József Balázs was born in Budapest, 1978.

 

 

 

 

He is one of the most significant pianist and composer of his generation. He first got known from his brother, Elemér Balázs’s album “My new way”. Next to his brother, József is the key member of one of the most successful band in Hungary, the Balázs Elemér Group since it’s establishment as a composer as well as an orchestrator. He got second best on the Füsti Balogh Gábor Jazz Piano Competition and won the best soloist award on the Jazz Juniors Competition in Krakow. Furthermore he achieved the Ablakos Lakatos Dezső jazz performers stipendium in 2007. He played together with well-known musicians such as Erik Truffaz, Stéphane Belmondo, Bobbie Watson, Charlie Mariano, Robin Eubanks, Steve Houben, Nicholas Payton or Tim Ries. He founded Balázs József Quintet in 2007, which first album came out in 2008 with the title of “I Don’t Got You Mean”.

 

Besides his successes in jazz he is an acknowledged orchestrator in different music genres. He also founded his etnojazz formation East Gipsy Band in 2010, which combines jazz with gipsy music from all around the world. East Gipsy Band joins together the great musicians of local jazz life with the major figures of gipsy music: József Balázs - keyboard, Elemér Balázs - drums, Jr. Lajos Sárközi - violin, Gyögy Orbán - doublebass, Vilmos Oláh - dulcimer, Gusztáv Balogh - vocal.

 

Their first album “Ageless Message” came out in 2011. Tim Ries, world-wide known american saxophonist participates on this album as well. The band had already lots of concerts in various jazz clubs in the cities of New York, Toronto, Brussels or London. Among other things they had a performance in one of the oldest american jazz club, in Deer Head Inn - Pennsylvania, in Blue Note, Jazz Standard, Smalls Jazz Club - New York, Regattabar - Boston, Hugh’s Room - Toronto, and on the well-known Detroit Jazz Festival. The band is working on it’s second album at the moment.