Djabe
Biography Djabe
Djabe
is the number 1 jazz/world fusion band in Hungary. It was established 24 years ago and since then, Djabe won numerous domestic and international awards and recognitions.
From 2002, the band gave concerts in 42 countries throughout Europe, Asia and North-America. Djabe is one of the most invited Hungarian bands by international festivals.
Just to name a few of the most important venues: Rochester, Baltimore, Washington DC, San Jose – USA; Kaslo, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver – Canada; Burghausen, Berlin, Regensburg, München – Germany; Klaipeda, Kaunas – Lithuania; Riga, Saulkrasti – Latvia; Pori, Imatra – Finland; Tallin – Estonia; Glogow, Cracow, Warsaw – Poland; Stockholm – Sweden; London – England; Hradec Králové, Prague – Czech Republic; Bansko – Bulgaria; Graz, Vienna, Wiesen – Austria; Sarajevo – Bosnia and Herzegovina; Udine – Italy; Sines, Portiamo – Portugal; Baku – Azerbaijan; Seben, Garana – Romania; Nis, Novi Sad, Belgrade – Serbia, Ulaanbaatar – Mongolia; Almaty – Kazahstan; Bishkek – Kirgistan; Kuala Lumpur, Penang – Malaysia, Dubai – United Arab Emirates, Koktebel – Ukraine; The Hague – The Netherlands; Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Korcula, – Croatia; Bratislava – Slovakia; Crete – Greece; Moscow, Kaliningrad, Moscow, Saint Petersburg – Russia etc.
Djabe plays unique music in which the elements of jazz are mixed with various parts of Hungarian and world music. The main composer of the band is Tamás Barabás, who – at the same time – is the most virtuoso Hungarian bass guitarist. Djabe means freedom in the African Ashanti language. The founder and other composer of the band is Attila Égerházi – playing the guitar and being the leader of the band, too –, who interprets this freedom primarily by freely mixing the styles and instruments.
Égerházi and Barabás refreshed the band in September of 2016. They stayed true to the high standards accustomed to Djabe when selecting the newest members of the band.
At the drums sits the internationally acclaimed, Artisjus Award-winner and Grammy Award nominee Péter Kaszás, who was and still is the drummer for Al Di Meola’s band, World Sinfonia, for 10 years. The old-but-new member of Djabe, Áron Koós-Hutás, multiple award-winning trumpet player who performed at many gigs of the band between 2008 and 2010. Primarily as second for Ferenc Kovács, Áron played alongside with the former Djabe member in 2010. He can be heard and seen on Djabe 15 DVD and on In the Footsteps of Attila and Genghis double CDs. The keyboards are under the hands of the Hungarian musical life’s outstanding talent János Nagy. The Artisjus, eMeRTon and Erkel Award-winning musician played with exceptional Hungarian and foreign jazz giants along his career.
The new line-up released its first LP and CD in February 2017, entitled Djabe: New Dimensions Update Live. Flow, the first studio album, came out in May 2018, resulted a great international recognition for Djabe.
In 2017 Djabe and London based Cherry Red Records started a cooperation. In the last two years Cherry Red released 3 albums under their Esoteric Antenna label. The Summer Storms and Rocking Rivers, Life Is A Journey – The Sardinia Tapes and the Life Is A journey – The Budapest Live Tapes albums got a great international distribution.
As a sound engineer, the arranger of the band, Tamas Barabas has won the recognition of the experts at Abbey Road with the 5.1 surround mixing of ‘Sheafs are Dancing’. This release was nominated to Surround Music Award in Los Angeles in 2004.
Djabe in the past 24 years worked together with several foreign and domestic musicians. Ben Castle saxophonist (The Brand New Heavies, Sting, Jamie Cullum, Georg Michael) can be heard on 5 albums and 3 concert releases of Djabe, as he also toured with the band. John Nugent, American saxophonist (Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Carla Bay) plays on the album Take On, Down And Up, Forward and 20 Dimension and regularly participates in Djabe’s concerts. Malik Mansurov is the master of the ancient instrument of Azerbaijan, the tar – Djabe played with him in Baku and in Hungary as well in addition he can be heard on many albums. From the domestic musicians we have to emphasize 3 saxophonists, Mihály Dresch, Ferenc Muck and Viktor Tóth, besides the table player Tibor Mótyán.
Since 2007 Djabe has joint concerts regularly with the former guitarist of Genesis, Steve Hackett. The outstanding project of the band, the show of ‘Djabe special guest Steve Hackett’ not only contains Steve playing Djabe tunes, it includes playing Genesis and Hackett classics with Djabe. At the Garana Jazz Festival in Romania, 13.000 music fans enjoyed the music of Djabe and Steve.
