Ágnes Lakatos & Kálmán Oláh Presented by Liszt Academy

The vocal-piano duo of Ágnes Lakatos and Kálmán Oláh is well-known in the Hungarian music scene, with their repertoire primarily consisting of American jazz standards. However, for the Jazz It! series, they have prepared a completely new program. They explore the question of what gives the music of Hungarian jazz artists its unique flavor. This concert is an excellent example of how research findings can be applied to performance art. In January 2025, Ágnes Lakatos participated in a Jazz Education Network conference, where she gave a presentation titled The Hungarian Taste of Jazz. As part of her research, she conducted numerous interviews with Hungarian jazz musicians. Early results suggest that the distinct Hungarian flavor may be explained by diversity, drawing from various sources such as folk music, Kodály’s ideas, the influence of Bartók, old Hungarian pop songs, and free jazz.

This concert will feature a synthesis of Hungarian and American jazz, with arrangements of folk songs and Bartók’s works, alongside old Hungarian hits and compositions by Kálmán Oláh, all woven together with plenty of improvisation.