Bridge of Cultures is a new album from the East Gipsy Band with Special Guest Tim Ries.  It is their second album at NativeDSD.

The East Gipsy Band is a great initiative in combining Roma music tradition and jazz with leading Hungarian Roma musicians. This sensational group has already toured Canada and the United States. They have been a huge success at the legendary Blue Note in New York and at the Detroit Jazz Festival.

The leader of the band, József Balázs, is one of the most talented pianists of the middle generation, winning the Best Soloist Award at the Krakow Jazz Juniors Competition, but also one of the mainstays of his brother’s band. In 2006, at the age of 15, violinist/guitarist Lajos Sárközi won the Hungarian Radio’s national jazz violin competition. Since then, he has been improving by leaps and bounds.

The cimbalom player Vilmos Oláh is one of the great new promises on his instrument. The singer Guszti Balogh is the leader of the Nomada band, a member of the Fabula Rasa band, and a regular guest musician in many other bands in Hungary and abroad. The bass player György Orbán is one of the most sought-after musicians in the country. He is a dynamic, virtuoso, overwhelming musician, playing in numerous ensembles. In 2005 he was a member of the Bolla Quartet, which won the Grand Prize and Audience Award at the Avignon International Jazz Festival. As a drummer and composer, Elemér Balázs has been a major figure on the Hungarian jazz scene for a decade and a half, and has also been a bandleader since 1995. He really needs no introduction!

East Gipsy Band
József Balázs – Piano
Lajos Sárközi – Violin & Guitar
Vilmos Oláh – Cymbalom
Guszti Balogh – Vocals
György Orbán – Bass
Elemér Balázs – Drums

Special Guest Artist
Tim Ries – Alto & Tenor Saxophone