János Gonda
János Gonda (born January 11, 1932) is a Hungarian jazz pianist. Born in Budapest, he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and earned his diploma first at the musicological and then in the piano department. His activities include composition, concert performances, teaching, and musicological research.
Music
He formed his first band in 1962, and with them made the first LP in the Hungarian "Modern Jazz" series. Since then he has led several bands which can be heard on the anthology-form records in that same series. In the late 1960s he co-led the Gonda-Krusa Quartet with the Polish vibrophnis Richard Kruza.[1] He also recorded with his Gonda Sextet, which he formed in 1972. One of their famous recordings is titled Shaman Song. The sextet consisted of János Gonda (piano, electrical piano), Gábor Balázs (bass), Tamás Berki (vocal, guitar, percussion), Péter Kántor (soprano and alto saxophone), István Dely (conga, percussion) and Gyula Kovács (drums, percussion).
As a composer, he mainly writes jazz pieces, but has also branched out into other forms of expression. Worth mentioning are his modern songs, his film scores (e.g. for the 1966 István Szabó film Vater) and other incidental music, his dance compositions and symphonic jazz works. The most significant of the last is his Australian Concerto of 1970. In 1974, he composed a musical entitled Pro Urbe.
Teaching and research
Gonda's theoretical works also focus on jazz. Of his books and studies, one should mention the book Jazz, published in 1979.
He has been a professor and head of the jazz department at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, and vice president of the International Jazz Federation.[2]
Gonda was head of the jazz department affiliated with the Associated of Hungarian Musicians. From 1965 to 1997, he was leader of the jazz department of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. He was the artistic director of Tatabánya International Jazz Camp and Tatabánya International Institute of Creative Music Education .
Awards
In 1974, he was awarded the Hungarian Erkel Prize.
Discography
- 1964 Modern jazz IV-V. - Anthology 64 Hungaroton LPX 7279-80 Közreműködő
- 1967 Modern jazz VI. - Anthology 67 Hungaroton LPX 17372 Közreműködő
- 1968 Modern jazz VII. - Anthology 68 Hungaroton LPX 17392 Közreműködő
- 1969 Modern jazz VIII. - Anthology 69 Hungaroton LPX 17406 Közreműködő
- 1976 Sámánének (Shaman Song) Hungaroton-Pepita
- 1980 Vonzások és választósok Hungaroton-Pepita
- 1980 Solo Piano Hungaroton-Pepita
- 1986 Keyboard Music Hungaroton-Krém
- 1999 Képek, Emlékek (Pictures, Memories) Binder Music Manufactory BMM 9904-26173630 Saját
Film scores
- 1975 A járvány
- 1974 Holnap lesz fácán
- 1972 Utazás Jakabbal
- 1970 Mérsékelt égöv
- 1970 Horizont
- 1970 Szerelmesfilm
- 1970 A gyilkos a házban van
- 1967 A múmia közbeszól
- 1966 Apa - egy hit naplója
- 1965 Szentjános fejevétele
- 1964 Karambol
- 1963 Nappali sötétség
Writing
- 1979 Jazz
- 1982 Mi a Jazz? (What is Jazz?)
- 2004 Jazzvilág (World of Jazz) RÓZSAVÖLGYI ÉS TÁRSA publishers, ISBN 963-86238-5-3
References
- "Heard and Seen: The fifth Hungarian jazz festival". Coda. Vol. 9 no. 2. July–August 1969. p. 44.
The Gonda-Kruza Quartet is a leading Hungarian jazz group. Janos Gonda, famous pianist, composer and arranger, leader of the jazz faculty at Bartok Conservatory in Budapest, is the well-known author of the best book on jazz in this country. Richard Kruza, a Polish vibraphone player ... is co-founder of the ensemble. The quartet plays very modern jazz with certain free elements. They played a very nice free version of Django, and two long originals by the leaders: Gonda and Kruza. This group got the second place of the Alba Regia Prize, and a special prize given by the organizers of 'Rona' jam sessions in Cegled.
- Gonda, Janos (November 1983). "Jazz Education: Improvisation and Creativity". International Journal of Music Education: 19–22. doi:10.1177/025576148300200104.
External links
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