eilat, Bukarest, London, Kassa). SONY released his Project recordings in 1998 entitled "Once upon a time..."
In 1998 with the contribution of Take Four (Pege/Tomsics/Kõszegi) three records were produced. In 2001 he recorded with the legendary Herbie Mann.
His latest concert album "Seventy-five minutes" recorded with the world famous percussionist Trilok Gurtu was published in a limited edition in 2004.
In 2005 they are performing in new line up under the name of Babos Project Special.
Awards
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1991- eMerton Prize
2003- Szabó Gábor Prize
2005 - Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend Tisztikeresztje
Discography
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1989
Out and In
Solo
Hungaroton
1996
Blue Victory
SONY,
Columbia
1998
Once upon a time...
Sony Columbia
2004
75 minutes
Heart Music